The Yabloko faction thinks that if the Duma adopts the amendments to the regulations on importing, preserving and recycling nuclear waste, Russia will suffer catastrophic losses. These amendments to the legislation will be considered by the Duma at its second reading on March 22, 2001.

Sergei Mitrokhin, deputy of the Duma from the Yabloko faction, said at a press conference on March 20 in Moscow, “We shall do all we can to ban this package of laws.”

Photo: Sergei Mitrokhin, deputy of the Duma from the Yabloko faction and Vladimir Kuznetsov, Director of the Programme of Nuclear and Radiation Safety of the Green Cross of the RF, member of the Supreme Ecology Council of the State Duma. Photo by Sergei Loktionov, Press Service.

“We insist that all radioactive materials and waste should be immediately exported after their recycling back to the state of origin,” said Mitrokhin. Otherwise, he believes that “all the citizens of Russia will receive a “gift” of a huge quantity of unburied waste.” “This will be the crime of the century,” said Mitrokhin.

He also recollected that “the main argument of the Ministry of Atomic Energy is receipt of a profit which can be channelled to humanitarian needs, in particular the rehabilitation of contaminated territories.” However, Mitrokhin added, “the text of the draft law does not provide guarantees that the money will be spent on these purposes.”

“The law makes it possible to spend the money on other needs,” noted Mitrokhin. He also expressed his bewilderment that “the Duma Ecology Committee favours this anti-environmental draft.”

Forecasting the fate of the drafts. Mitrokhin said that he does rule out a veto on these drafts by the Federation Council.

Based on Interfax reports.

See also:

Nuclear waste bill section of the web-site

Nuclear Bill Debate Heats Up
The Moscow Times, Yevgenia Borisova, March 21, 2001

Protesters Slam Nuclear Waste Bill
The Associated Press, The Moscow Times, February 20, 2001, p. 3