104
RADIULUULILAL Ubbssivwi
wa mea
4
costs were estimated as
rehabilitation of Enewetak Atoll. DOD cleanup
for radiological
$39.9 million, including $1.5 million to reimburse ERDA
litation and
rehabi
DOI
g.
support as agreed in the 7 September 1972 meetin
d DNA
revise
The
n.!83
millio
resettlement costs were estimated as $12
follows: .
as
ed
allott
be
to
was
n
request for MILCON Program authorizatio
n in FY
millio
$1.!
and
1977,
FY
in
$14.1 million in FY 1976, $24.7 million
1978. 184,185
efforts to obtain FY
Meanwhile, LTG Johnson had begun marshalling
October 1974 with
1976 Congressional funding during a conference on 17
on felt that
Johns
LTG
MSN.
and
officials from DOI, ASD(USA),
es Committee was
Representative Otis G. Pike of the House Armed Servic
United States was
the
that
nced
convi
be
to
d
the key Congressman whoha
to return, and that
obligated to return the Atoll, that the people wanted
ed to justify the
detail
ently
suffici
were
cleanup plans and cost estimates
and Ambassador
funds requested. Ambassador Williams, MSN,
the matter.!86 By
on
Pike
Mr.
with
meet
to
Ellsworth, ASD USA), agreed
ofthe obligation
nced
convi
was
Pike
Mr.
that
December 1974, it appeared
tes. 187
but not of the sufficiency of DNA’s plans and cost estima
’s representatives
LTGJohnson arranged to have the Enewetak people
Senator Symington’s
testify before Mr. Pike’s committee as well as before
and Lroij
committee.!88.189 Iroij Johannes Peter of the dri-Enewetak
before the Military
Binton Abraham of the dri-Enjebi appeared
es Committee on
Servic
Construction Subcommittee of the Senate Armed
2 eeA OE oSllEales art on eae 2 aren
been taken
25 April 1975.!9° Their statement told of how the people had
its nuclear arsenal and
from Enewetak to help the United States develop
and as soon asit
homel
their
to
return
how strongly all of them wished to
important these
how
d
relate
They
d.
litate
could be cleaned up and rehabi
immense ocean
an
of
midst
the
in
ed
wholiv
small islands were to a people
Mr. Tony
and.
homel
their
e
replac
could
money
of
and how no amount
g
the hearin were the
DeBrum acted as their interpreter. Also at
their legal counsel, Mr.
dri-Enewetak Magistrate, John Abraham, and
the Military Installations
Mitchell. The same delegation appeared before
Services Committee on
and Facilities Subcommittee of the House Armed
tak Atoll. !9!
7 May1975 andreiterated their desire to return to Enewe
DNA was asked to develop
During the Senate subcommittee hearings,
the use of troops (Army
on
based
the most austere cost estimate possible
r decontamination.
nuclea
in
engineers or Navy Seabees) who weretrained
the
CONPLAN similar to
Field Command developed a revised (May 1975)
icleala
:
cc
OM
April 19
and other
This
up.
clean
the
as
well
as
t
accomplish the crater containmen
on.!92 The remaining support
refinements lowered the cost to $25 milli
by contractor personnel.
functions werestill to be accomplis hed
In the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on 22 Mav 1975, the
matter was discussed at length. Although the mora! obligation to permit
the Enewetak people to return to their atoll was a consideration. th
committee's decision, as noted in their report, was based ‘“‘
primaril on
the premise that the United States could not walk away from a testin
program which cost several billion dollars without making a responsible
effort to make the atoll habitable.’ The committee agreed to a one-time
authorization of $20 million and charged the DOD to accomplish the
cleanup within that amount, using every possible economy measure The
committee insisted that the radiation standards established by ERDA b
met before any resettlement was accomplished. !93
In June 1975,
the House
°
Armed Services Committee approved
authorization of $14.1 million for the cleanup program.!94 House and
Senate conferees met in September [975 and, after much discussion
authorized $20 million.!95 The conferees expected the DOD to minimize
the total cost through the use of Army engineers and/or Navy Seabees and
by limiting the scope of the cleanup as much as possible within the
constraints of radiation exposure established by ERDA. The $20 million
total limit set by the Senate was changed to a target amount for completin
the project. 196 Public Law 94-107, enacted on 7 October 1975 provided
authorization for DNA to perform the Enewetak Atoll Cleanup Project ata
cost of $20 million.!97 However, the appropriation action, which was
necessary to provide MILCON funds for the project, did not fare so well
The House Committee on Appropriations, chaired by Representative
Robert L. F. Sikes, meeting in October 1975, denied funding for the roject
because the committee believed the minimum cost had not yet been
presented to the Congress. The committee report recalled that DNA had
requested $14.1 mitlion as the first inerement of a program that wa
estimated to cost $40 million for cleanup and another $10 million to
rehabilitate the atoll for some 450 people. The committee did not believeit
prudent to spend $50 million—over $100,000 per person—to reclaim th
atoll at a time when tax dollars were so scarce. The committee pointed o
that the dri-Enewetak had already been given title to Ujelang Atoll plus
over $1.3 million in payments for leaving Enewetak. The committee
peeved ine the American taxpayers had a right to expect that any
vopaibte
east effort
lowest
i
on198behalf of the drii- Fnewetak be accomplishe
ional
d at the
The Senate Committee on Appropriations strongly supported funding
rr
ry
mo
N
[
ati
c
La ae
8
oe |
a
oa]
7
uncertainty as to the absolute final figure should delay starting the cleanup
effort. DNA’s studies had indicated that $20 million might not be
sufficient to complete the project, but Congress would have had ample
opportunity to adjust the funding as the project proceeded.!99 (This was in