Interfax Russian News, December 18, 2000
More Than 150 Public Organizations Ask U.S. To Block Radioactive Waste Imports To Russia
Moscow. Over 150 public organizations worldwide have asked the U.S. administration not to permit Russia to import radioactive waste.
Most of the world's nuclear reactors use U.S. fuel, and it is not allowed to be shipped anywhere without permission of the United States, a source in the Ekozashchita (Ecodefense) organization have told Interfax.
An appeal to U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Energy Secretary Bill Richardson calls for the "rejection of any Russian requests to obtain permission for storing and burying used nuclear fuel on its territory under a program of the Russian Atomic Energy Ministry or another organization."
The environmentalists note that the nuclear ministry "has refused to accept the main principle of American policy on nuclear non- proliferation, that is not to process used fuel from commercial reactors- There are no grounds to believe that it will start to abide by this policy if the permission to import fuel is given."
The Atomic Energy Ministry was surprised by reports about the intention to import nuclear waste. "Radioactive waste imports are outlawed, and no one is planning to violate Russian law," a Ministry press service representative has told Interfax.
The source said that action by environmentalists might be caused by future parliamentary debates on changes in the federal law "On Environmental Protection." The Ministry takes the line that environmentalists confuse the notions of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel. "These are absolutely different things, and atomic scientists also oppose imports of radioactive waste to Russia. However, used nuclear fuel is a valuable product, and it can be used again for making fuel for nuclear power plants," the source said.
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