137 



Although the CIS is faced with a daunting legacy of 

 environmental problems, it is making progress in some areas. For 

 exeunple, for several years they have been converting highly 

 radioactive civilian and military waste to glass — in order to 

 immobilize it and make it more manageable. In other areas, key 

 data on existing and potential environmental problems does not 

 exist because Soviet authorities feared collecting the data might 

 compromise secret activities. 



The CIS co\intries will be unable to meet the costs of clean 

 up— estisated at^ -billions of dollars. Russia took the lead in 

 launching an environmental protection plan based on economic 

 incentives in 1991, but lack of revenues as industrial output 

 declines has resulted in a negative balance that is getting 

 worse. Although CIS environmental tainisters have agreed to 

 cooperate on some environmental issues—such as joining with the 

 EC on funds to help with costs incurred from Chernobyl' — each 

 country has turned to the West for aid, including technology and 

 expertise, and will continue to do so. But they have yet to 

 prioritize needs, or to resolve such issues as ownership of land 

 and industrial assets and liability for damages. 



16 



