564 



I indicated, the Department does support this activity and does 

 intend to maintain its presence and play a very active role in the 

 international program. 



With regard to the 1984 budget, the Department of Energy's 

 original request to Congress in January was for $4.7 million, but 

 committee action and congressional action allowed us to spend up 

 to $9.6 million for this program. As we have indicated in corre- 

 spondence to the subcommittee, we now believe that the level of 

 $7.5 million for 1984 would be a reasonable amount, would be con- 

 sistent with the Department's objectives of maintaining subseabed 

 disposal as a viable option to its repository program, and would 

 allow us to determine the feasibility of this concept by 1990, which 

 does coincide with our needs for the repository program. 



Based upon the information we currently have, we believe that 

 this date and this funding level is acceptable by our foreign partici- 

 pants in the seabed disposal program. Included in the level of $7.5 

 million for 1984, would be $600,000 spent for physical and biologi- 

 cal oceanography which would be looking primarily at ocean circu- 

 latory patterns and biological pathways for release of radionuclides 

 to the environment, once in place in subseabed disposal. This 

 amount of funding would go up substantially in later years as we 

 move out toward the 1990 feasibility determination date. 



That concludes my testimony. I would be happy to answer any 

 questions you may have. 



[The statement of Mr. Lawrence follows:] 



