NUCLEAR SAFETY IN EASTERN EUROPE AND THE FORMER SOVIET UNION.

SEC. 3202. NUCLEAR SAFETY IN EASTERN EUROPE AND THE FORMER SOVIET UNION. (a) Findings.— The Congress finds that— (1) the Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident on April 26, 1986, has resulted in $283 to $352 billion worth of damage, with more than 4,000,000 people still living on land contaminated with radiation; (2) there are 16 Chernobyl-type RBMK reactors now operating in Russia, Ukraine, and Lithuania, all of which have faulty designs, poor construction, and dangerously lax and outdated operating procedures; (3) there are dozens of Soviet-designed reactors now operating in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union with poor construction and lax and outdated operating procedures; (4) a serious nuclear reactor accident in one of the newly freed states of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union would seriously exacerbate these states’ difficult progress towards economic recovery and could lead to political instability; (5) retrofitting the RBMK reactors with modern Western safety equipment will result in only marginal safety improvements at great expense; and (6) alternative power sources, such as natural gas turbines, and modern energy efficiency measures and technologies could displace the need for much of the power which these reactors provide. (b) United States Policy.— It is the sense of Congress that the President should undertake bilateral and multilateral initiatives, including trade initiatives, to— 106 STAT. 2649 (1) assist in bringing on line enough replacement power and modern energy efficiency measures and technologies in the states of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union so that the RBMK reactors may be shut down as soon as possible and placed in stable condition to prevent radiological contamination; (2) assist the states of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union in upgrading their other nuclear reactors to Western standards of safety and in ensuring that all of their nuclear reactors receive routine maintenance and repairs; (3) encourage and provide technical assistance to Russia and Ukraine to enact domestic legislation governing nuclear reactor safety; (4) negotiate formal agreements for nuclear cooperation with Russia and Ukraine; (5) identify nuclear safety research as a principal focus of the soon-to-be created nuclear science centers in Ukraine and Russia; and (6) make greater resources available to the International Atomic Energy Agency to promote programs of nuclear safety in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. (c) Reporting Requirement.— Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the President shall submit to Congress a report with a systematic assessment of the nuclear reactor safety situation in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, with a description of specific bilateral and multilateral initiatives the Administration is taking and plans to take to address these nuclear safety issues.