22 



with the possible hazardous pollution of water bodies, including pollution deriving from nuclear 

 explosions. 



Unfortunately, Article 42 of the federal law that went into effect on November 25, 1995 

 "On the Use of Nuclear Energy" authorizes the discharge of nuclear materials and radioactive 

 substances in quantities that do not "exceed limits established by standards and regulations in the 

 field of nuclear energy use". 



The draft law "On Environmental Security" which has not yet adopted by Parliament (but 

 has already passed through two reviews before the State Duma) stipulates a comprehensive ban 

 on underground nuclear explosions, including those employed for peaceful purposes which have 

 in the past had a substantial impact on radioactive pollution of the Arctic. Pollution of the Arctic 

 by space-oriented operations has not yet been legally regulated (the Plesetsk Cosmodrome: the 

 most extensively utilized space facility on earth). On September 1, 1995 at the impetus of the 

 Russian Ministry of Atomic Energy, the govenunent adopted a Targeted Program for 

 Reprocessing and Recycling of Metallic Radioactive Waste (primarily salvaging of nuclear 

 submarines) v^th anticipated costs of approximately five million U.S. dollars by the year 2002. 

 This program stipulates the development of four systems for reprocessing of metallic radioactive 

 waste with a total annual capacity of up to 150,000 metric tons. It is bebeved that Russia 

 currently contains up to 600,000 metric tons of such waste (including more than 140 nuclear 

 submarines that are no longer in service). 



A State Commission for Comprehensive Resolution of the Problem of Radioartive Waste 

 was established in 1993 (the chairman was Y. G. Vishnevskiy, Director of Goskomatomnadzor 

 [Russian Federal Oversight of Nuclear Energy]. However, in June of 1995 the President of 

 Russia (under severe pressure by the Ministry of Defense) to create that Goskomatomnadzor was 

 to be stripped of the right to inspect nuclear and military radiation facilities. 



On October 23. 1995 the government adopted the Targeted Federal Program "Handling of 

 Radioactive Waste and Spent Nuclear Materials, Their Recycling and Disposal for 1996-2005" for 

 a total federal budgetary financing level of near one million dollars. This program included 

 (among other elements) the following measures affecting the Arctic region: 



The design and construction on the Novaya Zemlya Archepelago of a facility for disposal 

 of radioactive waste from salvaging of nuclear submarines (approximately 50 million dollars by 

 the year 2005). 



Upgrade and construction of new spent nuclear fuel storage facilities from nuclear 

 submarines (approximately 20 million dollars from 1997 through the year 2005); 



The modernization and development of facilities for conditioning liquid and solid radwaste 

 at nuclear civilian fleet facilities (approximately eight million dollars from 1996 through the year 

 2000) as well as for the military fleet (approximately 1 1 million dollars from 1996 through the 

 year 2005), 



