124.

RADIOLOGICAL CLEANUP OF ENEWETAK ATOLL

noncontaminated scrap.278 There was some question, however, as to th

ownership of the scrap and the eligibility of a foreign buyer. Under the
existing agreement between the United States and the TTPI forthe use of

Enewetak Atoll, the scrap material would have been abandonedin plac,

According to the Engineering Study and the EIS, it would be dismantieg
and stockpiled for use or sale by the people. The. TTPI-Marshall Islang,
District Early Return Program anticipated some employment and revenue

for the dri-Enewetak from the sale of scrap. The Marshall Islands Distrig,
Administrator, Mr, Oscar DeBrum, expressed an interest in contracting

for the sale and removal of the material. Initially, this appeared to provide

an excellent meansof accomplishing much of the southern islands Cleanup

and reducing the effort and cost of the DOD project. Accordingly, jg

December 1975279 and in January 1976,289 Field Commang

recommended that the facilities and material required for the cleanup
operations be identified and that the remaining facilities and materia)
revert to TTPI under the use agreementso that TTPI could contractforits

sale and removal by commercial contract. At the same time, LTC Hente,

of Field Command’s Pacific Support Office, was coordinating with Defense

Property Disposal Office (DPDO)officials in Hawaii regarding another
alternative—that of having DPDO contract for the sale and removal of the
scrap.
On 13 January 1976, the HQ DNALogistics Directorate advised Field

Commandthat a recent change in Public Law 40-USC 472 and Federa}

Property Disposal Regulations prohibited transfer of the material to TTP!
or the dri-Enewetak without prior determination by DPDO that the

material was ‘‘uneconomically salvageable.”’28! This guidance did not

apply to buildings left standing by cleanup forces. Thus, in planning the

disposition of Lojwa Camp, it was determined that cleanup forces would

removethe installed equipment.and facilities for which DOD had other

requirements, and that the remaining buildings which had been erected ©
for the project would revert to TTPI for use by the dri-Enewetak or

disassembly by TTPI forces.
The HQ DNA Logistics Directorate also advised that it would be
extremely costly to conduct a special radiological survey at that time to
assure the material was noncontaminated. Therefore, the survey andsale,

if any, could not take place until cleanup operations had begun.282 Mr.

Oscar DeBrum was so advised on 3 February 1976.
The advantages of accomplishing some cleanup by scrap sale continued
to be explored. Since mostof the facilities and material had been acquired
under the Enewetak base support contract, it was suggested that the
current base support contractor, H&N-PTD, removeandsell the material
as a plant closure action, with net proceeds being credited to the base
support contract. However, in view of the 13 January 1976 decision, this

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