Mr. Weldon. While our subcommittee has jurisdiction over 

 oceanography in the context of military operations, there exists a 

 unique opportunity for a joint effort in research exploration be- 

 tween the defense and civilian community. I am happy to announce 

 that a major joint hearing examining the concept of technology de- 

 velopment through partnerships has been planned for early next 

 year, in fact, on January 25, between the Subcommittee on Re- 

 search and Development, the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife 

 and Oceans, and the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment of 

 the House Science Committee. 



In September 1993, I urged then-Chairman Ortiz to hold a hear- 

 ing examining the dumping of radioactive waste in the Arctic 

 Ocean. The intention was not to point fingers at the Russians for 

 past environmental actions. As many of you remember, we were 

 quick to hold the U.S. Navy accountable for its own actions. At the 

 hearing, I pressed the Navy to declassify information on two sunk- 

 en U.S. nuclear submarines, the Thresher and the Scorpion. Within 

 weeks, the Navy complied, and those videos were broadcast on 

 "Nightline" in the national media. 



In addition, we just recently learned of the dumping of low-level 

 waste in the 1960's off the coast of the FaroUon Islands by the 

 United States Government. I believe we should be held accountable 

 for these actions, as well. 



The intent of the 1993 hearing, however, was to assess the short- 

 and long-term effects of dumping radioactive waste in the Arctic, 

 to determine the extent of Russia's dumping practices, and to de- 

 termine the lack of Russia's ability to store and dispose of future 

 nuclear waste. My colleagues have been given a map, an Arctic por- 

 trayal of the world, and when you look at how close we are, we can 

 quickly get a glimpse of how important it is for us to work to- 

 gether. 



Of principal concern to the subcommittee in 1993 was a report 

 prepared for Russian Federation President Boris Yeltsin by Dr. 

 Aleksai Yablokov. As most of you know. Dr. Yablokov provided us 

 with the first ever detailed report of Russian dumping activities. 

 The Yablokov Report confirmed what many had been hearing for 

 years, that the Russians had dumped over 2.5 million curies of ra- 

 diation in the Arctic Ocean and the Sea of Japan over the past sev- 

 eral decades, including 16 naval reactors from seven former Soviet 

 Union submarines, the icebreaker Lenin; between 1959 and 1991, 

 low-level liquid radioactive waste in the Baltic, White, Barents, and 

 Kara Sea; and between 1964 and 1991, low and intermediate solid 

 radioactive waste was dumped at sites in the Barents and Kara 

 Seas. 



It is an honor to have Dr. Yablokov testify before the subcommit- 

 tees today and I want to stress the importance of his presence. A 

 mere 5 years ago, it would have been unheard of for a high-ranking 

 Russian official to come before a committee of this Congress to de- 

 tail documented cases of Russian nuclear dumping. I believe this 

 signifies an important first step toward a more open and honest re- 

 lationship between the former Soviet Union and the Western World 

 regarding the state of the environment in Russia and the world 

 today. 



