[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 4]
[House]
[Pages 4866-4871]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 COMMENDING THE PEOPLE OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE MARSHALL ISLANDS FOR THE 
  CONTRIBUTIONS AND SACRIFICES THEY MADE TO THE UNITED STATES NUCLEAR 
                TESTING PROGRAM IN THE MARSHALL ISLANDS

  Mr. LEACH. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 692) commending the people of the Republic of 
the Marshall Islands for the contributions and sacrifices they made to 
the United States nuclear testing program in the Marshall Islands, 
solemnly acknowledging the first detonation of a hydrogen bomb by the 
United States on March 1, 1954, on the Bikini Atoll in the Marshall 
Islands, and remembering that 60 years ago the United States began its 
nuclear testing program in the Marshall Islands, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

[[Page 4867]]



                              H. Res. 692

       Whereas between 1946 and 1958, the United States conducted 
     67 nuclear tests in the Marshall Islands, 66 of which 
     resulted in atmospheric fallout;
       Whereas the most powerful of these tests was the hydrogen 
     weapons test codenamed Bravo, a 15-megaton device detonated 
     on March 1, 1954, at Bikini atoll;
       Whereas the Bravo detonation alone was the equivalent to 
     1,000 Hiroshima-sized bombs;
       Whereas 17 other tests in the Marshall Islands were in the 
     megaton range, and the total yield of the 67 tests was 108 
     megatons, the equivalent yield of more than 7,000 Hiroshima 
     bombs and 93 times the total of Nevada atmospheric tests;
       Whereas in July 1998, the Centers for Disease Control and 
     Prevention estimated that 6.3 billion curies of radioactive 
     iodine-131 were released to the atmosphere as a result of the 
     testing in the Marshall Islands;
       Whereas the 12-year nuclear testing program has been the 
     defining experience of the modern era for the people of the 
     Marshall Islands, and these momentous events created a common 
     bond between the people of the Marshall Islands and the 
     United States military and civilian personnel who shared 
     hardships and suffering with the people of the Marshall 
     Islands during the testing program;
       Whereas as a Member State of the United Nations, the world 
     body that once had oversight of United States stewardship of 
     the trusteeship for the people of the Marshall Islands and 
     their island homelands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands 
     has an unmatched record of working in conjunction with the 
     leadership of the United States in the pursuit of 
     international peace and security, the rights and well-being 
     of the peoples of the world, and in the War on Terrorism: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) commends the people of the Republic of the Marshall 
     Islands for the contributions and sacrifices they made to the 
     United States nuclear testing program in the Marshall 
     Islands;
       (2) solemnly acknowledges the first detonation of a 
     hydrogen bomb by the United States on March 1, 1954, on the 
     Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands; and
       (3) remembers that 60 years ago the United States began its 
     nuclear testing program in the Marshall Islands.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Iowa (Mr. Leach) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Iowa.


                             General Leave

  Mr. LEACH. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Iowa?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LEACH. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, first I would like to commend the gentleman from 
American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega) for introducing this timely 
resolution which commemorates the six decades of friendship and 
strategic solidarity that the United States have shared with the people 
of the Marshall Islands.
  June 30 marks the 60th anniversary of the U.S. nuclear testing 
program in the Marshall Islands. The program encompassed 67 atmospheric 
tests, including the 15 megaton blast codenamed ``Bravo,'' a detonation 
equi-
valent to a thousand Hiroshima-sized bombs, which occurred above Bikini 
Atoll on March 1, 1954.
  The last nuclear test occurred in August of 1958. These massive 
detonations were considered critical at the time to the development of 
our nuclear deterrent during the Cold War and represent the most vivid 
examples of a strategic partnership that stretches back to the Pacific 
campaign of the Second World War.
  They also symbolize the dangers of nuclear weapons and the unintended 
consequences of weapons development. Tragically, for instance, as this 
resolution points out, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
estimated that 6.3 billion curies of radioactive iodine-131 were 
released in the atmosphere as a result of the testing in the Marshall 
Islands.
  Recently, the United States reaffirmed and extended aspects of its 
unique relationship with the Republic of the Marshall Islands in the 
amended Compact of Free Association which the Congress considered and 
approved during the 108th Congress. As we approach the anniversary of 
the commencement of the U.S. nuclear testing program in the Marshall 
Islands, it is fitting to recall the mutual sacrifices that our people 
shared during the last century and commit ourselves to maintaining our 
special friendship in the decades ahead.
  I urge support of this resolution.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LANTOS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution. First, I 
would like to commend my very good friend and distinguished colleague, 
Mr. Faleomavaega, for introducing this important measure concerning 
nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands.
  His tireless leadership to strengthen the bonds between the United 
States and all the nations of the Pacific is deeply appreciated by all 
of us who have the privilege of serving with him on the International 
Relations Committee.

