[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 47 (Tuesday, April 26, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: April 26, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
        COMMEMORATING THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE CHERNOBYL DISASTER

 Mr. RIEGLE. Mr. President, today marks the eighth anniversary 
of one of the most significant disasters the world has ever witnessed. 
On April 26, 1986, a reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 
Ukraine exploded, releasing radioactive particles that would travel as 
far as Scandinavia and Western Europe. At least 8,000 people have died 
as a result of this disaster and thousands of others have suffered from 
illnesses or from genetic defects. Despite the tragedy of the Chernobyl 
accident, frighteningly little has been done to improve the safety 
standards of nuclear reactors in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet 
Union, and the world simply awaits a second, similar disaster.
  Clearly the most serious consequences of the Chernobyl accident were 
felt in Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Russia, and other Eastern European 
countries. The World Health Organization reported earlier this year 
that the cancer rate among children in Ukraine and Belarus has risen to 
80 times the normal rate since the Chernobyl disaster. Children born to 
the workers who were forced to clean up after the disaster are showing 
signs of severe birth defects. Among these children, immune 
deficiencies, genetic malformations, cancer, and other forms of 
extensive chromosomal damage are common.
  Despite the consensus among the world's nuclear safety experts that 
Chernobyl-type [RBMK] power plants are of a faulty design, 58 continue 
to operate in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. An 
International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] report ranks 25 of these 
reactors as especially worrisome. Among the most dangerous are the 
RBMK-style power plants at Ignalina, Lithuania; Kursk, Smolensk, and 
St. Petersburg, Russia; and the remaining reactors at Chernobyl in 
Ukraine. The longer these plants are in operation, the greater the risk 
of an accident and a potential repetition of the Chernobyl catastrophe.
  The hazards from the RBMK reactors stem from inherent design flaws, 
including inadequate containment structures, inadequate safety and 
shutdown procedures, lack of proper backup systems, and faulty graphite 
control rods. In addition, sporadic maintenance of equipment and 
inadequate training of personnel compound the risks of continuing to 
operate these reactors.
  Unfortunately, it is neither politically nor economically feasible to 
simply shut down these reactors. Some of these power plants are the 
only source of electrical power available to the countries in which 
they operate. Lithuania, for example, has no means of generating 
electricity other than with the dangerous Ignalina power plant. 
Moreover, the energy shortage extends throughout the entire region of 
the former Soviet Union preventing the closing of other unsafe plants. 
Most countries have chosen to face the risk of catastrophe by running 
these plants at full capacity, rather than deal with the disastrous 
effects that closing them down would have on their fragile economies.

  I believe that it is critically important that the United States and 
the other industrialized nations do everything possible to help clean 
up the damage already done and improve safety standards for the future. 
Although the G-7 nations pledged $700 million 2 years ago, much of this 
money has already been allocated or spent, and the job is far from 
complete. Jonathan Heller, Secretary General of the European Atomic 
Forum [Foratom], has estimated that as much as $8 billion may be needed 
to effectively complete the needed repairs and overhauls. It is clear 
that the international community must step up its commitment to this 
problem if the world is to be safe from future disasters like 
Chernobyl.
  The need for a United States commitment to deal responsibly with the 
problem of dangerous reactors in Eastern Europe is clear, particularly 
in light of the recent decision by the Export-Import Bank to extend 
loan guarantees to the Czech Republic to complete two partially built 
Soviet VVER-1000 nuclear reactors. Although these are a more modern 
design than the Chernobyl-type reactors, many observers remain 
legitimately concerned about the safety of the VVER-1000's. I believe 
the United States must demonstrate its concern with nuclear safety as 
well. Multilateral lending institutions to which the United States 
belongs must be more diligent in conducting thorough environmental, 
safety and economic impact assessments before committing funds to 
upgrade these reactors. Moreover, the results of these studies must be 
made available for meaningful public debate.
  Mr. President, without international assistance, the countries of 
Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union will not be able to back 
away from the brink of nuclear disaster. On this eighth anniversary of 
the Chernobyl disaster we must reaffirm, through our policies, our 
commitment to ensure that as we approach the 21st century the nuclear 
risks we face today are brought under control.

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