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STATEMENT OF DR. ODD ROGNE, EXECUTIVE SECRETARY, 

 INTERNATIONAL ARCTIC SCIENCE COMMITTEE, OSLO, NOR- 

 WAY 



Dr. RoGNE. Thank you, Senator. Do you hear me? Good. Let me 

 first congratulate the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intel- 

 ligence. 



Senator MURKOWSKI. I think you better speak a httle closer into 

 the microphone. 



Dr. RoGNE. All right. It's better now? Okay. Let me first con- 

 gratulate the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in tak- 

 ing a serious interest in the Arctic environment, and on calling this 

 very timely hearing. In the invitation I was asked to submit new 

 information on the subject. As it is hard to tell what you already 

 knew, I have prepared an introduction and I have prepared an ap- 

 pendix. And in the appendix you will find a summary of all infor- 

 mation I have had from various reports and sources. And after 

 hearing this hearing this morning, I'm also pleased to note that 

 Mr. Gates mentioned half of my attempts and only two not being 

 in there. 



First, new information and some causes for concern. You will 

 find in the appendix that about 30 nuclear dumpings and accidents 

 are noted when I've reviewed a series of reports and sources. Veri- 

 fying this is impossible till we get the Russian files opened. And 

 I think that is extremely important. From the Norwegian side, we 

 have done what we possibly can do, but a mouse cannot scare an 

 elephant. So we had to go on field trips to find out reality. 



However, the material we have at hand is sufficient alleged in- 

 formation that causes a strong concern and calls for immediate at- 

 tention. 



Let me give you a few examples representing different categories 

 of problems. You have mentioned earlier that 12 submarines and 

 three icebreaker reactors which were dumped in the waters off" 

 Novaya Zemlya. Also some 17,000 containers of liquid and solid nu- 

 clear waste dumped in the same coastal waters. 



Bilateral Russian-Norwegian meetings indicate that this infor- 

 mation is close to the truth, and is now the task of bilateral field 

 investigation and bilateral cooperation, and you have also heard 

 mention shortly that there's a cruise started two days ago. I would 

 not be so worried about these as also the Norwegian authorities 

 have indicated that I will be willing to contribute a cleanup action. 



My second example is the Mayak plants, probably the worst con- 

 taminated nuclear area in the world. And the area drains into the 

 Arctic. In some reports you will see that this problem is 100 times 

 worse then Chernobyl. Of course, that is a rough estimate. How- 

 ever, as reported just a few minutes ago, some major accidents 

 have occurred at Kyshtym and at Karachev with death clouds af- 

 fecting 10,000 people and 430,000 people respectively. An illustra- 

 tion of a situation at the Lake at Karachev is that you can be at 

 the shore for about one hour till you get a deadly dose. 



In addition to being a potential to the Arctic environment, the 

 real challenge is to organize an enormous cleanup action, and it 

 calls for international effort. How to do it is a political question in 

 the scientific world. So, it's your turn, not mine. 



