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Nestled in the very back of President Trump's spending and policy bill passed last month, there’s an obscure provision that could change the lives of uranium miners exposed to radiation. It’s an extension of the previously expired Radiation Exposure and Compensation Act of 1990.
In 1970, Texas had the third largest uranium reserves in the country. The South Texas Coastal Plain is home to natural uranium deposits, which supplied the raw materials for nuclear weapon testing and nuclear energy plants.
The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act of 1990 provided reimbursement for on-site participants of nuclear weapons tests, those who lived nearby who are known as 'downwinders,' and uranium miners in states such as Texas. Nationally, it had paid out $2.6 billion to 41,000 claimants until it expired in 2024.
It provided $100,000 to miners who developed certain radiation-induced illnesses like lung cancer. It also made them automatically eligible for full coverage of medical costs and additional compensation through a separate Department of Labor program.
Hugh Stephens, a partner with Stephens & Stephens in New York, a firm specializing in Radiation Exposure Compensation Claims, explained that “it makes a huge impact. You can imagine someone being able to pay off their house and that kind of thing. It's a significant amount of money.”
An attempt to extend the law failed in the U.S. House last year, and another failed this year. But, last month, the 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act' reauthorized and extended it to 2028. It also changed some of the provisions.
The act initially stated that miners who worked from 1942 to 1971 could be reimbursed. Now, the latest year is 1990. Renal cancers are now eligible for coverage.
Finally, it increased the number of miners eligible: “It used to be limited to uranium miners, millers and transporters, but that has been expanded to include remediation workers, so those who were cleaning up after the uranium mining [...] Another group that has been included are uranium core drillers,” Stephens added.
The exact number of people now eligible under the act’s expansion is unknown; Texas had roughly 1,200 claimants by 2024. The Congressional Budget Office found that the extension of the uranium mining compensation will cost roughly $775 million through 2029.
