Congresswoman Bush Statement Following Devastating Report Indicating Federal Neglect with Coldwater Creek

Rep. Cori Bush | Rep. Cori Bush Official U.S. House headshot

By Central STL News Report

Jul 13, 2023

St. Louis - Congresswoman Cori Bush (MO-01) released a statement following yesterday’s, Wednesday, July 12, devastating reporting first published in Missouri Independent outlining intentional downplaying of the severity and risk of 75 years of radioactive waste in St. Louis.

“This report confirms what we in the community have known for decades: that for the past 75 years, the federal government actively and knowingly treated St. Louis as a dumping ground for harmful and toxic radioactive waste. For years the federal government and multiple other responsible parties continued to gaslight us and downplay the serious – and often deadly — health hazards that this waste carried. The federal government must not continue to allow our communities to be further collateral damage. They must not only apologize for this cruel act of negligence, but they are responsible for cleaning up this mess. Since my first day in office, I have been committed to holding them accountable and to pushing for immediate and swift action.I will continue partnering with local advocates, lawmakers and impacted community members on legislative solutions, including an upcoming bill which would provide compensation to residents harmed by the Manhattan Project waste and assess the many chronic health conditions that are a likely result of this government negligence. No more lives can be taken.”

A copy of this report can be found HERE.

The main takeaways from this report include:

Radium activity at the West Lake Landfill is expected to increase in the coming years;
Despite warnings that further testing was needed, federal officials believed the contamination at the West Lake Landfill was confined to two areas because of a 1977 flyover test;
A company that refined uranium for the Manhattan Project knew as early as 1949 that radioactive residue could pollute Coldwater Creek;
A draft survey commissioned by federal government in 1976 showed dangerous levels of contamination running off into Coldwater Creek; and
The Cotter Corp. pushed the Atomic Energy Commission to let it dump radioactive waste at a quarry in Weldon Spring before illegally dumping it in the West Lake Landfill.

This report, titled “Records reveal 75 years of government downplaying, ignoring risks of St. Louis radioactive waste,” was first published on July 12, 2023. This investigative research was done by Missouri Independent, Muck Rock and The Associated Press after spending months reviewing previously-unreleased government records.

For years, Congresswoman Bush has been advocating for the cleanup of Coldwater Creek. Congresswoman Bush is currently working with advocates and lawmakers to bring forward additional legislative solutions. Please see below a complete list of the various legislative actions that Congresswoman Bush has put forward since coming to Congress.

In March 2021,Congresswoman Bush questioned Gene L. Dodaro, Comptroller of the United States and head of the Government Accountability Office on the lack of funding and effort dedicated to cleaning up Coldwater Creek in North St. Louis County in a House Committee on Oversight and Reform Hearing—advocating on behalf of residents concerned about the dangers of living near the tributary.
In July 2021, Congresswoman Bush initiated a call with Department of Energy Secretary Granholm to raise concerns regarding Cold Water Creek and Manhattan Project Waste.
In July 2021,Congresswoman Bush passed an amendment to H.R. 3684 – the INVEST in America Act. The amendment would require the EPA Administrator to undertake a review of current and ongoing efforts to remediate radiological contamination at Coldwater Creek and to post public signage to prevent exposure risks for residents in the surrounding areas. The Congresswoman worked with activists, community members, and organizations including Just Moms STL, to introduce the amendment.
In March 2022, Congresswoman Bush voted in favor of H.R. 3967, the Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act or Honoring Our PACT Act, which will finally treat toxic exposure as a cost of war by addressing the full range of issues impacting toxic-exposed veterans, including access to earned benefits and health care through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Included in the PACT Act’s final text were four of Congresswoman Bush’s amendments:
- Amendment 32: This amendment would require that veterans who worked or spent time near the Manhattan Project in St. Louis be studied to determine the impacts of toxic exposure on their health.
- Amendment 22: This amendment would require the Department of Defense to look back and review all known cases of toxic exposure on their military bases not only here in America, but also abroad.
- Amendment 17: This amendment would incorporate race and ethnicity as demographic options in a study on the rate of cancer in veterans.
- Amendment 18: This amendment would include a variety of external factors to be considered in a medical study on all veterans serving after September 11, 2001. Those factors include race, age, period service, military occupation, gender and disability status.
In May 2022, Congresswoman Bush introduced the Coldwater Creek Signage Act which would require signage to be posted along Coldwater Creek informing residents of the dangers of radioactive waste exposure.
In June 2022,Initiated a federal review with the Government Accountability Office for the cleanup of radioactive contamination of Coldwater Creek in St. Louis County.
In July of 2022,Congresswoman Bush passed an amendment in the House NDAA Fiscal Year 2023 bill to specifically study Thorium 230 health effects and military transportation of toxic waste.
In January 2023, Congresswoman Bush and Senator Hawley sent a letter to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lieutenant General Scott Spellmon calling for additional radioactive testing of Hazelwood School District's properties.
In April 2023, Congresswoman Bush partnered with Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) to introduce the bipartisan, bicameral Justice for Jana Elementary Act of 2023,which would require the cleanup of Jana Elementary School in Florissant, Missouri located in the Congresswoman’s district.
In July 2023, Congresswoman Bush introduced amendments to the House NDAA Fiscal Year 2024, which would:
- Amendment 1042:This amendmentwould require the Department of Energy to conduct a thorough review of Manhattan Project site environmental remediation efforts and maintain a public database; provide a strategic health monitoring plan for impacted communities; and analyze how natural disasters impact the prevalence of toxic chemicals.
- Amendment 1181:The Justice for Jana Elementary Act which would require the cleanup of Jana Elementary School in Florissant, Missouri located in the Congresswoman’s district and establishes a Radioactive School Assistance Program to provide financial assistance to local educational agencies that have been financially impacted by the presence of radioactive contaminants stemming from U.S. atomic energy activities.