6 © 001830 their descendants. This program would include health care, periodic comprehensive survey and analysis of the radiological status of the aforementioned atolls and periodic development of an updated radia- tion dose assessment, together with an estimate of risks associated with the predicted human exposure, for each of these atolls. H.R. 3756, has been approved by the House of Representatives, and now is under consideration by the Senate. Enactment of this or similar legislation would provide for health care. Environmental monitoring by the U.S. Government should provide safeguards to prevent the people from exposure to excessive doses of radiation. The specifics of _a supplemental feeding program, if required, until the people of Enewetak are agriculturally self-sufficient GAO contends that until the agricultural system provides enough food for the people of Enewetak when they return to their home atoll, the United States may need to initiate a supplemental feeding program to fill the void. The possible extent of the feeding program at this +ime is uncertain; however, the particulars of the program, including the criteria for starting and ending it, could be resolved. The Trust Territory Government and the Department of the Interior ~7e exploring this matter with the people of Enewetak and their legal counsel. The Department of the Interior, on behalf of the Government of the Trust Territory, will attempt to work out satisfactory arrangements for a supplemental feeding program, should this prove to be necessary. ISISdagWit6SaitereMice md cn 8 Ten CRTCtne 2 eo ee aPenn ea ine Secretary of the Interior should initiate an independent technical assessment of the Enewetak Cleanup project The draft GAO report recommended that the Secretary should initiate independent laboratory quality control checks of the soil samples taken from Enewetak in order to assess the radiological cleanup criteria used by Defense (DNA) to meet the project goals and also to have an independent assessment for the post-cleanup radiation hazards. In its comments on the draft report, the Department noted that to carry out certain of these assessments, i.e., to contract for independ- ent quality control checks of soil samples, the Secretary essentially would have ta: look at the same research institutions currently used by other Government agencies, notably the Department of Energy. The radiological cleanup criteria also appear to have been set by the Environmental Protection Agency. Further, in his preliminary comments, the Secretary noted that the Department of Energy has established an advisory committee, composed of leading scientists in the radiation field, which reviews all the research analyses and recommendations. Accordingly, it was originally the view of the Department of the Interior that adequate radiological assessment was being carried out on | the Enewetak Cleanup program.