[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 55 (Thursday, April 25, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4264-S4265]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



  Mr. D'AMATO. Mr. President, I am pleased to cosponsor Senate 
Concurent Resolution 56, which recognizes the 10th anniversary of the 
Chernobyl nuclear disaster, the worst of its kind in history, and 
supports efforts to close the Chernobyl nuclear powerplant.
  In the early morning hours of April 26, l986, reactor number 4 at the 
Chernobyl nuclear power plant in northern Ukraine exploded, releasing 
massive amounts of radioactive substances into the atmosphere. This 
explosion released 200 times more radioactivity than was released by 
the atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, profoundly affecting the 
health of millions of people in the surrounding contaminated areas.
  A decade after, Chernobyl's legacy continues and shows no signs of 
abating. At a hearing earlier this week of the Helsinki Commission, 
which I co-chair, four experts, including the Ambassadors to the United 
States from both Ukraine and Belarus, the countries most adversely 
affected by the explosion, testified eloquently about the 
environmental, health, social, political, and economic consequences of 
the Chernobyl disaster. Their testimonies only reinforced the fact that 
Chernobyl's deadly fallout continues.
  Thyroid cancers, especially among children in the contaminated areas 
in Belarus and Ukraine have risen dramatically. The rate of leukemia, 
and of birth defects, appears to be increasing. And an article in 
today's New York Times reports that scientists claim that they have 
found inherited genetic damage in people exposed to the fallout. While 
the depressing consequences to human health and the environment are 
increasingly coming to light, we need to understand more about the 
ongoing ramifications of the disaster.
  Mr. President, Senate Concurrent Resolution 56 addresses the legacy 
of Chernobyl, recognizing the serious health and socioeconomic 
consequences for millions of people in Ukraine, Belarus, and western 
Russia. Ukraine and Belarus, in the process of a painful transition 
following 60 years of communism, simply are unable to deal with the 
full consequences of what is, ultimately, a global problem. The 
resolution calls upon the President to support continued and enhanced 
assistance to provide medical relief, humanitarian assistance, and 
hospital development for the countries most afflicted by Chernobyl's 
aftermath. It also calls upon the President to encourage research 
efforts into the public health consequences of the disaster, so that 
the world can benefit from the findings. Importantly, the resolution 
supports the December 1995 Ukraine--G-7 memorandum of understanding 
which calls for closing the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and 
broadening Ukraine's regional energy sources to reduce its dependence 
on any individual country.
  Mr. President, continued and enhanced international cooperation is 
essential to address the suffering of the millions affected, and to 
prevent future Chernobyls. I urge my colleagues to join with me in 
supporting Senate Concurrent Resolution 56 as an expression of the 
American people's concern for the victims of Chernobyl.

[[Page S4265]]

  Mr. KEMPTHORNE. I ask unanimous consent that the concurrent 
resolution be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the 
table, that the preamble be agreed to, and that any statements relating 
thereto be placed at the appropriate place in the Record as if read.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  So the concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 56) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.

                            S. Con. Res. 56

       Whereas April 26, 1996, marks the tenth anniversary of the 
     Chornobyl nuclear disaster;
       Whereas United Nations General Assembly resolution 50/134 
     declares April 26, 1996, as the International day 
     Commemorating the Tenth Anniversary of the Chornobyl Nuclear 
     Power Plant Accident and encourages member states to 
     commemorate this tragic event;
       Whereas serious radiological, health, and socioeconomic 
     consequences for the populations of Ukraine, Belarus, and 
     Russia, as well as for the populations of other affected 
     areas, have been identified since the disaster;
       Whereas over 3,500,000 inhabitants of the affected areas, 
     including over 1,000,000 children, were exposed to 
     dangerously high levels of radiation;
       Whereas the populations of the affected areas, especially 
     children, have experienced significant increases in thyroid 
     cancer, immune deficiency diseases, birth defects, and other 
     conditions, and these trends have accelerated over the 10 
     years since the disaster;
       Whereas the lives and health of people in the affected 
     areas continue to be heavily burdened by the ongoing effects 
     of the Chornobyl accident;
       Whereas numerous charitable, humanitarian, and 
     environmental organizations from the United States and the 
     international community have committed to overcome the 
     extensive consequences of the Chornobyl disaster;
       Whereas the United States has sought to help the people of 
     Ukraine through various forms of assistance;
       Whereas humanitarian assistance and public health research 
     into Chornobyl's consequences will be needed in the coming 
     decades when the greatest number of latent health effects is 
     expected to emerge;
       Whereas 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 to 
     support the decision of Ukraine to close the Chornobyl 
     nuclear power plant by the year 2000 with adequate support 
     from the G-7 countries and international financial 
     institutions;
       Whereas the United States strongly supports the closing of 
     Chornobyl nuclear power plant and improving nuclear safety in 
     Ukraine; and
       Whereas representatives of Ukraine, the G-7 countries, and 
     international financial institutions will meet at least 
     annually to monitor implementation of the program to close 
     Chornobyl: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That the Congress--
       (1) recognizes April 26, 1996, as the tenth anniversary of 
     the Chornobyl nuclear power plant disaster;
       (2) urges the Government of Ukraine to continue its 
     negotiations with the G-7 countries to implement the December 
     20, 1995, memorandum of understanding which calls for all 
     nuclear reactors at Chornobyl to be shut down in a safe and 
     expeditious manner; and
       (3) calls upon the President--
       (A) to support continued and enhanced United States 
     assistance to provide medical relief, humanitarian 
     assistance, social impact planning, and hospital development 
     for Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, and other nations most heavily 
     afflicted by Chornobyl's aftermath;
       (B) to encourage national and international health 
     organizations to expand the scope of research into the public 
     health consequences of Chornobyl, so that the global 
     community can benefit from the findings of such research;
       (C) to support the process of closing the Chornobyl nuclear 
     power plant in an expeditious manner as envisioned by the 
     December 20, 1995, memorandum of understanding; and
       (D) to support the broadening of Ukraine's regional energy 
     sources which will reduce its dependence on any individual 
     country.

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