Ohioans affected by Piketon Atomic Plant may soon get compensation as Senators push for RECA amendment

COLUMBUS, Ohio — U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) has announced his support for an amendment to the Federal Aviation Act that would allow residents from several zip codes across Pike and Scioto County, who became ill due to exposure to nuclear radiation, to seek compensation through the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act.

“Workers in Southeast Ohio sacrificed to help our country win the Cold War. I will never stop fighting to get workers at PORTS and Ohioans in its surrounding communities the compensation they’re owed,” said Brown.

RECA, enacted in 1990, provides a one-time benefit payment to individuals who have become sick or died as a result of exposure to radiation from the production and testing of atomic weapons. RECA is currently set to expire in June 2024, absent Congressional action. Earlier this year, Brown secured a commitment from the bill’s sponsors to work to add affected communities in Ohio, particularly Pike and Scioto County, to RECA. Adding zip codes in these counties to the bill’s new Nuclear Storage Exposure Provision would ensure workers and residents in Ohio adjacent to the U.S. Department of Energy site in Piketon, Ohio, are also made eligible for compensation resulting from the improper storage of radioactive material.

Local residents in Pike County are hopeful for justice and compensation as efforts to include the county in RECA continue to progress. The former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Piketon has left many residents suffering from documented health effects due to exposure to dangerous radioactive contaminants.

Activists from various groups, including Piketon Residents for Environmental Safety and Security, Don’t Dump On Us, and The Ohio Nuclear Free Network, recently gathered to present new evidence of radioactive contaminants in Pike, Scioto, and Highland counties. Human Rights Consultant and PRESS Media Relations spokesperson Jason Salley addressed those in attendance, emphasizing that justice is long overdue.

The United States Senate recently passed RECA, with Pike and Scioto Counties specifically mentioned by Senator Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico. The bill will now move on to the House of Representatives for debate. If Pike County is added to RECA, qualifying residents could receive compensation of up to $100,000.