                              {time}  1500

  Madam Speaker, 60 years ago, the history of the Marshall Islands and 
its people was fundamentally altered. The residents of isolated Bikini 
Atoll were loaded aboard American military ships and sent to live on a 
distant atoll. The goal of this relocation was simple: to enable the 
testing of a hydrogen bomb equivalent to 1,000 Hiroshima-sized weapons. 
Bikini Atoll had drawn the short straw, and it would become ground zero 
for the famous Bravo detonation.
  This blast in 1954 was not the first nor the last nuclear test in the 
Marshall Islands. Between 1946 and 1958, we conducted 67 nuclear tests 
in the Marshall Islands, but Bravo was the most powerful of our nuclear 
tests and the one which caused the greatest impact on the long-term 
health of Marshallese citizens.
  Despite the enormous after-effects of the U.S. nuclear testing 
program, the relationship between the Marshallese and the American 
people has only grown stronger over the past six decades. Through the 
Compact of Free Association, the United States provided substantial 
financial assistance to the Marshall Islands and medical aid to those 
directly impacted by the nuclear tests.
  In return, the government of the Marshall Islands has been a 
steadfast ally of the United States since it obtained its independence 
in 1986. Young Marshallese citizens proudly serve in the United States 
military, and they have died alongside their American comrades in 
defense of liberty in Iraq. The government of the Marshall Islands has 
stood with us on vote after vote in the United Nations, when many of 
our other allies were more than happy to sideline their commitment to 
freedom and democracy, particularly in cases when the defense of the 
democratic State of Israel was at stake.
  Mr. Speaker, over the past six decades, the people of the Marshall 
Islands and the United States have been on a long, but important, 
journey together, beginning with the liberation by American GIs of the 
Marshall Islands from Japanese occupation, continuing through 12 years 
of post-war atmospheric nuclear testing and resulting in a strong and 
mutually beneficial relationship between these two Pacific nations.
  The 60th anniversary of the Bravo test is an important time to 
remember our shared history and to appreciate better the future 
positive relations we can surely expect between our two nations.
  Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this resolution and urge all of my 
colleagues to do as well.
  Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to yield as much time as he might consume 
to the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega), my 
distinguished colleague and good friend, author of this resolution and 
the ranking Democratic member of the Subcommittee on Asia and the 
Pacific of the International Relations Committee.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend and colleague 
for yielding.

[[Page 4868]]

  Mr. Speaker, I also would like to offer my commendation to the 
chairman of our House International Relations Committee, Mr. Hyde, for 
his leadership and for his support of this resolution. I would also 
like to thank our senior Democratic ranking member on the committee, 
Mr. Lantos from California, and especially also my good friend and 
chairman of the House Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, the 
gentleman from Iowa, Chairman Leach, for his support as well of this 
resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 692, commending the people 
of the Republic of the Marshall Islands for the contributions and 
sacrifices they made to the United States nuclear testing program in 
the Marshall Islands.
  I want to especially thank the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Flake), my 
good friend and colleague. He and I also had the privilege of visiting 
the Marshall Islands a year ago, and is an original cosponsor with me 
on this legislation, as well as my dear friends and colleagues who have 
also. In the spirit of bipartisanship, I want to submit for the Record 
the list of the Members who have also signed on as cosponsors of this 
resolution.


