IN CONGRESS: Statements in support of Chornobyl resolution (05/12/96)

IN CONGRESS: Statements in support of Chornobyl resolution

Following are the texts of statements made by Sens. Robert Dole and Frank Lautenberg and Rep. Christopher Smith upon introduction on April 24 of a concurrent resolution marking the 10th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster. The Senate resolution (S. Con. Res. 56) was passed the next day. The House version (H. Con. Res. 167) was marked up by the International Relations Committee on May 8; it is anticipated that the resolution will come up before the full House as early as next week.

Sen. Robert Dole

Mr. President, I am pleased to join Sen. Lautenberg in offering this legislation to remember the 10th anniversary of the terrible nuclear accident at Chornobyl. While 10 years have passed since that tragic day, the health and economic consequences of Chornobyl continue to be borne by the Ukrainian people.

I recall quite well how the Chornobyl accident on April 26, 1986, signaled the inhumanity of the totalitarian system of government. At first the Soviet government feebly attempted to deny the incident - with the effect of causing further harm to those who lived in its vicinity. Ultimately the full scale of the disaster became known, but only after millions in Ukraine, Belarus, Russia and Poland had been exposed to radioactive fallout.

That a government could be so brutal to its people is no surprise to those of us who worked for many years to confront and defeat the totalitarian system. That the Soviet government could be so brutal to the people of Ukraine was no surprise to a people who endured the forced starvation, massacres and genocidal policies of Joseph Stalin in the 1930s. The radioactive wasteland around Chornobyl will, unfortunately, serve as a lasting and hideous monument to refute those who would defend such a system, or whose historical memory has faded sufficiently to allow them to forget its evil.

Within the catastrophe at Chornobyl were sown the seeds of the downfall of the Soviet system. A fiercely independent people such as the Ukrainians cannot be subjected forever to such abuse. I am proud of the role that I was able fulfill in the Congress, in full support of Presidents Reagan and Bush, as the United States prevailed, the Soviet Union collapsed, and Ukraine again became an independent state in the momentous year of 1991. I was proud to sponsor legislation which called for direct U.S. aid to the republics, rather than through Moscow in 1990. The goal of defeating communism and achieving independence for Ukraine was not easily achieved, it was one that required the combined efforts of many nations and many people, including the Ukrainian American community, who simply refused to accept that communism would prevail over the spirit of Ukrainians.

Democracy is prevailing in Ukraine today, but the Ukrainian people and government continue to shoulder the burden of the Chornobyl disaster. Just as the United States joined with the Ukrainian people to defeat communism, we must work in partnership to overcome the tragic consequences of Chornobyl. I was pleased to support the Republican initiative in Congress to provide Ukraine with $225 million in assistance this year, including specific assistance for nuclear safety, the development of alternatives to nuclear power and to address the ongoing health problems due to the Chornobyl disaster. I am certain that working together we can bring peace, prosperity and a better quality of life to the people of Ukraine. I urge my colleagues to support our resolution.

Sen. Frank Lautenberg

Mr. President, I rise to submit a resolution to commemorate the 10th anniversary of one of the most tragic, devastating events in the history of nuclear power - the Chornobyl nuclear disaster. The resolution also expresses Congress' unequivocal support for the closing of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant. I am pleased that Sens. Dole, Helms, Pell and Levin are joining me in submitting this resolution.

Friday, April 26, 1996, marks the 10th anniversary of the world's worst nuclear accident. Ten years ago, nuclear reactor No. 4 at Ukraine's Chornobyl nuclear power plant malfunctioned. The ensuing explosion and fire spewed a cloud of radiation across Europe, releasing 200 times more radioactivity than the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined.

The results were devastating. Millions of people were exposed to dangerous high levels of radiation.

Chornobyl's legacy is much more than the worst technological disaster in the history of nuclear power. It is a continuing humanitarian tragedy that will always be remembered the world over. The inhabitants of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia continue to be heavily burdened by the social, economic and health effects of the accident, and the entire international community continues to be threatened by the specter of another Chornobyl.

Ten years ago, millions of Ukrainians, Belarusians and Russians, including over 1 million children and thousands of people who cleaned up after the explosion, were exposed to dangerously high levels of radiation. A 30-kilometer radius around Chornobyl was rendered uninhabitable. Families were forced from their homes. Most have never returned.

