President inks deal for nuke workers

Benjamin Grove

Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2000 | 11:18 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- President Clinton on Monday signed a bill that compensates nuclear weapons laborers for their work-related cancers and other ailments, but it's still not clear how many Nevada Test Site workers will see any money.

The legislation sets in motion a plan to give ill workers or their surviving families $150,000, plus future medical costs.

"My administration has advocated compensating these workers for their heroic sacrifices in a manner that is fair, science-based, and workable, and I commend those in the Congress and in my administration who have worked tirelessly toward this goal," Clinton said.

Congress haggled over the details of the compensation plan. At times some believed the lawmakers would not reach a compromise on how much to give workers and how to implement the plan. After a flurry of negotiating, a deal was struck between Democratic and Republican lawmakers.

But for workers who tested nuclear weapons at the Nevada Test Site, 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas, the plan is still confusing.

Some workers, an estimated 800, who toiled in the underground tunnels where bombs were exploded, developed the lung disease silicosis. But the plan doesn't apply to all silicosis victims. Late changes to the bill included a tougher standard by which silicosis victims could use X-rays of their scarred lungs to prove their eligibility. The revision apparently disqualifies some silicosis sufferers.

"In an attempt to save dollars, they sacrificed victims," Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., said.

Department of Energy officials plan a meeting Wednesday with Test Site workers in Las Vegas to review which workers would be covered.

Nevada lawmakers vow to retool the bill next session to include all silicosis victims.

Clinton acknowledged that the president -- he and his successor -- and Congress have work to do to sort out some of the details of the plan.

"I recognize that much work will need to be done to ensure that this program is successfully implemented so that these workers can be fully and fairly compensated for their sacrifices," Clinton said.

The compensation legislation was part of a bill that authorizes Defense Department spending. The bill also authorized a 3.7 percent across-the-board pay raise for military personnel.