{"id":15946,"date":"2025-09-26T21:43:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-27T03:43:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/natives-call-for-colorado-downwinders-to-be-included-in-reca-but-say-the-uranium-fight-isnt-over\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T21:53:23","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T03:53:23","slug":"natives-call-for-colorado-downwinders-to-be-included-in-reca-but-say-the-uranium-fight-isnt-over","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/natives-call-for-colorado-downwinders-to-be-included-in-reca-but-say-the-uranium-fight-isnt-over\/","title":{"rendered":"Natives call for Colorado downwinders to be included in RECA \u2013 but say the uranium fight isn\u2019t over"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"On
On Sept. 12, former Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye spoke at the White Mesa Community Center on the Ute Mountain Ute reservation during Day 1 of the 2025 Southwest Uranium Convention. Seated at the table to his left is 25th Navajo Nation Council Speaker Crystalyne Curley and Navajo Uranium Radiation Victims Committee members Jerry Benally and Phil Harrison. Behind them stand another NURVC member, Gilbert Badoni. (Benjamin Rubin\/The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

The toxic legacy of uranium mining and nuclear technology runs deep across the West, but after decades of fighting, Native Americans most impacted still seek justice for more survivors and future generations.<\/p>\n

On Sept. 12-13, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe in White Mesa, Utah, hosted a convention focused on uranium issues in the Southwest. The event comes as the Utes oppose a nearby uranium mill, while the Navajo Nation still grapples with radioactive contamination.<\/p>\n

The Navajo Uranium Radiation Victims Committee \u2013 a group that has spent decades advocating in Washington, D.C. \u2013 released a resolution calling for a halt to uranium industry practices on Native land, streamlined payments under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, <\/a>and recognition of Colorado among states impacted by nuclear testing.<\/p>\n

\"Navajo
Navajo Uranium Radiation Victims Committee members Jerry Benally (left) Phil Harrison and Gilbert Badoni talk about RECA toward the convention\u2019s conclusion. (Benjamin Rubin\/The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
Fighting for RECA continues<\/div>\n

Enacted in 1990, RECA offers financial reparations to downwinders, uranium miners and industrial workers exposed to radiation<\/a> \u2013 many later diagnosed with cancer and other diseases. Eligible individuals may receive tens of thousands of dollars.<\/p>\n

Amendments passed in July <\/a>extended claim filings through 2027 and expanded eligibility. Recognized states include<\/a> Utah, New Mexico, Idaho, and parts of Nevada, Arizona, Alaska, Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky.<\/p>\n

Colorado was excluded, which NURVC members aim to change.<\/p>\n