The tragic effects of this disaster have devastated millions. A 200-fold increase in thyroid cancer among children has ensued. Immune deficiency disorders, respiratory problems and birth defects have increased at alarming rates since the disaster. The region's soil and water supplies have remained contaminated. Ukraine's economy has been overwhelmed by the costs of rebuilding.

Mr. President, the people of Chornobyl and Ukraine have not been alone in their efforts to overcome the tremendous loss. Numerous charitable and humanitarian organizations have assiduously worked to ameliorate the consequences of the Chornobyl disaster. Americans for Human Rights in Ukraine and the Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund, from my state of New Jersey, have lent considerable support to that effort along with many others in the Ukrainian American community. These and millions of other Americans in New Jersey and elsewhere continue to provide valuable assistance to the victims of the Chornobyl disaster. All private organizations who have been at the forefront to help Ukraine deserve commendation for their tireless efforts to assist Chornobyl's victims.

Unfortunately, more work needs to be done. Chornobyl's two working reactors continue to churn out electricity. The protective concrete covering over the obliterated reactor No. 4, the sarcophagus, has developed cracks which dangerously weaken its structure. Corrosion of this structure threatens to release even more radioactivity into the region. Experts warn that another accident is imminent.

Just yesterday, a fire started within 10 kilometers of Chornobyl. While initial assessments by specialists conclude that the abundant smoke produced by the fire may not pose further contamination dangers, all bets are off in the future. The region's inhabitants cannot be assured that radioactive particles which settled in the areas surrounding Chornobyl after the accident will not be carried into their villages or water supplies. They cannot be assured that future fires or even floods will not release dangerous levels of contamination.

This event underscores the ongoing threat Chornobyl poses to safety and the urgent need to close Chornobyl forever.

On December 20, 1995, the Ukrainian government, the governments of the G-7 countries and the Commission of the European Communities signed a Memorandum of Understanding supporting Ukraine's decision to close Chornobyl by the year 2000, and the international community has pledged financial support to facilitate the closure. Last week, President Clinton met in Moscow with Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma and leaders of other G-7 nations, and Ukraine reaffirmed its commitment to close Chornobyl.

Support from the international community is vital to help Ukraine move forward and close Chornobyl. Ukraine is working hard to implement open economic and social reforms, and its economy is strapped. At this very delicate time in Ukraine's history, the United States should support Ukraine's efforts to rebuild its infrastructure and to secure the alternative energy sources it needs to close Chornobyl in a safe and expeditions manner.

Mr. President, the devastating health effects, social distress, and economic hardship remain in the hearts and minds of the people of Ukraine who lived through the Chornobyl explosion. They cannot forget the radioactive blanket of despair that covered their homes and forced them from their villages. They cannot forget that their livelihoods have been destroyed. For their sake and for the sake of future generations, we should commemorate this event on April 26, 1996, and redouble our efforts to ensure that the devastation of 10 years ago will not be repeated.

I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Rep. Christopher Smith

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce a resolution which recognizes the 10th anniversary of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster, the worst in recorded history, and supports the closing of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant. Yesterday, I chaired a Helsinki Commission hearing that examined the devastating consequences of the Chornobyl disaster. That hearing, Mr. Speaker, featured the ambassadors of Ukraine and Belarus, the two countries most gravely affected by the disaster. Prof. Murray Feshbach of Georgetown University and Alexander Kuzma of the Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund also provided sound scientific and medical details about the public health crisis that exists.

A decade ago, in the early morning hours of April 26, 1986, reactor No. 4 at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant exploded, releasing into the atmosphere massive quantities of radioactive substances. The highest amount of radioactive fallout was registered in the vicinity immediately surrounding Chornobyl, some 60 miles north of Ukraine's capital, Kyiv. At that time, the prevailing winds were directed north to northwest, so that Belarus received some 70 percent of the total radioactive fallout. Subsequent shifts of the wind, and rainfall, affected northern Ukraine, southwest Russia and beyond, with excessive levels of radiation recorded in northern Scandinavia, various parts of continental Europe, and even as far away as coastal Alaska. Estimated total radioactivity from the blast was 200 times more radioactivity than was released from the atomic bombs dropped at Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined.

