493 



The proposed system utilizes electrodeposition of minerals in the sea water onto 

 wire mesh structures by charging the wire with low-voltage, high amperage electric- 

 ity. Within six months to a year, waste material could be cocooned with any size 

 and thickness of a covering similar to moUusk shells such as clams and oysters. The 

 resulting structures are stronger than concrete, impervious to sea water, last virtu- 

 ally indefinitely, and can be repaired in place, if found necessary, by simply re- 

 charging them with additional electricity. 



By making these covering mechanically retrievable, they could be removed at a 

 later time if desired, or they might prove to be continuously safe and allowed to 

 remain in place. Furthermore, it is theoretically possible that electromagnetic fields 

 within the wire frame might provide a barrier to the radiation inside — no claims 

 are made to this effect, but research is now being conducted by private experiments. 

 Other benefits are possible, such as the fact that marine life seem to be attracted to 

 the structures, and could create a new fishing ground in the area, and provide 

 massive sources of protein to help solve the world food problem. Also, the activities 

 entailed in testing this system, such as at the Farallon Island dump site, could 

 produce many techniques and equipment essential to the development of ocean 

 technology which is just beginning. 



This system is not merely a concept, but has been developed for some ten years, 

 and actual demonstrations are functioning in the ocean now. The process is patent- 

 ed, and considerable interest exists in numerous possible applications, and various 

 technical journals and publications have presented information about it. Additional 

 information is available from the Marine Resources Company and from Project 

 Tektite. 



CONCLUSION 



The oceans of the world are a common resource for mankind, and should be 

 utilized as a solution to global problems, and not as a convenient sewer for addition- 

 al pollution. Out of sight, out of mind, is a throw-back to the dark ages, and is not 

 appropriate to solving today's problems as we approach the twentieth century. The 

 technology of the space age must be applied to inner space in the oceans, as tektites 

 come from the stars to the ocean floor. That is the mission of Project Tektite. 



I have appended these brief remarks with two previous statements made to the 

 Government Operations Committee and the Interagency Review Group. Additional 

 information is available on request. Thank you for your attention to my presenta- 

 tion. 

 Statement Made Before the Subcommittee on Environment, Energy, and Natural 



Resources of the Committee on Government Operations on October 7, 1980 



introduction 



My technical background includes a bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering 

 and graduate work in Industrial Design from the Illinois Institute of Technology, 

 Chicago, Illinois. I have approximately eight years experience as a systems engineer 

 and technical writer for corporations in the aerospace industry on projects such as 

 the Titan Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, the Agena Satellite program, communi- 

 cations equipment for nuclear submarines, and hydraulic sales engineering for 

 nuclear power plants. 



I have been concerned about the Farallon Island radioactive waste disposal site 

 since May of 1976, when the subject was first brought to public attention through a 

 New York Times article which was reprinted in the San Francisco Chronicle. I 

 subsequently alerted California State Senator Peter Behr to the situation, and he 

 obtained Environmental Protection Document ORP 75-1 (1975) and IAEA-SM-207/ 

 65 which was presented at the "International Symposium on the Management of 

 Radioactive Wastes from the Nuclear Fuel Cycle" in March of 1976. These were 

 transmitted by me to Congressman John L. Burton in July of 1976, and he in turn 

 arranged for the Congressional hearings held by this subcommittee in fall of that 

 year, chaired by the late Congressman Leo J. Ryan. Tests made subsequently in 

 1976 and 1977 at the Farallon Islands by the Environmental Protection Agency 

 were a direct result of the subcommittee hearings. 



In the four years since then, I have studied the question of radioactive waste 

 management in general, and the situation at the Farallon Islands in particular. I 

 have obtained and read numerous reports and documents on these matters, and 

 have been personally responsible for much of the media publicity generated on the 

 subject. Through the assistance of many private individuals and concerned public 

 officials such as California State Assemblyman William Filante, Marin County 

 Supervisor Barbara Boxer, San Francisco Supervisor Quentin Kopp, and Congress- 

 man John Burton, we are once again faced with the problem of atomic wastes in the 



