S652 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE January 30, 2014 the Senate by Mr. Pate, one of his sec- Whereas, on October 31, 1952, Operation Ivy Guam, separated by a scant 30 miles, and retaries. was conducted on Elugelab Island (‘‘Flora’’) both are affected by the same win, weather in the Enewetak Atoll, in which the first and ocean current patterns, it logically fol- f true thermonuclear hydrogen bomb (a 10.4 lows that radiation which affects the Terri- EXECUTIVE MESSAGES REFERRED megaton device) code name Mike was deto- tory of Guam necessarily affects the Com- nated, destroying the entire island leaving monwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; As in executive session the Presiding behind a 6,240 feet across and 164 feet deep and Officer laid before the Senate messages crater in its aftermath; and Whereas, as a result, the Nuclear and Radi- from the President of the United Whereas, in 90 seconds the mushroom cloud ation Studies Board (‘‘NSRB’’) published in States submitting sundry nominations climbed to 57,000 feet into the atmosphere 2005 its report entitled ‘‘Assessment of the and two withdrawals which were re- and within 30 minutes had stretched 60 miles Scientific information for the Radiation Ex- in diameter with the base of the mushroom posure Screening and Education Program’’; ferred to the appropriate committees. head joining the stem of 45,000 feet; and and (The messages received today are Whereas, radioactive fallout is the after ef- Whereas, because fallout may have been printed at the end of the Senate pro- fect of the detonation of a nuclear bomb higher for the people outside RECA-des- ceedings.) where radioactive particles and earth debris, ignated areas, the NRSB recommended that which comprise the mushroom cloud, are re- all residents of the continental US, Alaska, f leased into the atmosphere and remain in Hawaii, and overseas US territories who MESSAGE FROM THE HOUSE the atmosphere for about 24 hours before de- have been diagnosed with specific RECA- scending back to earth; and compensable diseases and who may have At 10:03 a.m., a message from the Whereas, before the decend back to earth, been exposed to radiation from U.S. nuclear- House of Representatives, delivered by these radioactive particles can be carried weapons testing fallout be compensated; and Mr. Novotny, one of its reading clerks, through jet-steams in the atmosphere to lo- Whereas, the United States Congress has announced that the House agree to the cations over a thousand miles away from the the authority to amend RECA to include report of the committee of conference actual test site and settle into the environ- residents of the Commonwealth of the North- on the disagreeing votes of the two ment causing multiple health and environ- ern Mariana Islands affected by radiation as mental problems; and eligible ‘‘downwinder’’ claimants; and Houses on the amendment of the House Whereas, the Commonwealth of the North- Whereas, the failure of the United States to the amendment of the Senate to the ern Mariana Islands are located approxi- Congress to amend RECA in such a way as to bill (H.R. 2642) to provide for the re- mately 1,230 miles directly west of the test compensate affected residents of the Com- form and continuation of agricultural sites; and monwealth of the Northern Islands will and other programs of the Department Whereas, the radioactive dust particles cause the people of the Commonwealth to of Agriculture through fiscal year 2018, travelled through the westward flowing jet- bear a disproportionate burden in defending streams from the Marshall Islands to Guam the United States of America; and and for other purposes. and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mar- Whereas, we, the people of the Common- The message further announced that iana Islands; and wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, pursuant to 22 U.S.C. 2761, and the Whereas, due to the deleterious effects of United States of America, humbly request order of the House of January 3, 2013, the nuclear radiation, on October 5, , 1990, that the Commonwealth be included in the Speaker appoints the following the United States Congress passed the Radi- RECA with the same criteria that was made Members on the part of the House of ation Exposure Compensation Act (‘‘RECA’’) for Nevada test site in 1990 for compas- Representatives to the British-Amer- which established new programs for persons sionate payments: Now, therefore be it ican Interparliamentary Group: Mr. physically present in areas near the Nevada Resolved, on behalf of the people of the Com- nuclear test site during atomic testing at monwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands by MCINTYRE of North Carolina and Mr. the site. Atmospheric testing of atomic de- the Eighteen Northern Marianas Commonwealth DELANEY of