653 



Additional Questions of Mr. Forsythe and Answered by EPA 



1. For FY 1983, 1984, and 1985, please detail the budgetary and 

 personnel requirements for each of EPA's programs involved in 

 researching, permitting, and monitoring ocean disposal of radioactive 

 waste. 



ANSWER 



EPA's resources for programs involving research, development of 

 criteria for reviewing permit applications, and monitoring past ocean 

 disposal of radioactive wastes are summarized in the following table: 



Fiscal Year 



1980 

 1981 

 1982 

 1983 

 1984 



The formal request for the FY 1985 budget has not yet been 

 submitted to the Congress. However, our present plans would have us 

 use about the same level of resources in that year as we would have 

 used in FY 1984. 



2. Please explain for the Subcommittee how the removal of the DOE 

 support for the joint DOE/EPA marine ecosystem research being carried 

 out at the Marine Ecosystem Research Laboratory in Rhode Island will 

 affect that program's studies, activities, reporting, and results. 



ANSWER 



The technical study to be carried out at the University of Rhode 

 Island's Marine Ecosystem Researcn Laboratory (MERL) was planned, from 

 EPA's perspective, to support development of a consistent Agency 

 approach to evaluating permit requests for ocean disposal of radioactive 

 waste materials. We are funding the EPA Narragansett Laboratory at a 

 level of $li0K this year to incorporate consideration of special needs 

 of radioactive materials into the overall Agency approach. We intended 

 that the parameters regarding transport, uptake and exposure to marine 

 organisms, and correlated effects be tested in the mesocosm tanks, 

 which mimic coastal field conditions. We wish to confirm our ability 

 to moael and predict behavior and fate based on smaller scale labora- 

 tory testing of key chemical, biological and physical parameters, and 

 ascertain the usefulness of the MERL system in providing a critical 

 check on our expectations for transport and effects for particular 

 wastes and radionuclides. 