                              h. res. 692

       Title: Commending the people of the Republic of the 
     Marshall Islands for the contributions and sacrifices they 
     made to the United States nuclear testing program in the 
     Marshall Islands, solemnly acknowledging the first detonation 
     of a hydrogen bomb by the United States on March 1, 1954, on 
     the Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands, and remembering 
     that 60 years ago the United States began its nuclear testing 
     program in the Marshall Islands.
       Sponsor: Rep Faleomavaega, Eni F. H. [AS] (introduced 2/16/
     2006) Cosponsors (36).
       Latest Major Action: 2/16/2006 Referred to House committee. 
     Status: Referred to the House Committee on International 
     Relations.
       Rep. Abercrombie, Neil [HI-1]--3/30/2006
       Rep. Ackerman, Gary L. [NY-5]--3/30/2006
       Rep. Baca, Joe [CA-43]--3/30/2006
       Rep. Berman, Howard L. [CA-28]--3/30/2006
       Rep. Blumenauer, Earl [OR-3]--3/30/2006
       Rep. Bordallo, Madeleine Z. [GU]--3/30/2006
       Rep. Brown, Corrine [FL-3]--3/30/2006
       Rep. Brown, Sherrod [OH-13]--3/30/2006
       Rep. Burton, Dan [IN-5]--3/30/2006
       Rep. Cardoza, Dennis A. [CA-18]--3/30/2006
       Rep. Castle, Michael N. [DE]--3/30/2006
       Rep. Delahunt, William D. [MA-10]--3/30/2006
       Rep. Engel, Eliot L. [NY-17]--3/30/2006
       Rep. Flake, Jeff [AZ-6]--2/16/2006
       Rep. Gallegly, Elton [CA-24]--3/30/2006
       Rep. Gutierrez, Luis V. [IL-4]--3/30/2006
       Rep. Honda, Michael M. [CA-15]--3/30/2006
       Rep. Jackson-Lee, Sheila [TX-18]--3/30/2006
       Rep. Kennedy, Patrick J. [RI-1]--3/30/2006
       Rep. Kind, Ron [WI-3]--3/30/2006
       Rep. Kucinich, Dennis J. [OH-10]--3/30/2006
       Rep. Lantos, Tom [CA-12]--3/30/2006
       Rep. Leach, James A. [IA-2]--3/30/2006
       Rep. Lee, Barbara [CA-9]--3/30/2006
       Rep. Lewis, John [GA-5]--3/30/2006
       Rep. Miller, George [CA-7]--3/30/2006
       Rep. Napolitano, Grace F. [CA-38]--3/30/2006
       Rep. Payne, Donald M. [NJ-10]--3/30/2006
       Rep. Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana [FL-18]--3/30/2006
       Rep. Schiff, Adam B. [CA-29]--3/30/2006
       Rep. Spratt, John M., Jr. {SC-5]--3/30/2006
       Rep. Udall, Tom [NM-3]--3/30/2006
       Rep. Waters, Maxine [CA-35]--3/30/2006
       Rep. Watson, Diane E. [CA-33]--3/30/2006
       Rep. Watt, Melvin L. [NC-12]--3/30/2006
       Rep. Wexler, Robert [FL-19]--3/30/2006

