[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 155 (Friday, December 15, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2237]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                UKRAINE AT THE DAWN OF THE 21ST CENTURY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SANDER M. LEVIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, December 15, 2000

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, today, as we conclude the work of the 106th 
Congress, it is appropriate that we mark an important milestone in 
Ukraine: This afternoon, at 1:16 local time, the Chernobyl nuclear 
power plant was shut down for good.
  On April 26, 1986, Reactor Number Four at the Soviet-designed 
Chernobyl nuclear facility exploded, releasing more than 100 tons of 
lethally radioactive material into the environment. The human cost of 
this disaster is staggering. It is unlikely we will ever know how many 
deaths can be directly attributed to Chernobyl, but surely the loss of 
life is measured in the thousands. Hundreds of thousands more were 
subjected to radiation poisoning.
  Nearly 15 years later, the consequences of the world's worst nuclear 
accident continue to plague Eastern Europe. Ukraine has been especially 
impacted. Vast tracks of once prime farm land remain dangerously 
contaminated. Thyroid cancer among children living near Chernobyl has 
risen to levels 80 times higher than normal. The concrete and steel 
sarcophagus that encases the ruined Reactor Number Four is leaky and in 
need of repair. In addition, the loss of Chernobyl's generating 
capacity exacerbates an already difficult energy shortage in Ukraine, 
which depends heavily on energy imports, especially during its harsh 
winters.
  It is fitting that the first year of the new century should see the 
closure of this apparatus from a dangerous past. At the same time, we 
must be mindful that Chernobyl's legacy remains a heavy burden for the 
people of Ukraine which does not end with the shutdown of this facility 
today. The fatally flawed nuclear technology that build Chernobyl was 
truly a kind of Pandora's Box that, once opened, released lasting harm 
and grievous sickness into the world. The sole consolation is that we 
can yet hope to redress the damage.
  The final closure of Chernobyl ends a tragic chapter in Ukraine's 
history, and begins a new one. I call on every member of the House to 
join with me in remembering the victims of this tragedy. Let us resolve 
to do our part to help Ukraine build a brighter future.

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