The Interier Department has not reached any dezinicive position with respect ¢o the scope of the plan required, or of the program to arise from it. It would welcome the early expressions of views from any source as ts the requirements of the statuce. Preliminarily, the Incerior Department suggests thar the mestreasonable readiog of the statute appears to be thac che Secrecary's plan should provideforcomprehensivehealth garefortheinhabitants of thefour listedatolls-——Bikini, Enewaetak, Rongelap, and Ucirik; and thae “the inhabitantsofadditional atolls should alsobe _afforded__comprehensive_health Care._ifthey have been affected by_radiagionfrom the nuclear. weapans. tescing program. Indeciding whether the inhabicants of addicional arolls have been so affacted, wo 1A qd - @ q om mee s evaluations of the people of these atolls, and other relevant evidance iii gn tena ee ae presented to hin. 3. The Intertor Department has asked the Department of Energy to provide advice to Inrcerior by mid-November 1990 as co the details of the schedule required by subsection (a)(2), pertaining to environmental research and monotoring, radiacion dose assessments, and risk estimates, and the education and informacion program required by subsection (a)(3). The Department of Energy has agreed to provide chis detailed advice tv that date. 4. Background informacion: (a} Rongelap and Uririk The medical monitoring and follow-up care program of the exposed people of Rongelap and Utirik atolls commenced after the 3ravo Shoe Fallout of March 1, 1954. This program has been the responsibility of the Acomic Energy Commission, the Energy Research and Development Administration, and now the Department cf Energy. The medical monitoring and follow-up medical care program of che exposed residents of these two atolls, and for wembers of selected “comparison” groups, has from the onset of che program been contracted to the Brookhaven National Laboratory, Associated Universities, Upeon, New York.