€ & and off-AtoJ1l disposal of all contaminated soil must be the Biated objective of the progran. Even using the high plutonium contamination standard set by tne Task Group (40 pCi/g, etc.), the total amount of Atoll soil which would have to be removed and disposed is 779,000 cubic yards. (Vol. I § 5.5.2.) should be, If the soil standards are lowered as they that volume will increase. It is suggested in the DEIS that cost, legal, political and technical problems aside, the removal of contaminated soil and its ‘replacement with clean soil may not “assure radiological safety" and may present "serious ecological damage of unknown proportions." (Vol. I, 8 5.3.3.3.) We fully favor this conserva- tive approach to these problems (just as we do when the question is one which may reduce the program cost, i.e., high soil contamination standards), but a clear decision must be taken to study and fully assess the relation of soil removal to dose reduction (including the risk from airborne hot particles) and the likely ecological effects of soil removal and replacement. These studies should be commissioned immediately and prosecuted with ail deliberate speed. In the meantime, complete soil removal and replacement should be adopted as the prime objective. In addition, maximum effort must be made to overcome technical, legal and political impediments to off-Atoll disposal of contaminated soil. 3.5 Radiological Monitoring of Cleanup The AEC Task Group has wisely recommended the establishment of “team of experts" to monitor the execution of the radiological -16- : ; Q\