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TESTIMONY OF 



DR. ALAN D. HECHT 



PRINCIPAL DEPUTY ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR 



FOR INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES, 



U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 



BEFORE THE 



JOINT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT SUBCOMMITTEE 



OF THE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COMMITTEE 



AND THE 



SUBCOMMITTEE ON FISHERIES, WILDLIFE AND OCEANS 



OF THE HOUSE RESOURCES COMMITTEE 



DECEMBER 6, 1995 



Mr. Chairmen, members of the subcommittees, I appreciate the 

 opportunity to appear before you today. I would like to discuss 

 EPA's role in addressing environmental contamination from past 

 ocean dumping of radioactive and associated hazardous wastes. 

 The focus of. my testimony will be on EPA's efforts to address 

 contamination in the Arctic, a region which we share with seven 

 other nations, including Russia and Norway. 



We are all familiar with the recent disclosures that large 

 quantities of radioactive waste have been dumped into the Arctic 

 seas by the Former Soviet Union. There has been great concern 

 here and abroad about potential impacts from these past events to 

 the fragile Arctic ecosystem and the health of U.S. and other 

 coastal populations in the North. Now we know that the range and 



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