President Joe Biden this week cracked open the door to the possibility of finally, after decades, providing proper federal compensation to St. Louis-area victims of World War II-era and Cold War-era nuclear waste contamination.

It would have been better had he thrown that door wide open, in a more specific way than he did. The White House should follow up by offering forceful endorsement of pending legislation that would address this historic environmental injustice.

The story of America's development of the first atomic bomb in 1945 has gotten renewed public interest around the country thanks to the new hit movie "Oppenheimer." Though it wasn't highlighted in the film, the illnesses still being suffered by New Mexico residents who were unwittingly exposed to radiation from the test and from the resulting nuclear waste are well documented and generally well known.

Less known in most of the country is the St. Louis region's role, which was significant. The uranium used in the Manhattan Project was processed from ore into concentrated form in downtown St. Louis, with related waste later stored at several sites in the region.

Resulting contamination has, to this day, plagued Coldwater Creek and the West Lake Landfill in north St. Louis County. Contamination from post-war uranium processing also continues to contaminate groundwater at Weldon Springs in St. Charles County.

That contamination has been blamed for elevated cancer risk in the region, and last year forced the closure of Jana Elementary School in Florissant due to radiation detection.

The federal government's responsibility here is beyond dispute — and it's a responsibility the government has dodged for generations.

An investigation last month by the Missouri Independent, The Associated Press and MuckRock established that the government and its contracted companies knew they were creating lasting health hazards with nuclear production in the post-war era.

The outlets, citing reviews of decades' worth of documents, reported that despite this knowledge, the government treated the issue with "nonchalance and indifference" and took no steps to mitigate it. Even today, the government continues its foot-dragging in the continuing cleanup efforts.

An amendment attached to the annual National Defense Authorization Act would provide federal compensation to current and former St. Louis-area residents who lived in affected areas for at least two years since 1949 and who later developed radiation-related illnesses.

Co-sponsored by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., the amendment has passed the Senate and awaits action in the House. Rep. Cori Bush, D-St. Louis, and other members of Missouri's congressional delegation in both parties support the measure.

"Compensating victims of government-caused nuclear contamination and negligence should not be a partisan issue. It's about justice," Hawley said in a written statement. "I am glad President Biden has announced his support of our amendment, but now we need action."

We find ourselves in the unfamiliar position of strongly agreeing with the senator. In fact, we would argue that Biden should have been more specific in his support of Hawley's amendment. That support was expressed in a vague comment during a news conference in New Mexico on Wednesday, in which Biden said the administration is "prepared to help in terms of making sure that those folks are taken care of."

A better answer would have been: My administration strongly supports this specific legislation. Now let's get it done.

The day before, Biden's energy secretary, Jennifer Granholm, in a visit to St. Louis, declined to specifically endorse the compensation legislation, saying only that it's "something worth looking at for sure."

This isn't something "worth looking at," it's something that needs to happen, now. After decades of dodging its responsibility, the federal government has the opportunity, with specific legislation, to finally make it right. Biden should throw the full weight of the presidential bully pulpit behind this effort.

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