Ten years ago, Mr. Speaker, Chornobyl left its indelible mark on the world's consciousness. Given the monumental consequences of Chornobyl and its devastating toll on the environment and on the health of the surrounding population, this disaster must neither be forgotten nor repeated. Indeed, Chornobyl can never be forgotten by those most directly affected. The tragedy is ongoing. And with each passing anniversary, we uncover more and more about its devastating impact and serious radiological, health and socioeconomic consequences, especially on the populations of Ukraine, Belarus and western Russia.

Millions of people - including about 1 million children - in Ukraine, Belarus and western Russia were exposed to dangerously high levels of radiation. Millions continue to live in areas contaminated to one degree or another. Children, in particular, have experienced alarming increases in thyroid cancer and other conditions. These trends have accelerated since the disaster and are expected to increase well into the future. In Belarus' Homiel region, for instance, which was one of the hardest hit areas, thyroid cancer among children is at least 200 times that of pre-accident. Scientists differ over the extent of Chornobyl-related diseases, but few deny that children have been hardest hit by the radiological aftermath. Given the devastating humanitarian, ecological and economic consequences, the resolution calls upon the president "to support continued and enhanced U.S. assistance to provide medical relief, humanitarian assistance, social impact planning and hospital development for Ukraine, Belarus, Russia and other nations most heavily afflicted."

Because this disaster is the only one of its magnitude, there is much about its long-term health consequences we do not yet know. Among the most affected were the so-called "liquidators," the hundreds of thousands of people who worked to clean up after the accident. Many received substantial doses of radiation. Estimates vary on how many of them have died or become seriously ill. However, we must learn more about the health of those most affected by the disaster, especially the children who were exposed to substantial doses of radiation. The resolution encourages national and international health organizations to expand the scope of research of the public health consequences of Chornobyl. Such research could help not only those directly affected, but can also ensure that the entire world can benefit from the findings.

By supporting assistance and research efforts, we will be doing our part to help overcome the devastating legacy of Chornobyl. Unfortunately, there are still 15 RBMK, Chornobyl-type reactors still being utilized in the former Soviet Union, most of them in Russia. The international community can help Ukraine and Russia improve the safety of their nuclear reactors, especially since Ukraine relies substantially on nuclear power for its energy needs.

Mr. Speaker, one very important component of this resolution is that it urges Ukraine to continue its negotiations with the G-7 to implement the December 20, 1995, memorandum of understanding (MOU) which calls for all nuclear reactors at Chornobyl to be shut down in safe and expeditious manner by the year 2000. The resolution calls upon the president to support the process of closing Chornobyl as envisioned by the MOU.

The signatories to the MOU recognize the tremendous costs involved in closing down Chornobyl and its impact on a country undergoing the unbelievably difficult transition from communism to a market-oriented democracy. Ukraine devoted more of its resources to dealing with the Chornobyl aftermath than for its military. According to testimony from the Belarusian ambassador, Belarus "is compelled to spend year in and year out up to 25 percent of its budget to try to cope with the aftermath of Chornobyl." In response, the G-7 has thus far committed some $3 billion in loans and grants to assist with the closure of Chornobyl. Recognizing the country's dire energy situation, equally important is the G-7's broader cooperation with Ukraine to impose market discipline on its inefficient energy sector and make it more rational. Moreover, the MOU recognizes the implications - for the thousands of workers and their families - of closing the Chornobyl plant.

The Chornobyl nuclear disaster marks a tragic milestone in the history of Ukraine, Belarus and the world. This week we commemorate the 10th anniversary of this nuclear explosion, one of the most bitter legacies of Soviet communism. The legacy has had tremendous and mounting human costs. Its environmental, medical, social, political and economic consequences continue to have a profound impact on countries in the region, especially on Ukraine and Belarus and western Russia, which bore the brunt of Chornobyl's radioactive fallout.

Mr. Speaker, this resolution which is also being introduced in the Senate is important and timely. I am joined by my colleagues Rep. Ben Gilman, Rep. Frank Wolf, Rep. Ben Cardin, Rep. Ed Markey, Rep. Matt Salmon, Rep. Bob Torricelli, Rep. Sander Levin, Rep. David Bonior, Rep. Richard Durbin and Rep. Luis Guittierez in introducing this resolution, and I urge our colleagues to support the measure.

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