[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4249 Introduced in House (IH)]
106th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 4249
To foster cross-border cooperation and environmental cleanup in
Northern Europe.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 12, 2000
Mr. Gejdenson (for himself and Mr. Lantos) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
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) Under the Cooperative Threat Reduction Act of 1993 and
the United States Northern Europe Initiative, the United States
has provided assistance to Russia to address these
environmental challenges.
(13)(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.
(14) Working with the countries in the region to address
these environmental problems remains vital to the long-term
national interest of the United States.
(15) 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.
(16) Concluding these agreements is vital to the continued
provision of such assistance and to the possible development of
new programs.
(17) 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.
(18) United States Government agencies are currently
studying whether programs under the Cooperative Threat
Reduction Act of 1993 can address cleanup and decommissioning
of tactical submarines.
(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 CONGRESS.
It is the sense of 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;
and
(5) recently-elected Russian President Vladamir Putin
should rapidly conclude pending nuclear waste management
agreements to enable assistance programs to go forward.
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.
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