410106

Donald C.

Gestiehr

Acting Director
CAO Liaison

GAO DRAFT REPORT ENTITLED “OBSERVATICNS ON TEE PROJECT TC
CLEANUP, RENABILITACE AND RESETTLE ENEWETAK ATOLL"
The most important comments on this draft for DOE to present
are surmarizec briefly below.
More detaiis supporting these
comments plus others of lesser impact are presented in the
enclosed staff review.
1.

fhe concent of "enforcement" of living pattern re-

strictions is foreign to past thinking in the develop-

ba

i

er
oO
oe
te
{

he radioloriecal

hy

of compliance with restrictions.

oO

ment of cleanvp and rehabilitation criteria anc recommendations for rnewetak.
DOLD is not a repulatory
agency.
We have not required the Tras
Territory severnment or the Ensevetak people to give "unqualified assvrences”
4.

and recommendations set forth by AEC anticipated the
existence of a spirit of cooneration among those wo are
trying to help the Enewetak people return to their homeland and that the people therselves and their advisers
would cooperate.
It was expected that the recomzendet
restrictions themselves, and to some extent the need
for restrictions, would be understood by the neonple.

The Enewetak Invironmental Impact

Statement (FIS) pro-

vided the mechanisr for obteining agreerent from ail
parties.
Absolute compliance with restrictions was now
expected.

Rather,

it was anti copated thet over the long

ey

term the people would police themselves and a gocd level
as
of compliance with restrictions vould be achieved.
It 1 Oo
expected that at least initially there would be a nich
devel cof compliance with recommendations on hovsing ecenstruction end planting of food crons because thess would
be cone by U.S. agencies.
The safepuard for tne long ter:
would be the radiological followup of the people anc their
environment, to be verformed by DOE.
This will provide the
necessary assurance that restrictions were being foiloweda
to an acceptable degree.
2.

DOE has not chanzed the radiolo ical protection rhilosonhy
used or made more strinzent any of the recommended radgiological criteria deyelonved therefrom for planning and
conaucting cleanup and rehabilitation of Enewetex.
The
2

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