36 



And I think the important thing is that you know, if you carry 

 it in, you carry it out. And this recychng effort certainly is, you 

 know, they are recovering some costs on the end back where the 

 material gets recycled, so I think that's a big plus. 



Mr. ROEMER. And do you know about Russia, whether they 

 have 



Dr. RUTFORD. Well, they've got a very, very difficult problem. I 

 have visited the Arctic and Antarctic Institute in St. Petersburg 

 several times in the last two or three years and it is not the boom- 

 ing scientific center that it was before the dismantling of the Soviet 

 Union. 



I think that there, for example, on King George Island, there has 

 been an effort not only by the Russians but by the international 

 community to assist them in cleaning up some of their base there. 

 And I think that will continue in other places. 



I think there's a general — I guess what surprises me is, and you 

 know, being kind of cynical about some of these things, is that this, 

 the people have bought into this thing. They see that it works, and 

 if you could have visited McMurdo station 20 years ago and see it 

 today, you wouldn't believe it was the same place because of the 

 clean up that has been accomplished in that time period. 



And you folks made it possible. 



I me£in, during the 70s and 80s, it was, you know, picked away 

 at a little bit but about four or five years ago. Congress gave the 

 National Science Foundation a big chunk of money to clean it up. 

 And I have to tell you that you should all pat yourselves on the 

 back, and you should pat the people at NSF on the back for doing 

 a fantastic job. I'm proud of the place. 



Mr. ROEMER. Well that's a nice way to end your testimony, Dr. 

 Rutford, because my time has run out and it's a nice segway to 

 again saying congratulations to the Chairman and the Ranking 

 Member for this bipartisan effort. 



The Chairman. Thank you very much. 



Mr. Gutknecht? 



Mr. Gutknecht. Mr. Chairman, all the questions that I had 

 have already been asked and answered, so thank you. 



The Chairman. Mr. Davis? 



Mr. Davis. What's the old saying? Everything's been said but not 

 everybody's said it. I'm just happy to be a cosponsor of this. 



Let me just ask one question. 



Of the other countries participating, absent this treaty, who is 

 really in a violation mode down there? Is anybody not playing ball? 



Dr. Rutford. Not that I know of. I mean certainly not every na- 

 tion, including the U.S., has met all of the standards, but I think 

 there's a good faith effort. 



Mr. Davis. Genuine consensus of what needs to be done and a 

 good faith effort? 



Dr. Rutford. I think everybody knows what has to be done and 

 the rate at which it will be accomplished is going to be different 

 for each one of the countries. But I'm confident that everybody has 

 good faith. 



Mr. Davis. Ms. Fuller, do you agree with that? 



Ms. Fuller. Yes, I do. 



Mr. Davis. Thank you. 