  Mr. Speaker, 60 years ago in 1946, the United States began testing 
nuclear weapons in the Marshall Islands. Over a 12-year period until 
1958, the United States conducted 67 nuclear tests with the equivalent 
yield of more than 7,000 Hiroshima nuclear bombs. In fact, the nuclear 
test code-named Bravo was a 15-megaton hydrogen bomb that was detonated 
on March 1, 1954, in the Marshall Islands and its equivalent yield was 
1,000 Hiroshima-sized nuclear bombs. Acknowledged as the greatest 
nuclear explosion ever at that time detonated, the Bravo test vaporized 
six islands and created a mushroom cloud 25 miles in diameter.
  Because people were living in these South Pacific islands during the 
time of the U.S. nuclear testing program, the people of the Republic of 
the Marshall Islands were exposed to severe radiation poisoning. Even 
today, 60 years after the U.S. nuclear testing program began, the 
people of the Rongelap Atoll, as well as other atolls, are still exiled 
from their own land due to the radioactive fallout.
  Mr. Speaker, as the ranking member of the House International 
Relations Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific and as a Pacific 
Islander myself, I feel I have a special responsibility to look after 
the interests of our Pacific Island community, especially from the 
Marshall Islands which have sacrificed greatly for our common good.
  From 1946 to 1958, the United States detonated 67 nuclear weapons in 
the Marshall Islands, representing nearly 80 percent of all atmospheric 
tests ever conducted by the United States. If one were to calculate the 
net yield of these tests, it would be equivalent to the detonation of 
1.7 Hiroshima bombs every day for 12 years. These tests exposed the 
people of the Marshall Islands to severe health problems and genetic 
anomalies for generations to come.
  The U.S. nuclear testing program in the Marshall Islands continues to 
devastate the Marshall Islands, and the funds provided by the United 
States under the Compact of Free Association I submit, Mr. Speaker, are 
grossly inadequate to provide for the health care, environmental 
monitoring, personal injury claims, or land and property damages.
  Pursuant to the compact and the accompanying section 177 agreement, 
the United States accepted responsibility for the damage to the 
property and environment of the Marshall Islands and the health of its 
people. This agreement did not constitute a final agreement, as 
evidenced by the inclusion of article IX authorizing the government of 
the Marshall Islands to petition the U.S. Congress in the event of 
``changed circumstances that render the provisions of this agreement 
manifestly inadequate.''
  The government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands has submitted 
a request to Congress based on a changed circumstances claim. The 
administration, however, as represented by the State Department in its 
report evaluating the Marshall Islands' request, rejected the argument 
made in the Marshall Islands' petition, contending that the claims did 
not constitute changed circumstances as defined in the agreement.
  For the record, Mr. Speaker, I want to make it clear that I take 
issue with the State Department's position. While the State Department 
denies that there is no legal basis for Congress to hear this petition, 
the fact remains that we in Congress should decide this for ourselves.
  Mr. Speaker, the State Department issued a report in November of 2004 
evaluating the Marshall Islands' petition, concluding that the Marshall 
Islands' request does not qualify as changed circumstances within the 
meaning of the agreement, so there is no legal basis for considering 
additional payments.
  Mr. Speaker, the State Department fails to explain how the 
declassified documents released 10 years after the agreement was 
reached, indicating a wider expanded radioactive fallout than 
previously disclosed, or that the National Cancer Institute study 
indicating that more cancers will surface do not constitute a legal 
basis for Congress to consider their circumstances.
  Mr. Speaker, I submit this is much larger than a legal issue. This is 
a moral issue. The fact is the people of the Marshall Islands are still 
suffering severe, adverse health effects directly related to our 
nuclear testing program, and they are still unable to use their own 
lands because of the radiation poisoning. We have a moral obligation to 
provide for health care, environmental monitoring, personal injury 
claims, and the land and property damage in the Marshall Islands. This 
is the least we can do, Mr. Speaker, considering the historic 
contribution the people of the Marshall Islands have made in the Cold 
War struggle to preserve international peace and promote nuclear 
disarmament.
  Mr. Speaker, the people of the Marshall Islands do not want handouts. 
They have brought these ongoing health environmental and loss of land 
issues to Congress for our consideration. While we may find that we 
cannot provide the amount of money requested, I believe we do have an 
obligation to examine carefully the application they have submitted to 
ensure that we live up to the responsibility we

