Rep. Brittany Pettersen Leads Bipartisan Bill to Expand Nuclear Radiation Compensation for Coloradans
Representative Brittany Pettersen, a Democrat representing Colorado’s 7th Congressional District, is spearheading the bipartisan Radiation Exposure Compensation Reauthorization Act of 2026. This proposed legislation aims to broaden eligibility for federal compensation for individuals who have suffered illnesses due to exposure to nuclear radiation. The bill specifically seeks to recognize the Cotter uranium mill near Cañon City and the former Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant as Manhattan Project waste sites. This designation would allow residents in 57 zip codes surrounding these sites, who have developed specific illnesses, to apply for medical expense reimbursement and a $150,000 payment. Additionally, the bill would classify Colorado as a 'downwinder' state, making residents who lived in the state during the 1950s and 1960s nuclear weapons testing in Nevada eligible for restitution if they developed certain cancers. Rep. Pettersen initiated this legislation after hearing numerous accounts from constitu...
