"Other developments subsequent to the dissemination of the 1973 Master Plan include
the projected early return of approximately 50 of the Enewetak people to Japtan at
their request. They will be accompanied by a Marshalls District representative and a
health aid. This is expected to take place during the first half of 1975. This event was
agreed upon at an inter-agency planning meeting held in January, 1975. In addition, a
ground water survey of selected islands in the atoll and a test planting program on
Enjebi have beeninitiated. The latter is for the purpose of evaluating the uptake and
redistribution of radionuclides from the soil by plants under various conditions.
"Assumptions upon which the Master Plan is based are:
e
Prior to atoll rehabilitation, the condition of the islands will reflect the
degree of cleanup depicted by Case 3 of the Environmental Impact Statement.
e
Development of Enewetak Island for use as an inhabited island is the basic
plan.
°
Japtan also will become an inhabited island (4 families).
"The plan presents all necessary elements required for the orderly development of
Enewetak Atoll and encompasses the desires of the Ujelang people as discussed with
them during a field trip in December, 1974. It covers all aspects of residential, island
community, and agricultural requirements and presents a review of potentials for
economic development of Enewetak Atoll. Recommendations for implementation of the
plan, along with a preliminary construction schedule for rehabilitation, and a budget
estimate are included." (Master Plan, 1975.)
The Master Plan was published in four volumes. Volume I describes plans for land use and the
development of island communities, and includes a review of potentials for economic development.
Volume II is a collection of some of the documents upon which the plan is based. Volume II
summarizes the costs of providing the housing, community facilities, coconut trees, and other
resettlement requirements. Detailed cost estimates appear in Volume IV.
2.1.8 The DEIS and EIS
A Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) was prepared under supervision of DNA for the
cleanup, rehabilitation, and resettlement of Enewetak Atoll.
The proposed project was to remove
and dispose of debris, structures, and soils which could be physical or radiation hazards or be
obstructions to human habitation. The statement was made available to the Council on
Environmental Quality (CEQ), concerned federal agencies, and the public on 6 September 1974.
Substantive comments on the DEIS were received from federal agencies and the public, all of which
were considered and are included in the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) filed with the
CEQ on 15 April 1975.
Several comments on the DEIS raised controversial issues concerning the
degree of risk associated with the levels of plutonium which should be permitted to remain in the soil
of the atoll. The DNA view was that resolution of such issues was outside the scope of the EIS and
rested with agencies charged with the establishment of standards for radiation protection; therefore,
guidelines recommended by the AEC would be observed during project execution.
Source documents considered in compilation of the DEIS--all discussed earlier in this
chapter—included the H&N Engineering Study, the Enewetak Radiological Survey (NVO-140), the
AEC Task Group Report, and the Master Plan for resettlement. Utilizing the materials in these
documents it was possible to develop many alternatives in the evaluation of the many human,
physical, and cost variables which were present. The EIS states:
"In order to obtain an overview of the possible solutions, a tabulation of twelve
illustrative solutions has been made. These involve three separate cleanup procedures for
each of four different habitation control plans. The consequences of all these
combinations are tabulated. Factors involved in structuring these solutions are
radiological conditions, living patterns, physical hazards, and the disposal of hazardous
and radioactive materials and scrap. The tabulation analyses presented for these twelve
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