THE USA SHOULDN’T TURN RUSSIA INTO RADIOACTIVE WASTE REPOSITORY!

Open letter from Russian NGOs to US NGOs for its further delivery to the US Congress, the Senate and Administration

Dearfriendsandcolleagues!

This letter intends to show our concern over the risk that Russia will in the coming years be turned into an international radioactive garbage dump.

Until recently there was no legal framework that would provide for the import to Russia of American nuclear materials to Russia for storage and dumping in Russia. Currently, however, the US Congress is considering the ratification of theUS-Russia Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation Agreement, also known as the “123 Agreements,” which creates the legal framework for the United States to import nuclear materials to Russia. According to article 7 of the Agreement, the American side will have a right to transport nuclear materials (including spent nuclear fuel) into Russia for its temporary storage and future use.

If US Congress ratifies this Agreement, dozens of tons of American spent nuclear fuel (SNF), located in Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Switzerland and other countries, could be transported into Russia, where dozens of tons of plutonium will be produced from nuclear materials that belong to the US Government.

Our countries, as well as the whole world, have already faced environmental consequences of the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, which results in a huge increase in the amount of long-lived radioactive waste in the environment. We can prevent such catastrophic pollution only by abandoning reprocessing SNF, which, in turn, means abandoning transporting SNF from one country to another for “purposes of future application.”

More than 90% of Russia’s citizens are against import of foreign SNF and radioactive waste into Russia.Implementation of the “123 Agreement” will mean ignoring the majority opinion of Russian citizens. It will create other barriers to the development of a democratic society in our country, and peaceful, sustainable relations between out two countries are impossible without that fundament of a democratic society.

We ask that you do your best to implement limitations that would ban the import of American SNF into Russia within the framework of this agreement before Congress. Such a ban is in the national interests of both of our nations and in the interest of future generations both in the United States and Russia.

  1. A-Yablokov - Social Ecology Unioin: Program on Nuclear and Radiation Safety (Moscow)
  2. A.Nikitin - Environmental RightsCenter "Bellona" (St.Petersburg)
  3. V.Chuprov – Greenpeace Russia
  4. D. Rybakov – Association of the Greens of Karelia (Petrozavodsk)
  5. S.Shaphaev - Buryat Regional Association on Baikal (Ulan-Ude)
  6. O.Tsepilova - Social Ecology Group of the Institute ofSociology of the RussianAcademy of Science (St.Petersburg)
  7. R.Alimov – «ECOperestroika» (St.Petersburg)
  8. A.Toropov –Siberian Ecological Agency (SibEkoAgentstvo, Tomsk)
  9. N.Mironova – Movement for Nuclear Safety (Chelyabinsk)
  10. A.Zimenko - BiodiversityConservationCenter (Moscow)
  11. V.Menshikov – Renaissance Environment Foundation (Moscow)
  12. O Bodrov – «Green WorldV»(Sosnoviy Bor, Leningrad Oblast)
  13. A.Talevlin – Foundation «For Nature» (Chelyabinsk)
  14. D.Ryabov – «Green Branch»(Yaroslavl)
  15. A.Zolotkov – «Bellona»Murmansk
  16. N.Kutepova – «Planet of Hopes» (Ozersk, Chelybinsk Oblast)
  17. M.Shishkin – «Altay – 21st century»(Barnaul)
  18. E.Cherniy – Association «Ecology and human rights»(Moscow)
  19. T.Skrodenis – Movement « Save Yuntolovo» (St.Petersburg)
  20. M.Rihvanova –«Baikal Environmental Wave» (Irkutsk)
  21. Y.Ivanov - «Center Gaia» (Apatity)
  22. S.Simak - International Socio-Ecological Union (Samara)
  23. N.Terekhova - The Committee of Soldiers' Mothers (KostromaOblast)
  24. I.Reznikova – «Green Russia» (Kostroma Oblast)
  25. T.Dobretsova – Movement «In the name of Life» (Kostroma)
  26. N.Zubov - Krasnoyarsk Regional Ecological Union (Krasnoyarsk)
  27. A.Vinogradova - All-Russian Society of Nature Conservation (Balakovo)
  28. Z.Altukhova - Public Environmental Centre of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutsk)
  29. V.Sobolev - Society for the Protection of Consumer Rights (Yakutsk)
  30. N.Kalinina - Amur Ecological Club «Ulukitkan» (Blagoveschensk)
  31. A.Varlamov - Saratov Branch, Russian Bird Conservation Union
  32. G.Kuznetsova – «Green World» (Tynda, Amur Oblast)
  33. F.Terentev - Committee to Save the Pechora (Syktyvkar)
  34. K.Gafurov - Union of Greens of Chuvashia (Cheboksary)
  35. S.Zmievets – EcoDefence (Ecooborona, Moscow Oblast)
  36. V.Mikheev - Civic Center for Nuclear Ban (Krasnoyarsk)
  37. Y.Bogaschenko - Environmental Movement (Krasnoyarsk region)
  38. V.Decyatov –Khabarovsk Union «For Chemical Safety» (Komsomolsk on Amur)
  39. A.Karpov – Centre ECOM (St.Peterburg)
  40. M.Piskunov - Center for Support of Civil Initiatives (Dimitrovgrad)
  41. N.Belova – Centre «Future for All» (Moscow)
  42. V.Slivyak – «Ecodefense» ( Moscow)
  43. V.Servetnik – «Nature and Youth»(Murmansk)
  44. Alice Slater – the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, New York