III

103D CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. RES. 193

To encourage the development of an international convention to establish

international standards for nuclear power plant safety.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

MARCH 24 (legislative day, FEBRUARY 22), 1994

Mr. GRAHAM (for himself, Mr. BIDEN, Mr. LIEBERMAN, Mr. JEFFORDS, and

Mr. BRYAN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the

Committee on Foreign Relations

RESOLUTION

To encourage the development of an international convention

to establish international standards for nuclear power

plant safety.

Whereas there are more than four hundred nuclear power

plants located in a total of thirty-three nations of the

world;

Whereas there is a great disparity in the level of safety of

the nuclear power plants currently in operation;

Whereas the accident in 1986 at the Chernobyl nuclear power

plant demonstrated that the risks of a serious accident

at nuclear power plants are not a remote or theoretical

concern;

Whereas the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant

demonstrated that an accident at a nuclear power plant
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SRES 193 IS

in one nation may cause damage to human health and

the environment in many other nations;

Whereas the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant

demonstrated that the damages from a nuclear power

plant accident may include a loss of human and animal

life and serious long-term radiological contamination of

the natural environment;

Whereas the construction of new nuclear power plants in nations that do not possess the regulatory and technological

infrastructure to safely construct and operate nuclear

power plants may pose unreasonable risks to human

health and the environment in many nations;

Whereas there is evidence that nations which have not developed the technical capability to safely construct and operate nuclear power plants may attempt to construct and

operate nuclear power plants;

Whereas it is important to the citizens of all nations of the

world that all practicable measures should be taken to

avoid accidents and eliminate any reasonable risks to the

human health and the environment that may be posed by

currently operating nuclear power plants; and

Whereas it is important to the citizens of all nations of the

world that new nuclear power plants should not be constructed or allowed to operate if such plants will pose any

unreasonable risks to human health and the environment:

Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That—

2 (1) the United States support the development

3 of an international convention on nuclear power

4 plant safety;
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SRES 193 IS

1 (2) the United States support the inclusion of

2 effective safety standards for the design, construc3 tion, and operation of existing nuclear power plants

4 and for the design, construction, and operation of

5 new nuclear power plants in an international conven6 tion on nuclear power plant safety;

7 (3) the United States support an international

8 prohibition on the export of nuclear power plant

9 technology and equipment to any nation that has not

10 agreed to abide by the international convention on

11 nuclear power plant safety;

12 (4) the United States support the role of the

13 International Atomic Energy Agency in implement14 ing the international convention on nuclear power

15 plant safety; and

16 (5) the United States support meetings of the

17 potential parties to the international convention on

18 nuclear power plant safety to discuss the terms of

19 the convention so that the convention would be open

20 for signature and ratification by April, 1996.

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