Maryland. vices—important to national security during Legislature, That the United States Congress f the darkest days of the ‘‘cold war’’—ended in is hereby respectfully petitioned to declare 1963 when, under President Kennedy, the that all Americans shall be given the same MEASURES READ THE FIRST TIME United States signed and ratified the limited consideration when it comes to compensa- The following bill was read the first Test Ban ‘‘Treaty’’. Prior to the Treaty, the tion for exposure to radiation from U.S. nu- United Stated detonated over 200 atomic de- clear testing; and be it further time: vises in the open air in both the South Pa- Resolved, That the United States Congress S. 1977. A bill to repeal section 403 of the cific and in Nevada. The RECA provides com- is hereby respectfully petitioned to amend Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013, relating to an passionate payments to persons with speci- the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act of annual adjustment of retired pay for mem- fied diseases who fear that their health were 1990, Public Law 101–426, as amended by Pub- bers of the Armed Forces under the age of 62, harmed because of fallout from atmospheric lic Law 101–510, 3139 (43 U.S.C. 2210) and Pub- and to provide an offset. atomic testing at the Nevada test site, re- lic Law 106–245, to include the Common- f gardless of whether causation can be wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in scientically established; and the jurisdiction ‘‘downwinders’’ covered by PETITIONS AND MEMORIALS Whereas, on July 10, 2000, Public Law 106– the Act; and be it further 245, the Radiation Exposure Compensation Resolved, That the United States Congress POM–193 and POM–194 originally ap- Act Amendments of 2000 was passed, adding is hereby respectfully requested to include peared without text in the CONGRES- two new claimant categories, providing for, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana SIONAL RECORD of Wednesday, January among other things, additional compensable Islands similarly as the Territory of Guam 29, 2014. illnesses, removing certain lifestyle restric- and be granted RECA ‘‘on site’’ status; and POM–193. A resolution adopted by the Sen- tions, and adding additional geographic be it further ate of the Northern Mariana Commonwealth areas to the ‘‘downwinder’’ claimant cat- Resolved, That the affected population pre- Legislature petitioning the United States egory; and viously and currently in the Commonwealth Congress to amend the Radiation Exposure Whereas, although RECA coverage has of the Northern Mariana Islands (those resid- Act of 1990; to the Committee on Environ- been expanded, it still does not provide relief ing who have been exposed to radiation from ment and Public Works. to all Americans affected by fallout, particu- the Atomic Energy Commission tests in the larly residents of the Commonwealth of the Marshall Islands) be recognized as being SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 18–04, S1 Northern Mariana Islands and the Territory ‘‘downwinders’’ of such test; and be it further Whereas, the United States Government of Guam; and Resolved, That the President of the Senate and the Atomic Energy Commission together Whereas, there is no doubt that the Terri- and the Speaker of the House of Representa- with the United States Armed Forces con- tory of Guam has received radioactive debris tives shall certify, and the Senate Legisla- ducted testing of atomic nuclear weapons on from fallout during the nuclear weapons tive Secretary and the House Clerk shall at- Eniwetok and Bikini Atolls in the Marshall testing in the Pacific Ocean to such an ex- test to the adoption of this joint resolution, Islands, South Pacific, from 1946 to 1962; and tent that in March 2004, Congresswoman and thereafter the Senate Clerk shall trans- Whereas, a total of 67 atomic and thermo- Madeleine Z. Bordallo spoke before the Com- mit a certified copy to the Honorable Barack nuclear bombs/devices were detonated with a mittee to Assess the Scientific Information Obama, President of the United States of total yield of 108,492.2 kilotons which re- for the Radiation Exposure Screening and America; to the Honorable John Boehner, sulted in fallout across a wide area around Education Program to request that they in- Speaker of the United States House of Rep- the Marshall Islands in the Pacific; and clude an assessment of Guam for resentatives; to the Honorable Patrick J. Whereas, no less than ten of those detona- ‘‘downwinders’’ and ship decontamination as Leahy, President Pro Tempore of the United tions yielded between five to ten megatons of part of their congressionally mandated States Senate; to the Honorable Nancy radioactive material from the center of the study; and Pelosi, Minority Leader, United States explosion to the height of between 12 to 55 Whereas,