[[Page 4869]]

embraced over 50 years ago when we began nuclear testing in the 
Pacific. We should not be looking for ways to sidestep this 
responsibility. We should ask ourselves if we have done everything we 
can possibly do to make things right for the people of the Marshall 
Islands who have sacrificed their lives, their health and their lands 
for the benefit of the United States.
  I have reviewed the petition. I have researched this issue 
extensively, and I believe enough evidence exists to justify a thorough 
review of the changed circumstances in the petition.
  Mr. Speaker, I do not know if my colleagues can see this picture. 
These are some of the children who were born to mothers this day last 
year, deformed children, still as a result of nuclear testing that we 
conducted in the Marshall Islands, and how dare that our government say 
that we do not have any further responsibility to the people of the 
Marshall Islands. It is still there, and we should pay attention to 
this.
  Mr. Speaker, I am probably one of the few Members who has ever been 
to the Marshall Islands and have seen the results of our nuclear 
testing program. Some of our colleagues may ask how come we stopped our 
nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands. I will tell you why: because 
of the radiation, a nuclear cloud that floated all over to the United 
States and we found strontin-90 on milk products coming out of 
Minnesota and Wisconsin. That is why we stopped our nuclear testing 
there in the Marshall Islands.
  I am probably one of the few Members who also visited the French 
nuclear testing in the South Pacific in French Polynesia where the 
French Government detonated over 220 nuclear bombs in the atmosphere, 
on the surface, under the ocean; and guess what, those atolls are 
beginning to leak now. The French Government refuses to allow 
international scientific teams to go down there and find out exactly 
the extent of the nuclear damage that the French Government has done to 
those people in the Pacific.
  Last year, Mr. Speaker, I was invited by the President of Kazakhstan 
to visit that country; and to my surprise, I did not realize that this 
is where the Soviet Union conducted their nuclear testing program. They 
detonated 500 nuclear devices in Afghanistan before Afghanistan became 
independent; and as a result of the Soviet Union nuclear testing, 1.5 
million Kazakhs were exposed to nuclear radioactivity, very similar to 
the problems that we have just had a resolution on on Chernobyl.
  It is madness. It is madness, Mr. Speaker, and I submit this is 
something we should at least do for the people of the Marshall Islands. 
They are not asking for handouts, Mr. Speaker. They are just simply 
asking for fairness. If we were so deliberate in our efforts to fund 
the Cold War, let us give the Marshall Islands people at least what 
they deserve, a good medical treatment for the mothers that still 
continue to have cancers in thyroid glands, cancers all over, several 
hundred, and their descendants still continue to be exposed because of 
what we had done to these people 60 years ago.
  Mr. Speaker, I submit and I ask my colleagues, I request with all due 
respect that the least we could do is to pass this resolution. With 
this resolution, Mr. Speaker, we want to acknowledge the historic 
contribution the people of the Marshall Islands have made in the Cold 
War struggle to preserve the peace that we are seeking throughout the 
world. We commend the people of the Marshall Islands for the 
contributions and sacrifices they made, and we hope and I hope, 
sincerely hope, that my colleagues will join me in providing for 
appropriate legislation so that we can give these people the proper 
medical care that they deserve.
  With that, Mr. Speaker, again, I thank my good friend, the chairman 
of our Asia Pacific Subcommittee, Mr. Leach, and my good friend, senior 
Democratic member, Mr. Lantos, for their support and management of this 
bill.
  Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I would just like to conclude briefly with three thoughts. One, I 
think it is absolutely imperative that this body emphasize its 
friendship to the people of the Marshall Islands and affirm, as Mr. 
Faleomavaega has suggested, our obligation to take care of those whose 
health we are responsible for affecting.

