PRESS RELEASE

CONTACT: Janet Michel (Secretary and Outreach Coordinator, Coalition for a Healthy Environment), 865/966-5918

Ann Orick, 865-693-0331

Harry Williams (President of CHE), 865-693-7249

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – September 28, 2000

SUBJECT: OAK RIDGE ILL WORKERS SET BOTTOM LINE WITH PROPOSED COMPENSATION LEGISLATION

Ill workers in East Tennessee have watched the negotiations on compensation legislation

in Washington this week sink into a downward spiral. Politics and egos produce callous disregard for workers’ lives. Objections over money are disgusting. The Senate amendment (that passed in June) was calculated by the Congressional Budget Office to cost $3.7 Billion over 5 years. At the same time, Senator Thompson’s recent audit found $20 billion in improper payments from the Treasury. When Joshua Gotbaum, a high-level official at the White House Office of Management and Budget, was asked about this, he implied that the amount was trivial “just about 1 percent of the federal budget last year of $1.7 trillion”. But the amount for workers that is being considered now is down to $1.7 billion (.001 percent of the federal budget) over 10 years and that is still too much in the minds of some. Most of the people raising objections have never met an ill worker and apparently their staff have not properly briefed them because they obviously do not understand the situation. It is beyond our comprehension that a few Representatives in the House can stop a bill that has bipartisan support; has been passed by the Senate; and has been supported by over 100 members of the House, five governors with DOE sites in their states, and the Administration.

In an effort to keep “something” moving, the House and Senate have offered compromises that we cannot and will not live with. Our bottom line is the Senate amendment that was passed in June as part of the Defense Authorization Act. We will stand firm on the following points.

- The Department of Justice must not be involved in any way. The Department of Labor has experience in administering this type program and has testified to that.

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- There should be no more studies of any kind. Studies will be a waste of taxpayer money. The National Economic Council report clearly summarized the state of health studies and compensation issues. http://www.eh.doe.gov/benefits

- There must be a minimum of $200,000 lump sum or wage replacement. In reality, it should be in the $350,000-$500,000 range to be truly fair.

- There must be comprehensive lifetime health care for those made ill at DOE sites. Many sick people have annual medical bills over $100,000. Only providing work-related coverage is insufficient as those injured are not able to get neither medical insurance, nor any other kind of insurance because of their health problems. Often other health problems surface that have their root cause in the work-related illness.

- There must a process to include other diseases and toxic exposures in the “special exposure cohort”. Because workers were not protected, not monitored, and were lied to, the burden of proof should fall on the government, not on the worker. Currently, this group includes only workers with a defined list of cancers who worked at gaseous diffusion plants. As an example, it should be expanded to include any person who worked at the K-25 plant and drank the water, ate in the cafeteria, took a shower, or walked though steam plumes and have documented K-25 contaminants in their bodies. It would be presumed that their illness came from their workplace.

We have been to every level of government and every agency that could possibly have the slightest connection to our issues over the past 5 years. We have heard repeatedly that we did not fall in anyone’s jurisdiction. Hence, we are engaging Congress as it is our only recourse. We are grateful to the Senators and Representatives who have taken on the fight AND have committed to continue the fight if necessary in the next congressional session.

Even though the Senate amendment passed in June will only help a very small percentage of those affected, it is still the right thing to do to help those people. However, it must be improved upon in the future. It is the only moral and just thing to do. We will continue this fight for as long as it takes. We will not give up. We will not go away.

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