AOLBOO Department of Energy Washington, D.C. 20585 ‘ Honorable James A. Joseph Under Secretary of the Interior Washington, D. C. 20240 Dear Mr. Joseph: I am pleased to reply to your letter of April 12, 1979, regarding the possible return of the Bikini people to Eneu Island. This response will address both of the issues you raise: l. Your understanding of previous statements by my staff. 2. More detailed information on estimated dose assessments for people living on Eneu Island, including various assumed living and eating patterns. With respect to the first point, your understandings are, in general, correct. The more detailed information addressing the second point 7S included as an enclosure to this letter. If the guidance of the Federal Radiation Council (FRC) (500 mrem/yr to individuals, and 170 mrem/yr and 5000 mrem/30 yrs to a population) is to be complied with, the people could return to Eneu only if it is assured that adequate imported food would be ayailable to and used by the people for approximately 20 years, that food grown on Bikini Island is not eaten for approximately 30 years, that residence is restricted to Eneu Island, and that visitation to Bikini Island is initially banned and subsequently controlled. Since the FRC guides were originally formulated, an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was prepared for the resettlement of Enewetak Atoll. In the EIS, recommended criteria which are one-half of the FRC guidance for individuals and 80 percent of the 30-year FRC guidance for populations were proposed for eyaluating land use options for use in planning the cleanup and rehabilitation of Enewetak Atoll. WS 05268 These