                              {time}  1515

  Secondly, I want to express my deep regard and friendship for the two 
Members who have spoken, Mr. Lantos, our ranking member, and Mr. Faleo-
mavaega.
  And, thirdly, I want to make a constitutional point. People listening 
to the debate maybe do not understand that this is a body of 435 voting 
Members plus five delegates, and the importance of delegates is often 
not noted in the American constitutional system. But this is a classic 
example of an individual leader, Mr. Faleomavaega, who comes from 
American Samoa, who is bringing a resolution that would otherwise not 
have been brought to this House except for his leadership. It is 
resolution of seminal importance and one that intriguingly looks to the 
problems of our times and also to the history of the 20th century in a 
unique and profound way.
  So I want to express my deepest regard for this initiative, and I 
thank the gentleman from American Samoa.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LANTOS. Before yielding back the balance of our time, I want to 
express my appreciation to the chairman of our Pacific and Asian 
Subcommittee for his extraordinary work on this and all other issues, 
and I want to identify myself with the powerful and persuasive 
statements of my friend and colleague, Eni Faleomavaega.
  Mr. CASE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 692, a resolution 
introduced by my esteemed colleague from American Samoa and Ranking 
Member of the House International Relations Subcommittee on Asia and 
the Pacific--Congressman Eni Faleomavaega--commending the people of the 
Republic of the Marshall Islands for their incalculable contributions 
and sacrifices they made to the United States nuclear testing program 
throughout the 1940s and 1950s in the Marshall Islands.
  This year will mark the 60th anniversary of the United States' 
commencement of nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands. Over a period 
of twelve years, from 1946 to 1958, the United States of America 
conducted sixty-seven atmospheric nuclear weapons tests in the Marshall 
Islands. The tests resulted in a combined yield of 108 megatons, 
roughly the destructive force of over 7,000 times that of the bomb used 
on Hiroshima. The worst of these tests, the Bravo shot, was a l5-
megaton thermonuclear device, which in itself carried 1,000 times the 
destructive power of the Hiroshima bomb. It was detonated on March 1, 
1954, on Bikini Atoll, and caused dangerous levels of radioactive 
fallout to be released over 7,000 square miles, including the populated 
atolls of Rongelap and Utrik.
  It is vital that our country remember the contributions of the 
Marshallese to our national security and to world peace.
  While recognizing such contributions, our country over the years has 
sought to address the legacy of our nuclear testing in the Marshall 
Islands in our initial Compact with the Republic of the Marshall 
Islands in 1986 and in our ongoing bilateral relations with the RMI 
government. Just recently, our governments renegotiated the compact 
agreement.
  I am aware that the RMI government has filed a ``changed 
circumstances'' petition with the U.S. government, which still must be 
negotiated. It is time our country come to closure on the changed 
circumstances petition and address our country's long-standing nuclear 
legacy in the Marshall Islands and its ramifications on the lives of 
its residents, particularly those of the affected atolls. I also 
believe that we must ensure that the U.S. Department of Energy's 
medical assistance program is fulfilling its obligation to its 
beneficiaries in the Marshall Islands.
  I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 692 and to work on addressing 
these crucial remaining issues.
  Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 692, 
a resolution to commend the people of the Republic of the Marshall 
Islands for the contributions and grave sacrifices they made to the 
United States nuclear testing program in the Marshall Islands.
  In 1947, the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) became one of six 
entities in the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands established by 
the United Nations with the U.S. as the Trustee. This began a decades-
long relationship between the U.S. and RMI that has proven to be 
resilient and enduring.

[[Page 4870]]

