320 OCEANOGRAPHY IN THE UNITED STATES 



I may say that as I see the picture in its broad aspect it points up 

 the necessity for intensive studies on oceanography which has been 

 recommended by the Academy of Sciences through the medium of the 

 Brown Committee, its Committee on Oceanography. 



I think that the academy has done a great work in advancing in- 

 terest in this field. 



I do not think that the oceanographers themselves will controvert 

 what you have said throughout this report and others. 



Indications are that they do not know all of these answers. They 

 have come to us now asking for some money so that they can get the 

 equipment with which to find these answei^s. 



As I see the problem today, it is not too acute, not acute in this 

 sense— most of the waste being dumped is low-level waste. 



However, this will not always be the case, and we are on the thres- 

 hold of this new era. 



Substantially the same group, if I remember rightly, which got out 

 this report, just 2 or 3 days ago released another report which came 

 to my desk. It may be on your desk, too, relative to the effect of nu- 

 clear-powered ships. 



A casual reading indicates you cannot have more than about 300 

 such nuclear-powered ships throughout the world without raising 

 some level of contamination that will be dangerous. 



I say that is a casual reading. Perhaps I did not read all the fine 

 print, but that is the summation that I got out of this report, so this 

 is another reason why we on this committee must act with some dis- 

 patch, and must appeal to the Congress to give the scientists in the 

 field of oceanography the tools with which to work to get these facts 

 and correlate them so they will be able to give us positive answers 

 rather than some of the answers which you so aptly put here — the big 

 words give it to you and the fine print takes it away. 



I want again to express my appreciation to you, Mr. Casey, for the 

 work you have done and the statement you have made. 



Questions ? 



Mr. Pelly. Mr. Casey, it is very obvious that you have given a lot 

 of thought and study to this problem we are getting into. 



You made the statement early in your testimony that it looked to 

 you as if the disposal of radioactive waste might become an inter- 

 national problem. 



To me that is an understatement, because when you have experi- 

 enced the conversations which go on and on in the United Nations, 

 and the difficulties we encounter in arriving at any understanding, it 

 makes you feel that that problem is right here. 



Do you know of any conversations or discussions which have gone 

 on in the realm of international agreements on radioactive waste 

 disposal ? 



Mr. Casey. No. The only reference or conference I know of where 

 we had some discussion with any other nation has been with Mexico. 

 Mexico has been disturbed about this proposal. 



Mr. Pelly. I can understand why they would be. 



Mr. Casey. One of the sites is right down near the Mexican coast, 

 too. 



Mr, Pelly. You can imagine how Canada miglit have an interest 

 in this entire matter. The United States and Canada in some cases 



