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Greenpeace 



Greenpeace USA . 1436 U Street NW • Washington DC 20009 • Tel (202) 462-1 177 

 Tlx 89-2359 • Fax (202) 462-4507 



7 April 1992 



Honorable George Bush 

 President of the United States 

 The White House 

 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. 

 Washington. DC 20500 



Dear Mr. President: 



You are well aware the break-up of the L'SSR has engendered numerous 

 political, economic and environmental problems. I wish to draw your attention 

 to one question that has not received adequate attention: the safe 

 decommissioning and disposal of ex-Soviet Navy nuclear-powered submarines. 



I was impressed your recent aid proposal specifically mentioned a desire 

 to improve nuclear plant safety, and assist in demilitarization and defense 

 conversion in Russia. I would urge you to include a program of assistance 

 for the safe decommissioning and disposal of CIS Navy nuclear submarines in 

 your initiative. 



Earlier models of the CIS Navy's nuclear-powered submarine force are 

 being retired en masse. Some 80 submarines are probably awaiting disposal. 

 and another 80 submarines are likely to be retired in the next few years, 

 meaning some 300 submarine nuclear reactors will have to be disposed of in 

 total. 



I recently visited submarine facilities in both the North and Far East of 

 Russia, and it is evident from my observations and conversations with naval 

 officers and plant managers that the Russian government and the CIS Navy 

 lack the ability to deal with this growing environmental menace. 



These submarines are a major environmental hazard. The fuel from the 

 submarines and their irradiated reactors and reactor compartments can cause 

 serious radioactive contamination if not adequately handled and stored. A 

 even greater catastrophe could occur if the waste or decommissioned 

 submarines were dumped at sea. This is not idle speculation. Recent news 

 has come from Russia that the Soviet Navy dumped up to 12 damaged 

 submarine reactors, five of them still containing their fuel, off the Arctic 

 islands of Novaya Zemlya. 



The CIS Navy knows it has a problem. At the end of March a high-level 

 delegation of CIS naval officers was actually brought to Washington by a 

 private firm to seek help in safely scrapping their nuclear-powered 

 submarines (see the attached Wall Street Journal article). Unfortunately, the 

 L'S government agency that is best equipped to assist the Russians — the L'S 

 Navy — did not meet with the CIS officers. 



RECYCLED PAPER 