  In particular, I'd like to highlight the U.S. nuclear testing program 
in RMI which began in 1946. Over the years, the U.S. detonated 67 
nuclear weapons on the islands of Bikini and Enewetak. These tests 
comprise 80 percent of all atmospheric tests conducted by the United 
States. On March 1, 1954, the hydrogen weapons test code-named 
``Bravo'' yielded explosive power approximately 1,000 times greater 
than the weapon used in the 1945 wartime nuclear attack on Hiroshima, 
Japan. The Bravo test created a mushroom cloud 25 miles in diameter, 
produced a crater 6,000 feet in diameter, and vaporized 6 islands at 
the Bikini Atoll. Radiation from the test forced the evacuation of 
Marshallese and U.S. military personnel on Rongelap, Rongerik, Utirik 
and Ailinginae. This responsibility shouldered by the Marshallese 
people allowed a majority of all tests to be conducted as far from 
densely populated areas as possible and helped bring about a peaceful 
end to the Cold War.
  Over the years, the Marshallese have faced very serious consequences 
as a result of the nuclear testing. The health and property effects 
have proved to be extensive and in many cases, immeasurable. The U.S. 
has recognized this and set up a fund to compensate those affected by 
the testing. However, the consequences of this testing, especially the 
health of the Marshallese people, continue to be impacted.
  In particular, the Section 177 Health Care Program is in urgent need 
of increased funding. Intended to provide comprehensive medical care, 
including cancer care, for the four communities most affected by the 
nuclear weapons testing program, this healthcare program has fallen 
woefully short of its intended goals. Spending approximately $12 per 
patient per month, the needs of this program are immediate and urgent.
  Mr. Speaker, I am sure that our countries will continue to work on 
this issue and find a resolution. I also have no doubt that the 
relationship between our governments will continue to be productive and 
mutually beneficial. As our alliance continues in the coming decades, I 
urge the United States to step up and meet its obligations to the 
people of the RMI. With all the sacrifices they have made for the 
United States and continue to make each day, it is the very least the 
United States can do.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in commending the people of the 
Marshall Islands and acknowledge their profound sacrifices. We must 
continue our efforts to restore the health and lands of the people of 
the Marshall Islands.
  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House 
Resolution 692 which commends the people of the Republic of the 
Marshall Islands for their contributions and sacrifices associated with 
the United States nuclear testing program. The first nuclear detonation 
was made on the Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands on March 1, 1954. 
This test, and the subsequent testing program, established the nuclear 
deterrent that has served to ensure the security of our Nation and our 
allies throughout the Cold War. The people of the Marshall Islands 
sacrificed in a particularly unique way for our security, one that is 
both immense and somber. Today we continue to honor their contribution.
  Further, Mr. Speaker, the contributions of the people of the Republic 
of the Marshall Islands have continued to this very day. Today we can 
find Marshallese serving in the United States Armed Forces around the 
world. Some are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan as we speak and many 
others are contributing to the well being of the United States in other 
new and unique ways throughout the Global War on Terror.
  The Republic of the Marshall Islands stands today with America as one 
of the Freely Associated States in the Pacific, and our strong bonds of 
friendship are a testament to our mutual commitment to freedom and 
democracy.
  To my friends and neighbors, the Marshallese, I extend the thanks of 
a grateful Nation. To borrow from your beautiful language, ``kommol 
tata,'' or thank you very much.
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 692, 
commending the people of the Republic of the Marshall Islands for their 
contributions and sacrifices to the United States nuclear testing 
program.
  Mr. Speaker, as fellow islander, I feel a kinship to the people of 
the Marshall Islands and sympathize with them for the suffering they 
endured for our benefit. Between June 30, 1946 and August 18, 1958, our 
government, after evacuating the residents, conducted an intensive 
program of nuclear testing on Bikini and Enewetak atolls in the 
Republic of the Marshall Islands.
  These tests, which were the equivalent of more that 7,200 Hiroshima 
bombs, caused significant damage to the health of the people of the 
Marshall Islands, as well as, to the lands, vegetation, lagoons and 
surrounding ecosystems. In addition to rendering all of Bikini and most 
of Enewetak uninhabitable, radioactive fallout from nuclear testing on 
Bikini and Enewetak accidentally spread to other populated areas of the 
RMI.
