[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 15989-15990]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     US-RUSSIA NUCLEAR COOPERATION

  Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, today I wish to note the importance of 
growing Russian-American cooperation in the field of civil nuclear 
energy. Our common interests in this area are a significant opportunity 
to enhance energy security and economic growth for both nations. Just 
as importantly, building on a good record of cooperation on nuclear 
energy can form a basis for improving our relationship with the Russian 
Federation more broadly.
  As the two largest nuclear complexes, the United States and Russia 
play an essential role in setting global standards. We have worked 
effectively together on non-proliferation initiatives through the Nunn-
Lugar program for nearly a generation. But our cooperation in nuclear 
energy is not as well known.
  Russia has long been America's largest foreign partner in nuclear 
power through the HEU-LEU Agreement of 1993. Better known as the 
``Megatons-for-Megawatts'' agreement, Russia's nuclear corporation 
Rosatom has converted fissile material from thousands of weapons into 
energy for American homes and businesses. Nearly half of the fuel used 
in U.S. reactors is of Russian origin, which accounts for 10 percent of 
the electricity produced in this country.
  In terms of nuclear technology, we have a lot to learn from one 
another. If the event at the Fukushima reactors in Japan has taught us 
anything, it's that nuclear safety is an issue that crosses borders. 
The recent signing of the

[[Page 15990]]

``Joint Statement on the Strategic Direction of U.S.-Russian Nuclear 
Cooperation'' between Rosatom and the Department of Energy is a good 
example and will take advantage of Russian technological leadership on 
advanced reactors with passive safety systems. It recognizes that the 
long-term answers on nuclear safety will be a new generation of 
inherently safe reactors.
  I applaud the work of the Nuclear Energy and Nuclear Security Working 
Group led by Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Poneman and Rosatom Director 
General Sergey Kirienko. By expanding their joint efforts to include 
nuclear safety and development of a global framework for nuclear 
energy, they are bringing the world's best technical expertise to bear 
on critical issues that must be addressed to sustain public confidence 
in nuclear energy.
  Mr. President, cooperative efforts between the United States and 
Russia in civil nuclear energy are a success story in an often complex 
relationship. Building on this relationship should be a priority for 
both countries.

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