New Mexico’s delegation outraged at removal of expand nuclear radiation compensation from proposal

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico’s congressional delegation has expressed outrage with the U.S. House leadership’s move to block compensation for people sickened by exposure to radiation during nuclear weapons testing and the mining of uranium during the Cold War. Originally, the proposal expanded eligibility for compensation under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, offering compensation to residents of New Mexico, Colorado, Montana, Guam and Missouri — as well as those in some parts of Arizona, Nevada and Utah — who suffered the effects of nuclear testing or uranium mines and aren’t covered under the current program. The Santa Fe New Mexican reported that the House removed those provisions Wednesday.