WASHINGTON – Missouri U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley has introduced a new bill to compensate victims of radioactive waste in the St. Louis area.

Hawley has pushed for similar pieces of legislation in the past, but his latest bill comes after renewed concerns over radioactive waste in the St. Louis area, specifically the West Lake Landfill in Bridgeton.

Earlier this month, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources sent a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, suggesting that radioactive contamination could be more widespread than previously believed, based on testing and analysis.

The letter indicated “the presence of radiological materials” at the West Lake Landfill, along with a “high probability of radiological materials” at a nearby, unrelated closed site known as the Bridgeton Landfill.

Around 1973, some amount of radioactive waste and radioactive contaminated soil was dumped into the West Lake Landfill. The landfill is now an EPA Superfund site subject to cleanup. The EPA has moved forward with various testing and remedial efforts in recent years. Nearby, the Bridgeton Landfill, which primarily served as a municipal landfill, has been closed for years.

Dawn Chapman is the founder of the Just Moms STL organization that advocates for cleanup of radioactive waste and raises awareness of health risks. She says the recent findings over the landfills are troubling.

“You don’t want to be right about the things that we suspect,” said Chapman. “That means that people have gotten sick, and the answer is we’ll never know. It could be. It could not be. But just the fact that it could be is enough for the EPA to come in and be the sole regulator.”

Aside from Bridgeton, concerns about concerns of radioactive contamination in the St. Louis region have gained national attention in recent years. A 2023 report suggested that the federal government downplayed and failed to fully investigate the risks of nuclear waste contamination that originated from the World War II-era Manhattan Project in north St. Louis County.

Since then, Hawley has been a vocal advocate for cleanup and compensation victims for radioactive waste around St. Louis.

“For far too long, Missourians and others across America have suffered without compensation from their government. It is vital that we unite to pass this legislation now, and that the President sign it into law,” said Hawley via a news release Friday.

Hawley’s previous proposals have pushed to expand coverage under the annual defense bill’s Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. They have also sought to fund victims who suffered an autoimmune virus, a genetic disorder, or cancer from radioactive contamination in the St. Louis area.

Despite the efforts, the annual defense bill has cleared Congress without compensation for victims on multiple occasions.

“The time to reauthorize RECA is now,” said Hawley. “The Senate has done this twice before and must do it again.”

Fellow state senators Eric Schmitt (R-Missouri), Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico), Mark Kelly (D-Arizona), and Martin Heinrich (D-New Mexico) are co-sponsors of the newest bill under consideration.

“We’re starting 2025 with a new administration and new allies that we didn’t have last time,” said Chapman. “You get bad news, and then, this morning, you get this glimmer of hope. I think that we’re going to grab that hope and run with it.”

More Reaction

The EPA offered FOX 2 this statement on recent sampling and the letter from Missouri officials:

“EPA has required the PRPs [Potentially Responsible Parties] to collect samples from the portion of West Lake Landfill’s Area 1 that overlaps with Bridgeton Landfill and south of the old quarry wall, and some RIM was found in this area. RIM was not found in the former North Quarry where landfilling first occurred in the Bridgeton Landfill. During the more recent design investigation, EPA required to the PRPs to collect additional samples to further evaluate the potential for rainwater run-off to the south and into Bridgeton Landfill’s former North Quarry, and RIM was not found in the former North Quarry.”

Missouri U.S. Rep. Wesley Bell (D-District 1) shared the following statement:

“The Radiation Exposure Compensation Reauthorization Act is long overdue. For decades, Americans harmed by uranium mining, nuclear weapons testing, and radioactive waste—including in St. Louis—have suffered without justice. Congress must act now to provide long-overdue compensation and recognition to these victims and their families.”

Illinois U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski (D-District 13) shared the following statement:

“I’m encouraged by Senator Hawley’s initial step to reauthorize RECA and bring attention to this issue. Although this bill mirrors previous versions and does not include Venice and Madison, I’m working closely with Senator Hawley to ensure in the final negotiations these communities get the federal assistance they need. Families are still facing the health and financial toll of Dow Chemical’s toxic legacy, and I will keep fighting to ensure these communities receive the compensation they deserve.”