354 OCEANOGRAPHY IN THE UNITED STATES 



cations are our beautiful Duval County beaches, which attract large 

 numbers of vacationers and bathers. If there should arise an ap- 

 prehension concerning the safety of these beaclies from a radioactive 

 standpoint, a severe economic hardship might result, whether or not 

 these fears are justified. Accordingly, it is my hope that these two 

 locations near our coast can be abandoned in favor of locations at 

 least several hundred miles from the nearest land. I will greatly ap- 

 preciate any assistance your subcommittee can give toward this ob- 

 jective. 



Thank you again, Mr. Chairman, for permitting me to express 

 these views. 



Mr. Miller. Thank you, CongreSvSman Bennett. 



We will now hear from Paul G. Rogers of Florida. 



STATEMEISTT OF HON. PAUL G. ROGERS, A REPRESENTATIVE IN 

 CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF FLORIDA 



Mr. EoGERS. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I appre- 

 ciate the opportunity to offer a statement in connection with a matter 

 of great importance to a large segment of the population comprising 

 the Sixth District of Florida, which I am privileged to represent. 



I refer, Mr. Chairman, to the recent study conducted by the Oceanog- 

 raphy Committee of the National Academy of Sciences. In its report, 

 the Committee proposed a number of ocean sites along the eastern 

 seaboard and gulf coast which it considered suitable for the disposal 

 of low level radioactive waste material. The distance from land of 

 the proposed sites varies from 120 miles to 3 miles. The ocean depth 

 at these sites ranges from 42 feet to 9,000 feet, depending on the prox- 

 imity of the Continental Shelf and the configuration of the ocean 

 bottom. 



The proposed site with which I am particularly concerned, and you 

 will agree rightfully so, lies in the Gulf Stream, 2 miles oceanward 

 from the Port Everglades sea buoy or about 3 miles east of Fort 

 Lauderdale, Fla. 



Try as I might, Mr. Chairman, I can conceive of no logical reason 

 why this particular site was proposed for the dum.ping of this poten- 

 tially dangerous radioactive refuse. The Fort Lauderdale area is one 

 of the fastest growing sections in the country. During the winter 

 season, literally hundreds of tliousands of visitoi'S combine with some 

 300,000 permanent residents to frequent the spacious beaches of the 

 area. One of the prime attractions presented to our touring friends 

 is the game fish whicli abound in abundance in and around the Gulf 

 Stream. Boating in small pleasure craft as a means of recreation is 

 enjoying unprecedented po])ularity. Millions of dolhirs have been 

 expended by our merchants through their associations to acquaint the 

 world with this vacationers' ])aradise. 



Now, we are informed that there is a ]iroposal under consideration, 

 which if carried out, might resuh in the contamination of one of our 

 priceless assets. Sucli a course seems ])assing strange wlien we spend 

 hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in antii)ollution programs. 

 In iiny event, dangerous or not, the ominous cloud of doubt coiniected 

 with such a disposal program would have far-reaching adverse effects 

 on the economy of this entire area. I hesitate to imagine what the 



