-Caveat Lector- ----- Original Message ----- From: OLGA PITSUNOVA <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <undisclosed-recipients:;> Sent: Monday, February 12, 2001 1:49 AM Subject: [ENWL-eng] AntiNuclear > > > > February 9, 2001 > > Dear Colleagues, > > We are writing to ask for your support in preventing the import of > dangerous nuclear waste into the Russian Federation. The Russian > government has recently announced its intention to import and store > twenty thousand tons of nuclear waste primarily from East Asia and > Central and Western Europe. Consumed with the potential profits from > this transaction-profits which we feel will ultimately prove > illusory-the government has thus far shown little regard for the > potentially dire environmental consequences of bringing in so much > nuclear waste. > > We are of course advancing what we feel is Russia's best interest with > respect to this question. However, preventing the importation of > nuclear waste into Russia is in the interest of the entire world. We > therefore feel that this is not just an internal problem for Russia, > but an international issue of grave importance. We are accordingly > asking anyone and everyone-both inside and outside of Russia-to appeal > to the lower house of our parliament, the State Duma, which on > February 22 will begin the second reading of a bill allowing the > import of nuclear waste. (This bill was passed in its first reading on > December 21 of last year.) > > Attached you will find an already composed letter urging the Duma to > reject this bill. This letter can be faxed to the following numbers: > > Speaker of the Russian State Duma, fax: 7-095-292-32-49, 7-095-292-85-08 > Communist Party of the Russian Federation, fax: 7-095-292-56-85 > Unity, fax: 7-095- 292-34-76 > Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, fax: 7-095-292-97-69 > Fatherland-All Russia, fax: 7-095-292-85-00 > Union of Right Forces, fax: 7-095-292-18-18 > Yabloko, fax: 7-095-292-93-79 > Agrarian Deputy Group, fax: 7-095-292-89-00 > People's Deputy Group, fax: 7-095-292-87-15 > Russia's Regions Deputy Group, fax: 7-095-292-91-69 > > If this bill is passed in its second reading, it will undergo a third > and final reading (or vote) later in the spring. If the State Duma > ultimately decides to support this measure, the bill will then go to > the Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian parliament. If > they approve the measure all that remains is the President's signature > before it becomes policy. If necessary, we intend to issue new appeals > at every juncture in this process, and we hope that we will have your > support. > > Perhaps the biggest obstacle facing the Russian environmental movement > is governmental indifference to the importance of safeguarding the > environment. It is our hope, then, that enough organizations will > express their misgivings about importing nuclear waste that our > government will pause to examine the environmental consequences of the > proposed transaction and ultimately change this harmful policy. Time > is of the essence, so we entreat you to mail the attached letter in > time to influence the debate over the second reading of this bill. > Please let us know if you do send a fax. > We greatly appreciate any efforts you undertake in support of our > mutual cause. We are in the process of adding English materials to our > web-site (www.wildfield.ru/env/nuc/zakon/) about this campaign. In the meantime, > please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any questions or > concerns. > Please, distribute this letter as widely as possible. > > Yours Sincerely, > > Olga Pinstunova Brian Kuns > Coordinator of the Anti-Nuclear Resistance Campaign Assistant Coordinator > E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > Natalya Mironova Nadezhda Kutepova > Movement for Nuclear Safety Agency of Information Cooperation > E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > **************************************************************************** ************** > > > > An Appeal To: > > the Speaker of the Russian State Duma > and the Chairmen of the following Duma fractions: > Communist Party of the Russian Federation > Unity > Liberal Democratic Party of Russia > Fatherland-All Russia > Union of Right Forces > Yabloko > Agrarian Deputy Group > People's Deputy Group > Russia's Regions Deputy Group > > > Dear Deputies of the Russian State Duma, > > Save your beautiful country from becoming a nuclear wasteland! > > As representatives of _______________________________________________, > and as world citizens, we urge you to reject the law on "Special > Ecological Problems on the Environmental Rehabilitation of > Radioactively-Polluted Regions of the Russian Federation, Financed > from Revenue from International Trade in Nuclear Fuel," and the > related amendments to the law on "The Use of Nuclear Energy," and to > the law on "The Protection of the