Downwind victims of nuclear testing who have cancer may soon finally receive compensation from the federal government, Rep. Wayne Owens, D-Utah, said Thursday.
He said appropriations panels in the House and Senate told him a trust fund to pay those victims likely will be fully funded next year at $170 million."If this turns out to be the case, this represents a real victory for the people of Utah who have, in many cases, waited decades for compensation," Owens said.
"The money can't undo the pain and the suffering, but it can make life better for the victims and their surviving families."
Owens and Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, pushed through Congress two years ago a bill to apologize to the victims and to allow compensation payments. They have since been fighting with appropriations panels to fund the program.
The U.S. Justice Department is now accepting applications for compensation for victims of downwind testing who have cancer, some uranium miners and workers at the Nevada Test Site.
Those interested may call the Justice Department at 1-800-729-7327 for more information, or they can call the local offices of Owens and Hatch.
2 missing Scouts found
alive and well in canyon PAYSON - Two Boy Scouts reported missing Thursday evening were found alive and well by searchers who located them in Payson Canyon early Friday morning.
The two Payson youths, ages 12 and 13, were missing since 1 p.m. Thursday.
While on a hike above Benny Creek, the boys were separated from their troop and wandered off. The Utah County Search and Rescue team began looking for them around 10 p.m. About 30 searchers spent the night in the canyon trying to locate the boys.
Early Friday morning, a search plane from the Utah Highway Patrol was called in to assist in the search. Around 8 a.m. the pilot spotted the boys.
Neither boy suffered injuries during the incident.