[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4249 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]
H.R.4249
One Hundred Sixth Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE SECOND SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Monday,
the twenty-fourth day of January, two thousand
An Act
To foster cross-border cooperation and environmental cleanup in Northern
Europe.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Cross-Border Cooperation and
Environmental Safety in Northern Europe Act of 2000''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.
(a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
(1) Northern Europe is an increasingly vital part of Europe and
one that offers great opportunities for United States investment.
(2) Northern Europe offers an excellent opportunity to make
progress toward the United States vision of a secure, prosperous,
and stable Europe, in part because of--
(A) historical tradition of regional cooperation;
(B) the opportunity to engage Russia in positive,
cooperative activities with its neighbors to the west;
(C) commitment by the Baltic states to regional cooperation
and integration into western institutions; and
(D) longstanding, strong ties with the United States.
(3) The United States Northern Europe Initiative (NEI) provides
the conceptual and operational framework for United States policy
in the region, focused on developing a regional network of
cooperation in the important areas of business and trade promotion,
law enforcement, the environment, energy, civil society, and public
health.
(4) A central objective of the United States Northern Europe
Initiative is to promote cross-border cooperation among the
countries in the region.
(5) A wide variety of regional and cross-border projects have
been initiated under the United States Northern Europe Initiative
since the Initiative was established in 1997, including the
following:
(A) A United States-Lithuanian training program for
entrepreneurs from Belarus and Kaliningrad.
(B) The Great Lakes-Baltic Sea Partnership program that is
being implemented by the Environmental Protection Agency.
(C) A Center of Excellence for Treatment of Multidrug-
Resistant Tuberculosis in Riga, Latvia.
(D) A regional HIV/AIDS strategy being developed under
United States and Finnish leadership.
(E) Multiple efforts to combat organized crime, including
regional seminars for police officers and prosecutors.
(F) Programs to encourage reform of the Baltic electricity
market and encourage United States investment in such market.
(G) Language and job training programs for Russian-speaking
minorities in Latvia and Estonia to promote social integration
in those countries.
(H) A mentoring partnership program for woman entrepreneurs
in the northwest region of Russia and the Baltic states, as
part of broader efforts to promote women's participation in
political and economic life.
(6) Norway, Sweden, and Finland have made considerable efforts
to provide assistance to the newly independent Baltic states and to
the Northwest region of Russia. In particular, the United States
notes the request placed before the European Union by Finland in
1999 for the creation and extensive funding by the European Union
of a ``Northern Dimension'' Initiative to substantially address the
problems that now exist in Northern Europe with regard to economic
development, protection of the environment, the safety and
containment of nuclear materials, and other issues.
(7) The United States commends the endorsement of the
``Northern Dimension'' Initiative by the European Council at its
meeting in Helsinki, Finland in December 1999 and calls on the
European Union to act on that endorsement through the provision of
substantial funding for the Initiative.
(8) While the European Union, its member states, and other
European countries should clearly take the lead in addressing the
challenges posed in Northern Europe, in particular through
appropriate yet substantial assistance provided by the European
Union, the United States Northern Europe Initiative, and this Act
are intended to supplement such efforts and build on the
considerable assistance that the United States has already provided
to the Baltic states and the Russian Federation. Partnership with
other countries in the region means modest United States investment
can have significant impact.
(9) The United States Northern Europe Initiative's focus on
regional environmental challenges is particularly important.
Northern Europe is home to significant environmental problems,
particularly the threat posed by nuclear waste from Russian
submarines, icebreakers, and nuclear reactors.
(10) In particular, 21,000 spent fuel assemblies from Russian
submarines are lying exposed near Andreeyeva Bay, nearly 60
dangerously decrepit nuclear submarines, many in danger of sinking,
are languishing in the Murmansk area of Northwest Russia, whole
reactors and radioactive liquid waste are stored on unsafe floating
barges, and there are significant risks of marine and atmospheric
contamination from accidents arising from loss of electricity or
fire on deteriorating, poorly monitored nuclear submarines.
(11) This waste poses a threat to the safety and stability of
Northern Europe and to countries of the Eurasian continent.
(12)(A) In addition, the Environmental Protection Agency has
facilitated the expansion and upgrading of a facility for the
treatment of low-level liquid radioactive waste from the
decommissioning of nuclear submarines docked at naval facilities in
the Arctic region of Russia.
