ST. LOUIS — It's been a journey to get here, and it's not just the flight this week to Washington, D.C.
St. Louis environmental advocates have been fighting for years to land in this moment and they are one step closer to justice.
In a last-minute decision, Just Moms STL, Christen Commuso with the Missouri Coalition for the Environment and State Representative Tricia Byrnes flew to the nation's capital on Tuesday morning to speak to leaders.
For weeks, they've been asking the St. Louis community to reach out to congressional leaders to push an act to help victims impacted by government-caused radioactive waste.
Just Moms STL Co-Founder Karen Nickel said, "We are making sure that we've done everything that we could. We didn't feel comfortable letting it end at home."
Co-founder Dawn Chapman added, "We just really felt like we needed to be here in person to make these connections one more time and really tell our stories in person."
The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, known as RECA, provides compensation for radioactive waste victims. This is included in the National Defense Authorization Act.
Over the summer, Senator Josh Hawley secured an added amendment to the act.
Chapman explained, "The amendment adds St. Louis, among other cities, along with New Mexico and Utah. We know that the legislation is kind of stuck and we're going to meet with him and find out if there are ways while we're here to unstick it and see what we can do. It's kind of our last week to do that."
Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee Jim Jordan recently cleared this amendment.
Now, the advocates ask St. Louisans to call on House Speaker Mike Johnson and Leader Mitch McConnell.
They don't want this to be the last stop on their legislative journey.
"I think we're just really proud of what's going on, and the partnership in the coalition that has been built in this and we're not done. We still have a lot of fight left in us and we think our senator does too," Chapman shared.
The group plans plan to meet with Congresswoman Ann Wagner, Senator Eric Schmitt, and Congressman James Smith on Wednesday.
Senator Hawley said he'll oppose and hold up the National Defense Authorization Act if it does not include compensation for the victims in the greater St. Louis area.
Schmitt's office provided the following statement:
“Senator Schmitt will continue to have conversations with other members for long-term solutions to remedy the radiation exposure that occurred right in his own backyard and has had lasting health impacts on countless St. Louis residents. Senator Schmitt remains hopeful an all-encompassing solution will emerge for those impacted due to negligence by the federal government,”
Just Mom STL shared these contacts for residents:
- Mike Johnson: (202) 225 4000
- Mitch McConnell: (202) 224-2541