[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 55 (Friday, April 27, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E665]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E665]]
           15TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR DISASTER

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                          HON. SANDER M. LEVIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 27, 2001

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark the 15th anniversary of 
one of the most terrible nuclear disasters in world history: the 
Chernobyl nuclear power plant explosion.
  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. At the time, the 
only response available to Ukraine was to create an Exclusion Zone 
covering over 1000 square miles immediately surrounding the nuclear 
plant, and to quarantine an area downwind of the plant covering over 
20,000 square miles. We may never know how many lost lives can be 
directly attributed to Chernobyl, but the death toll can be measured in 
the thousands. Hundreds of thousands more were subjected to radiation 
poisoning.
  Today, 15 years later, the consequences of this tragedy continue to 
be felt. Cancer rates among the survivors have skyrocketed. 
Contaminants in the groundwater sicken those in the quarantined area 
and threaten even greater numbers of people as the water travels 
downstream to urban areas. The loss of Chernobyl's generating power has 
caused the loss of jobs and has spurred a crippling energy shortage. By 
some estimates, the total direct cost to Ukraine has exceeded $100 
billion over the past 15 years.
  On December 15, 2000, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was shut down 
for good, ending a tragic chapter in Ukraine's history and beginning a 
new one. Clearly, the heavy burden for the people of Ukraine does not 
end with the shutdown, and the international community must do more to 
help remediate the damage. The U.S. has joined international experts in 
proposing ways to accelerate decontamination of the area and make the 
land economically viable, at the same time addressing Ukraine's energy 
needs. Congress needs to work with the new Administration to build upon 
the progress that was made with the previous Administration.
  Mr. Speaker, I call on every member of the House to join 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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