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of existing treaties and international agreements relating to the Arctic 

 environment, including their application to the nuclear contamination 

 in the Arctic We have spoken with the International Maritime 

 Organization (BVIO) and have been told that the Secretary General of 

 BVfO is currently seeking information from the Russian Federation 

 with regard to its Arctic Ocean dumping activities. We have also been 

 in contact with the Secretariat for the Long-Range Transboundary Air 

 Pollution Convention (LRTAP) and it appears that little or no 

 attention has been directed toward the problem of Arctic Haze. It is 

 also important that there be a complete evaluation of the Arctic 

 relevant chapters of Agenda 21 adopted at the recent United Nations 

 Conference on Environment and Development. We also strongly 

 support a re-evaluation of United States Arctic Policy as articulated in 

 the 1983 National Security Decision Directive Number 90 in light of 

 these environmental threats and the changes which have occurred in 

 the former Soviet Union as a result of the end of the Cold War. 



/^ The U.S should consider the establishment of an Arctic 

 (ZTonvention which could incorporate protective measures to address all 

 /forms of anthropogenic contaminants entering the Arctic. This 

 comprehensive approach is necessary to ensure that all assessment, 

 monitoring, preventive, mitigation, and enforcement efforts are 

 working efficiently to achieve the same goal: the protection of the 

 Arctic environment from further decline. 



We urge that this hearing be the first in a series to uncover the 

 extent of the risks to the Arctic environment that will lead to the 

 development of a coordinated plan for addressing them. 



Thank you for the opportunity to present testimony to the 

 Committee. 