Environment." We strongly believe > that approving such laws will not only bring irreparable harm to your > country, but will threaten the safety of other countries. > > Why, you may ask, do we express ourselves so forcefully about a matter > seemingly so far away from us? Why are we-citizens of other > countries-against the importation of radioactive nuclear fuel into > Russia? > > First of all, as a matter of environmental principle and justice, we > feel that spent nuclear fuel generated by a country should be > reprocessed and stored in that country, and not stashed in someone > else's backyard. It is especially unethical to take advantage of a > country's socio-economic crisis by offering them chimerical profits in > exchange for storing materials that present serious dangers to their > population. Each country must take financial, technical and social > responsibility for its own waste products. > > The history of the nuclear power industry shows that spent nuclear > fuel has been primarily used to extract plutonium. However, today > plutonium is no longer needed for military purposes, and the use of > plutonium as fuel for commercial nuclear reactors is not profitable. > Once created, plutonium cannot be used for fuel for nuclear reactors > for decades. In the meantime, storing one ton of plutonium costs, > according to various sources, costs from $1 million to $5 million a > year. According to these costs, then, storing the amount of plutonium > that your Ministry of Atomic Energy intends to create-200 tons of > plutonium can be produced from the 20,000 tons of nuclear waste that > will be brought into Russia-will require annual expenditures ranging > from $200 million to $1 billion. This transaction becomes especially > unprofitable if you take into consideration the environmental and > public health consequences of importing nuclear waste. > > Moreover, we should remember the lessons of history with respect to > the reprocessing of nuclear spent fuels, i.e. the large swaths of > territory all over the world already polluted in past years and the > costs of rehabilitating this land. Already these costs are a drain on > the state budget of our respective governments, costs which will only > grow for Russia if it produces more plutonium. The only really > profitable use for this element is selling it on the black market, > i.e. selling it to those who wish to create their own nuclear weapons. > In all other cases, plutonium ends up being an incredible burden even > for the richest countries. > > Given the fact that in the past decade there have been several > incidents where nuclear fuel stored in Russia has disappeared, we feel > justified in raising concerns about control over the radioactive > materials your government is proposing to import. Needless to say, > this plutonium could fall into the hands of the enemies of peace. > > Finally, in our country spent nuclear fuel is called nuclear waste. It > is not a valuable substance, as our energy officials claim, but a > danger to the health of our land and people. Setting aside the various > economic and financial questions connected to the market in > radioactive materials, we wish to impress upon you the gravity of the > danger in trading in nuclear waste and remind you of your > responsibility before future generations. > > Thus, importing nuclear waste presents serious dangers to your public > health, environment, economy and even national security as well as > that of other countries. > > We therefore hope that you will try to receive and will carefully > study all available information on this question-including the > opinions of independent and unbiased experts-when this bill is again > under consideration in February of this year. > > Please consider the many people both in Russia and in other countries > that will be affected by your actions. > > Respectfully yours, > .................. > > > > > ================================================ > òÅËÏÎÓÔÒÕÉÒÏ×ÁÎ ÓÁÊÔ ËÁÍÐÁÎÉÉ - ÉÚÍÅÎÅÎÁ ÓÔÒÕËÔÕÒÁ > ÄÏÂÁ×ÌÅÎÙ ÎÏ×ÙÅ ÍÁÔÅÒÉÁÌÙ × Ô.Þ. ÆÏÔÏ Ó ÁËÃÉÊ É > ÐÕÂÌÉËÁÃÉÉ × óíé > ================================================ > ëÁÍÐÁÎÉÑ "áÎÔÉÑÄÅÒÎÏÅ ÓÏÐÒÏÔÉ×ÌÅÎÉÅ" × éÎÔÅÒÎÅÔ: > http://www.wildfield.ru/env/nuc/zakon/index.htm > ================================================ > > > --------------------------------------------------- > CENTER FOR ASSISTANCE TO ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES > 410601,Saratov, PostBox-3738, > phone/fax:(845-2)79-86-05 > e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://www.wildfield.ru > --------------------------------------------------- > > > 12.02.2001 > > -- > ------------- * ENWL (English) * -------- > Ecological North West Line * St. Petersburg, Russia > E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.enwl.net.ru > ----------------------------------------------- > <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! 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