It also should be noted environmental-impact review. responsible authority will that the plans may be affected by At present, however, it is not clear who the be. the Republic of the Marshall After the Compact of Free Association with Islands becomes effective, presumably in 1985, EPA and/or U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regulations may no longer apply. In summary, there are two basic approaches to decontamination. The wait-it-out plan in which spontaneous decay solves the contamination problem is technically the simplest and ecologically the most benign, but has the major disadvantage of compelling the Bikinians to give up agricultural rights to Bikini Island for 80 years. The island would have to be monitored and otherwise controlled, at a total cost of about $25 million, If the Bikinians settled on the island during this period, a food import program would water provided. have to be established and a substitute for ground Or, resettlement could be initiated on Eneu, which is half the size of Bikini, and Bikini grown foods could be used. declared off bounds. In this case, Eneu- The Bikini-Kili Council, however, has rejected both of these alternatives. | The direct approach, on the other hand, removes the top 30 cm of the island's soil, where contamination is concentrated, to expose a new, acceptable layer for planting. The disposal of the spoil generated requires a choice among three alternatives. would be the simplest and cheapest. by the direct The first one, lagoon dumping, The second one, using the spoil extend the island's seaward perimeter, would provide protection, affect the beach for disadvantages as well. and require 2-4 years a period of several years, and might These alternatives would cost some for approach execution. (To achieve mature to but would have other $36-42 million revegetation of the denuded surface would cost $6-8 million and would take about 10 years.) 900003. 38