  It is believed that these tests on Bikini and Enewetak caused high 
rates of thyroid, cervical and breast cancer throughout the Marshall 
Islands, with more than a dozen Marshall Islands atolls seriously 
affected. In 1998, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimated that 
6,300,000,000 billion curies of radioactive iodine-131 were released to 
the atmosphere as a result of the testing in the Marshall Islands.
  Mr. Speaker, the U.S. government accepted responsibility for the 
injuries to the people of the Marshall Islands and provided financial 
and other assistance to the RMI as compensation for the harm done as a 
result of our nuclear testing.
  Six years ago, the Republic of the Marshall Islands government 
submitted a Changed Circumstances Petition to the United States 
Congress related to U.S. nuclear testing on the Marshall Islands atolls 
of Bikini and Enewetak during the 1940s and 1950s. The Petition 
requests additional compensation for personal injuries and property 
damages and restoration costs, medical care programs, health services 
infrastructure and training, and radiological monitoring.
  The Petition bases its claims for compensation upon ``changed 
circumstances'' pursuant to Section 177 of the Compact of Free 
Association. The Compact of Free Association, enacted in 1986, governs 
the economic and strategic relationships between the United States and 
the RMI. The Section 177 Agreement granted $150 million as part of a 
``full and final settlement'' of legal claims against the U.S. 
government, and provided for possible additional compensation, if loss 
or damages to persons or property arose or were discovered that could 
not reasonably have been identified as of the effective date of the 
agreement, and if such injuries rendered the provisions of the Compact 
``manifestly inadequate.'' The Petition argues that ``new and 
additional'' information since the enactment of the Compact--such as a 
wider extent of radioactive fallout than previously known or disclosed 
and more recent radiation protection standards--constitute ``changed 
circumstances.''
  Mr. Speaker, we should support the petition of the RMI calling for 
recognition of a ``changed circumstances''. Our country owes a great 
debt to the people of the RMI for the sacrifices they made on our 
behalf and we must, as called for by H. Res. 692, assist them in 
extricating themselves from the legacy of the nuclear age and the 
burden of providing testing grounds for nuclear weapons.
  Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate Mr. Faleomavaega for 
sponsoring H. Res. 692, which commends the people of the Republic of 
the Marshall Islands for the contributions and sacrifices they made to 
the United States nuclear testing program in the Marshall Islands 60 
years ago.
  When I served as the Ambassador to the Federated States of 
Micronesia, I had the opportunity to visit the Marshall Islands on 
several occasions and to get to know the people, their land, and their 
history.
  During the period of June 20, 1946 to August 18, 1958, the United 
States conducted 67 nuclear tests in the Marshall Islands. The vast 
majority of the tests were atmospheric. The most powerful of these 
tests was the ``Bravo'' shot, a 15 megaton device detonated on March 1, 
1954, at Bikini atoll. The test was equivalent to 1,000 Hiroshima 
bombs.
  While the Bravo test is the probably the best known, it should also 
be acknowledged that 17 other tests in the Marshall islands were in the 
megaton range with a combined yield estimated to be 174 megatons. 
Approximately 137 megatons of the that total was detonated in the 
atmosphere. This represents nearly 80 percent of the atmospheric 
nuclear tests detonated by the U.S.
  Mr. Speaker, we must also acknowledge that the people of the Marshall 
Islands paid a steep price for the nuclear testing program. Many 
Marshalese who lived through the period of nuclear testing have been 
relocated to other areas and have been waiting for decades to return to 
their homes. Residents of the Rongelop Atoll, the island closest to 
ground zero, still remain in exile. Other Marshalese, including their 
offspring, have suffered from medical conditions associated with 
increased levels of radioactivity.
  Despite the hardships endured by the people of the Marshall Islands, 
the Republic of the Marshall Islands has an exemplary record of working 
with the United States and supporting U.S. security concerns, including 
efforts to stamp out terrorism around the world.

[[Page 4871]]

  H. Res. 692 acknowledges the debt that all Americans owe for the 
sacrifice as well as loyalty of the people of the Marshall Islands.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I move adoption of the resolution, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Campbell of California). The question is 
on the motion offered by the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Leach) that the 
House suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 692, as 
amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this question will 
be postponed.

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