According to a U.S. agency on Wednesday, the U.S. energy secretary needs to establish trust with the Republic of the Marshall Islands by creating a clear communication plan addressing the persistent concerns about a radioactive waste dump left behind by U.S. nuclear weapons testing, which is now at risk of floods due to climate change.
The United States carried out 67 nuclear bomb tests on the Marshall Islands between 1946 and 1958. In the late 1970s, it disposed of radioactive soil and debris from six of the islands into an unlined crater formed by one of the tests, creating the Runit Dome. While the dome was initially covered with a concrete cap, it is now at risk of leaks caused by flooding from rising sea levels due to climate change, as per Marshallese officials.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigative arm of the U.S. Congress, highlighted in a report that the energy secretary should “develop and document a strategy for communications on radioactive contamination that is sustained, understandable, transparent, engages the RMI government, and builds on lessons learned.”
The Department of Energy (DOE) concurred with the recommendation in the report but did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The DOE is obligated by a 2011 law to conduct visual studies of the dome and analyses of the groundwater surrounding it.
According to the GAO report, rising sea levels may elevate groundwater levels under the dome, potentially leading to radiation leaks. The report also highlighted a disagreement between the DOE and the RMI about the radiological dangers posed by the dome.
The Marshall Islands embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the matter. The report, requested by Senator Tom Carper, also includes details about radioactive contamination in southern Spain after two U.S. defense aircraft carrying four thermonuclear bombs collided in 1966, dispersing debris over a wide area. It also examines radioactive contamination in Greenland as a result of U.S. Cold War activities.
(Reporting by Timothy Gardner; additional reporting by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Leslie Adler)
