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tection, Research and Sanctuaries Act centered regulatory respon- 

 sibility in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). At that 

 time, the EPA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin- 

 istration (NOAA) were directed to initiate a comprehensive and 

 continuing program of monitoring and research regarding the envi- 

 ronmental effects of the past practices. As a result, the EPA has 

 conducted specific studies of the impact of dumping at the major 

 sites in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The Department of Energy 

 and its predecessor agencies have cooperated fully with the EPA in 

 these studies which have concluded that there is no evidence of 

 harm to either man or the environment as a result of this past 

 disposal practice. 



The Department is continuing to cooperate with the EPA in 

 assembling a comprehensive data file on all past U.S. ocean dispos- 

 al activities. Specifically, the Department is requesting its field 

 organizations to accumulate basic data on all ocean disposal activi- 

 ties carried out by the AEC or its contractors which were not 

 under the auspices of an AEC license. We understand that the 

 Nuclear Regulatory Commission will provide the EPA with similar 

 information for all previously licensed disposal activities. The EPA 

 is also looking into ocean disposal carried out by other Government 

 agencies. The Department of Energy will continue to cooperate 

 closely with the EPA as it carries out its responsibilities regarding 

 ocean disposal. 



I would like now to describe our current subseabed disposal 

 program which should not be confused with the ocean disposal 

 practices just described. The existence of deep sea technology, such 

 as deep seabed drilling, drill hole reentry, and deep sea emplace- 

 ment and recovery of large equipment, makes it reasonable to 

 include deep ocean sediments as a candidate medium for the dis- 

 posal and isolation of radioactive waste. These sediments are thick, 

 uniform, and stable deposits which have accumulated over millions 

 of years and are in the process of becoming sedimentary rock. 

 Disposal in such sediments could provide effective isolation of ra- 

 dioactive waste from the biosphere. 



The primary objective of the subseabed disposal program is to 

 assess the feasibility of the technical, environmental, engineering 

 and institutional approaches for disposing of solidified and pack- 

 aged high level nuclear waste and/ or packaged spent reactor fuel 

 in geologic formations under the world's oceans. A secondary objec- 

 tive is to assess the seabed disposal options of other nations and 

 cooperate with them when appropriate. Sandia National Laborato- 

 ries has the prime responsibility for coordinating and managing 

 this program for the Department. 



The subseabed disposal program has adopted a reference system 

 for study purposes even though that system may have to be altered 

 as additional information is acquired. The reference subseabed dis- 

 posal system assumes that solidified high level wastes or spent 

 reactor fuel in high integrity, long lasting containers would be 

 buried in highly stable clay sediments. These sediments would be: 

 First, away from the edges of oceanic tectonic plates — to avoid 

 volcanic and seismic activity; second, away from the edges of major 

 circular surface currents — to avoid subsurface agitation and fishing 

 associated with these currents; and third, in areas of low biological 



