The Honorable Frank H. Murkowski -3- August 28. 1992 



Department officials at the Secretariat in Anchorage as training in Arctic 

 policy. Federal research for the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy 

 and other goals should be coordinated with efforts of the Northern 

 Forum. The Northern Forum Secretariat could also serve as host 

 secretariat for either the ftora and fauna or the marine environmental 

 protection programs of the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy. We 

 believe the Northern Forum, as it involves regional govemments, is a 

 better mechanism than the Arctk: Council proposed by the Canadian 

 government 



6. The United States needs to reverse the pattern of federal 'neglect* of 

 major health and environmental issues in Alaska by establishing an 

 Arctic/ Alaska region for the Environmental Protection Agency, and 

 developing a better federal commitment to Alaska rural healtii and 

 sanitation issues. 



Immediate attention must be paid to the radiation and pollution legacy of 

 the United States in the Arctic. Radioactive soils at Ft. Greeley from a 

 disabled reactor, and in northwestem Alaska from the Project Chariot 

 tests, should be packed and removed to safe storage at once. A sheet 

 detailing some of what we know of these two sites is enclosed to this 

 letter. As well, we are sending a draft copy of "A Commitment to 

 Alaskans' detailing the huge problems njral Alaskans face in 

 environmental health issues. 



Senator, as a result of the Fairbanks hearing we believe U.S. and State policy makers 

 are better informed than ever tiefore on key environmental issues facing the Arctic. As 

 Alaskans, we are concerned for the safety of our citizens. We are also concerned that 

 the Soviet Union's 'lackadaiskal' practices with nuclear materials, as desoitied by 

 CIA Director Robert Gates, extend to other environmental practrces throughout the 

 former Soviet Unk>n and continue today. Alaska competes with Russia in several 

 bask: resource industries— oil and gas, mining, timber, fishing— and, while we welcome 

 the democratk: and economic reforms whk:h have made Russia a partk:ip>ant in the 

 world market, we want to make sure Alaska and U.S. companies are not competitively 

 disadvantaged because they incur the expenses necessary to protect the environment 

 while Russia does not 



We were pleased to hear Assistant Secretary of State Curtis BoNen's testimony 

 commitment to push for a new U.S. Arctk: poficy, and to pay more attentkjn to 

 intematk}nal Arctic issues. It is interesting to note that as the Antarctic Protection 

 Treaty was signed to forestal energy and mineral devek)pnf>ent in the South Polar 

 Regkvi for SO years, the end of ttie Cokj War means that exchange, commurucatk)n 