(B) The Environmental Protection Agency has also initiated a
project to construct an 80-ton prototype cask for the storage and
transport of civilian-controlled spent nuclear fuel, much of it
damaged and currently stored onboard an aging vessel anchored in
Murmansk Harbor. Currently in the design phase, this project is
scheduled for completion in 2000.
(13) Working with the countries in the region to address these
environmental problems remains vital to the long-term national
interest of the United States.
(14) The United States and other countries are currently
negotiating a number of agreements with Russia which will provide
internationally accepted legal protections for the United States
and other countries that provide nuclear waste management
assistance to Russia. Regrettably, it has not yet been possible to
resolve remaining differences over liability, taxation of
assistance, privileges and immunities for foreign contractors, and
audit rights.
(15) Concluding these agreements is vital to the continued
provision of such assistance and to the possible development of new
programs.
(16) With the election of Russian President Vladamir Putin, the
opportunity presents itself to surmount these problems, to conclude
these outstanding agreements, and to allow assistance programs to
move forward to alleviate this problem.
(17) The United States Government is currently studying whether
dismantlement of multi-purpose submarines is in the national
interest.
(b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to demonstrate concrete
support for continued cross-border cooperation in Northern Europe and
immediate efforts to assist in the clean up of nuclear waste in that
region.
SEC. 3. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.
It is the sense of the Congress that--
(1) the United States Northern Europe Initiative is a sound
framework for future United States involvement in Northern Europe;
(2) the European Union should move expeditiously to authorize
and fund the proposed ``Northern Dimension'' Initiative at
appropriate yet substantial levels of assistance;
(3) the United States should continue to support a wide-ranging
strengthening of democratic and civic institutions on a regional
basis to provide a foundation for political stability and
investment opportunities, including cross-border exchanges, in
Northern Europe;
(4) the United States should demonstrate continued commitment
to address environmental security challenges in Northwest Russia,
in cooperation with partners in the region;
(5) recently-elected Russian President Vladamir Putin should
rapidly conclude pending nuclear waste management agreements to
enable assistance programs to go forward; and
(6) assistance to Russia on nuclear waste management should
only be provided after issues related to liability, taxation of
assistance, privileges and immunities for foreign contractors, and
audit rights have been resolved.
SEC. 4. SUPPORT FOR UNITED STATES NORTHERN EUROPE INITIATIVE PROJECTS.
(a) Availability of Amounts From East European and the Baltic
States Assistance.--Of the amounts available for fiscal year 2001 to
carry out the provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the
Support for Eastern European Democracy (SEED) Act of 1989 for
assistance and for related programs for Eastern Europe and the Baltic
states, not less than $2,000,000 shall be used for projects described
in subsection (c).
(b) Availability of Amounts From Independent States of the Former
Soviet Union Assistance.--Of the amounts available for fiscal year 2001
to carry out the provisions of chapter 11 of part I of the Foreign
Assistance Act of 1961 and the Freedom for Russia and Emerging Eurasian
Democracies and Open Markets Support Act of 1992 for assistance for the
independent states of the former Soviet Union and related programs, not
less than $2,000,000 shall be used for the projects described in
subsection (c).
(c) Projects Described.--The projects described in this subsection
are United States Northern Europe Initiative projects relating to
environmental cleanup, law enforcement, public health, energy, business
and trade promotion, and civil society.
SEC. 5. REPORT ON ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY.
Not later that 180 days after the date of the enactment of this
Act, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the heads of other
appropriate Federal departments and agencies, shall prepare and submit
to the Congress a report on--
(1) the threat to the environmental security of the countries
of Northern Europe and other countries of Europe and Asia presented
by Russian marine nuclear reactors, waste, and contamination; and
(2) identifying the possibilities for new and expanded United
States and multilateral assistance programs for environmental
clean-up in Northwest Russia, including technical exchanges and
private-public partnerships.
SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Northern europe.--The term ``Northern Europe'' means the
northwest region of the Russian Federation (including Kaliningrad),
the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of
Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, the Kingdom of Denmark, the
Republic of Finland, the Republic of Iceland, the Kingdom of
Norway, the Republic of Poland, and the Kingdom of Sweden.
(2) United states northern europe initiative.--The term
``United States Northern Europe Initiative'' means the framework
agreement established in 1997 between the United States and the
countries of Northern Europe to promote stability in the Baltic Sea
region and to strengthen key institutions and security structures
of the United States and the countries of Northern Europe.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.