-3- The Interior Department has not reached any definitive position with respect to 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 to the requirements of the statute. Preliminarily, the Interior Department suggests that the most reasonable reading of the statute appears to be that the Secretary’s plan should provide for comprehensive health care for the inhabitants of the four listed atolls -- Bikini, Enewetak, ~.onqelap, and Utirik; and that the inhabitants of additional atolls should also be afforded comprehensive health care if they have been affected by radiation from the nuclear weapons testing program. In deciding f,.,-~.ether the inh~itants of additional atolls have been so affected~ the Secretary would consider information obtained from on-site health evaluations of the people of those atolls, and other relevant evidence. :---::cntedto him. . -2 The Interior Department proposes to enter Ge>eral procedure. -.. -..-J G - negotiated contract with a suitable institution to obtain advice .< to the health care program required by subsection (a)(1), quoted -.J.Je. In order to meet the statutory deadline of January 1, 1981, for submission of the plan to the Congress, it will be necessary that the -tractor’s advice be received by the Interior Department by mid!;ovember. Given the magnitude of the task to be performed by the contractor, ~learly such a contract must be entered into as soon as possible. ~hs Interior Department has asked the Department of Energy to provide 1980 as to the details of the schedule :.~.:iceto Interior by m~d-Nove~er required by subsection (a) (2), pertaining to environmental research and monitoring, radiation dose assessments, and risk estimates, and the education and information program required by subsection (a)(3). The to provide this detailed advice by that “,+:jJrtmentof Energy has agreed :.e . 4. ~. —. J.->epa~’~ment of the Interior proposes to supply the following information Lu prospective contractors: (a) Pangelap and Utirik Tliemedical monitoring and follow-up care program of the exposed people of Rongelap and Utirik atolls conunenced after the Bravo Shot Fallout of March 1, 1954. This program has been the responsibility of the Atomic r.ergy Commission, the Energy Research and Development Administration, ~.ndnow the Department of Energy. The medical monitoring and follow-up :.,edicalcare program of the exposed residents of these two atolls, and for-members of selected “comparison” groups, has from the onset of the program been contracted to the Brookhaven National Laboratory, Associated Universities, Upton, New York. x