Likewise, the establishment of common shipping and customs regulations is overwhelmingly beneficial from a pragmatic Russian standpoint because domestic firms and ports are sure to profit from such a development. In contrast, such a propitious outlook does not apply to cooperation in pollution control and fisheries management. There is enormous resistance to making environmental protection a key national goal. The current economic crisis only underlines the extent to which conservationism is viewed as a luxury. Yet even if the central government reaches an international agreement on Caspian environmental cooperation, it will be very difficult for central authorities to gain approval at the provincial level.
Regional administrations pursue their interests with scant regard for official national policy.
In Kalmykiia, President Iliumzhinov is essentially impervious to central government pressure, and has made a self-interested commitment to oil exploration. Meanwhile, in Astrakhan democratic procedures are more stably established and the administration is seeking to preserve its authority and stave off strong communist opposition. Its ability to do so rests first and foremost on its success in securing livelihoods and generating income. Oil and gas transportation, drilling, and rig construction offer the greatest short-term benefits for doing so. While none of these efforts necessarily contradict protectionist measures, the desperate and uncoordinated quest for rapid extraction does not auger well for ecological safety.