te ne as BA (447 4OLSE4 Agreement Between The United States Department of Energy = and The Trust Territory of The Pacific Islands Regarding Medical Care of the Rongelap and Utirik People The United States Department of Energy (DOE), formerly ERDA and AEC, has for nearly twenty-four years conducted a program of medical surveilance of the people of Rongelap and Utirik atolls who were accidentally exposed to fallout from a weapons test in 1954. Since 1956 this program has been carried out tnder the direction of Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) with the cooperation and participation of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI). The purpose of this document is to formulate an agreement between DOE and the TTPI concerning the DOE-BNL Medical Program in the Marshall Islands. This agreement supersedes and extends that of February, 1977 (copy attached). The agreement reached between ERDA and TIPI (December 2, 1974) regarding implementation of the Congress of Micronesia PL-5-52 (Trust Territory Fallout Survivors Act, cOpy in effect. attached) continues This agreement allows for free hospitalization within the Trust Territory (including travel and per diem allowances for individuals in the Rongelap or Utirik exposed and control groups who become ill. The people living on Rongelap and Utirik atolls have recently and separately requested that the DOE Medical Program include more comprehensive care for all the people living on these islands. This resulted in the February 1977 agreement referred to above with provisions for increased medical assistance by DOE to the TIPI in the discharge of health care responsibilities to the people living on Rongelap and Utirik. During the past year, the agreement has been implemented by both parties, apparently to the satisfaction of the Marshallese people involved. That agreement only covered the calendar year 1977; hence, the present agreement is intended to supplant that one, => 900958 | 17640