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RICA reauthorization stalled; candidates urge separate action for Utah downwinders
Summary
Both candidates told an audience that the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act expired in June and that reauthorization is stalled because a Senate measure links Utah claims to costly additions tied to a Missouri Superfund site; Rep. Celeste Malloy said she is negotiating to secure separate reauthorization and Nathaniel Woodward pledged advocacy for affected downwinders.
An audience question after the debate focused on the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RICA), the federal program that compensates people exposed to radiation from historical nuclear testing. Rep. Celeste Malloy told attendees that RICA "expired in June" and that reauthorization is currently blocked because a Senate measure ties Utah claims to a separate Superfund expansion in Missouri that would add substantial, unfunded liabilities.
"We can't reauthorize it currently because of a senate bill that ties radiation exposure in Utah from mushroom clouds together with a superfund site in Missouri that adds a lot of new cost that isn't paid for and isn't offset," Malloy said, and she described one‑on‑one negotiations with House colleagues and with the senator who sponsored the measure to secure a path to the floor for separate reauthorization.
Nathaniel Woodward commended Malloy for her advocacy and said he would "be a fierce advocate for all downwinders, especially here in CD 2," if elected. Both candidates framed reauthorization as a federal responsibility to compensate people harmed by government actions.
Why it matters: RICA reauthorization affects Utah residents who developed illnesses linked to historical nuclear testing and who the federal government previously acknowledged through compensation programs. Malloy's description that the act expired in June and is stalled over an unrelated Senate provision is a concrete status update; securing reauthorization would require congressional action or a change to the Senate measure that currently packages additional provisions.
