436 



developed by the Office of Radiation Programs to study the effects of past dumping 

 of radioactive waste. 



Scientists aboard the ADVANCE II will conduct a comprehensive program of 

 water, sediment, and biota sampling. The collected material will yield information 

 on the levels and extent of radioactivity in the dumpsite area, the ability of sedi- 

 ments to adsorb and immobilize selected radioactive materials, the presence of 

 biological food chains which could transmit radioactivity to man, the extent to 

 which biological organisms could redistribute radioactivity, and the geologic stabil- 

 ity of the dumpsite area. 



The "Ocean Dumping" Act of 1972 requires EPA to set regulations controlling 

 ocean disposal of all materials including low-level radioactive wastes. The Act 

 specifically prohibits ocean disposal of high-level radioactive wastes. The United 

 States has not dumped any radioactive wastes in the ocean since 1970, although 

 several European nations are actively using this form of disposal. The technical and 

 operational results of this EPA radioactive waste dumpsite survey program, which 

 commenced in 1974, will be evaluated to determine the feasibility of developing 

 more comprehensive ocean disposal regulations and standards. 



Mr. Studds. Thank you very much for a very interesting presen- 

 tation. 



Let me ask some questions and then I will yield. 



I will try to avoid those questions which I suspect Mr. Anderson 

 would like to ask. 



I will let him handle some of those. 



You say on page 11, Dr. Mattson, of your testimony, and I quote: 



I am not optimistic that we of EPA can undertake monitoring to insure public 

 safety while still maintaining progress on the development of regulations to control 

 any future disposal of low-level radioactive waste. 



When was the last dumping of low-level waste in this country? 



Dr. Mattson. 1970. 



Mr. Studds. Then why, at this point, is EPA developing rules 

 and regulations for the future dumping of low-level radioactive 

 waste? 



Dr. Mattson. Because the Ocean Dumping Act of 1972 gave that 

 responsibility to EPA for any future dumping of low-level radioac- 

 tive waste. 



What the act did, in essence, was give EPA the regulatory au- 

 thority that previously resided in the Atomic Energy Commission. 



One of the things required by the act to be considered in setting 

 criteria for any future radioactive waste dumping was the good- 

 ness, if you will, of the ocean dumping relative to other options, for 

 example, shallow land burial. 



Mr. Studds. Does the act explicitly address the question of low- 

 level dumping? 



Dr. Mattson. Yes, sir. 



Mr. Studds. And it vests in the EPA the authority to permit any 

 future dumping of that kind? 



Dr. Mattson. That is right. 



Mr. Studds. Does it direct EPA to proceed to promulgate regula- 

 tions or does it simply vest that authority in you, in the event that 

 someday somebody will request such a thing? 



Dr. Mattson. I would say my reading of it puts it more in the 

 former category than the latter. It has been EPA's understanding 

 since the act was passed in 1972 that it was to develop regulations 

 for any future dumping. 



Mr. Studds. Have you been doing that for 8 years? 



Dr. Mattson. Yes, sir. 



Mr. Studds. How are you doing? 



