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Domestically, our policy regarding ocean dumping of 

 low-level radioactive waste needs further clarification. 

 In October, 1970, the Council on Environmental Quality issued 

 a report which concluded that ocean dumping of any radioactive 

 wastes presented a very serious and growing threat to the marine 

 environment. Since 1970, the U.S. policy has been to dispose 

 of low-level radioactive wastes through shallow land burial. 

 Also, in a recent letter from Douglas Costle, Administrator 

 of EPA, to Governor Camacho of the Northern Mariana Islands, 

 Mr. Costle stated that "until we have a better understanding 

 of the possible impacts of low-level radioactive waste disposal 

 in the ocean, the United States will not encourage other nations 

 to ocean dump." 



However, EPA's present efforts to develop permit criteria 

 lead to the impression that U.S. dumping may be resumed. Prior 

 to EPA's compliance with its proposed permit regulations schedule, 

 a U.S. policy decision should be made as to whether it is appro- 

 priate or feasible to give such serious consideration to the 

 use of the oceans as a low-level disposal medium. At a 

 minimum, our international obligations regarding radioactive 

 waste should be reflected in the general dumping regulations 

 EPA intends to issue in 1981, since we are already committed at 

 least to those requirements. 



Another major domestic concern is the monitoring of past 

 dumpsites. The Ocean Dumping Act provides the statutory 

 authority for such monitoring tasks. Pursuant to that authority 

 we encourage EPA and NOAA to reach adequate understandings 

 concerning future monitoring activities. The specific 



