DRAFT major concern is that this would require the removal of all of the pandanus, and lime trees and ail other vegetation from the island’ a7 nut, breadfruit, 23 Oct 89 CONGRESSIONAL RELATIONSHIP PLUTONIUM RADIATION RELOCATION Chairman Ron de Lugo of the House Subcommittee Jon Insular and International Affairs invites DOE Secretary Watkins to testify at the 16 November oversight hearing on the health of the Rongelap people. De Lugo submits three pages of matters for the DOE to address at the hearing, including analyses of the Rongelap Reassessment Project report and the phase 2 work plan for “Making Rongelap Habitabie," a description of Rongelap Atoll cleanup efforts] and information on the DOEtesting of Rongelapese for plutonium or other transurgnics.*” 16 Nov 89 ADMINISTRATION CLAIMS CONGRESSIONAL RELATIONSHIP LEGAL RESPONSIBILITY RELOCATION Representing DOE Secretary Watkins, John L. Meinhardt, DOG principal deputy assistant secretary for defense programs, testifies at the House Subcommittee on Insular and International Affairs oversight hearing on Rongelap. Mainhardt declares, "We, aS a country, accept full responsibility for compensation to the citizens of the Marshall Islands resulting from the Bravo event, as well as otherjtesting between 1946 and 1958.". Emphasizing Watkins's commitment to environmental, health, and safety matters, Meinhardt states that the DOE Secretary "intends t@ give the issues raised by the Rongelap people an additional review,” complete the feview within six months, and report the results "by next summer.” With respect fo the Rongelap technical data supporting the current DOE position, Meinhardtaffirngs, "We stand by these data." De Lugo asks Meinhardt "to take a message back to Sqcretary Watkins, that this subcommittee is very appreciative of the new approach.” (Jg@hn Rudolph and Harry Brown of DOE, Drs. William Adams and Charles Meinhold pf BNL, and Dr. William Robison of LLNL prepare draft statements for this hearing, but the DOE leadership cancels their testimony and replaces it with Meinhardt’s§ Later both de Lugo and Sen. Anjain refer to Meinhardt’s review statement as a "fresh look," which Anjain says Watkins "promised...over the objections of the [DOE program managers..."°"9 Testifying before the same House subcommittee, Sen. Anjai® urges that the independent study of Rongelap promised in P.L. 99-239 "be promptly initiated." According to a letter by John C. Tuck, DOE, of 2 May]1990, Rudolph expresses the Secretary's desire to have an outside review of DDE’s past work regarding the habitability of Rongelap. Bernd Franke, Henry Kohn, arg Rosalie Bertell testify regarding the Rongelap reassessment project. Robert K.[ Lane, of P&D technologies, testifies about the phase 2 work plan for an indep@ndent study of outstanding radiation and health issues on Rongelap.**