106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4249
AN ACT
To foster cross-border cooperation and
environmental cleanup in Northern Europe.
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4249
AN ACT
To foster cross-border cooperation and environmental cleanup
in Northern Europe.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
cused on developing a regional network of coopera-
tion in the important areas of business and trade
promotion, law enforcement, the environment, en-
ergy, civil society, and public health.
(4) A central objective of the United States
Northern Europe Initiative is to promote cross-bor-
der cooperation among the countries in the region.
(5) A wide variety of regional and cross-border
projects have been initiated under the United States
Northern Europe Initiative since the Initiative was
established in 1997, including the following:
(A) A United States-Lithuanian training
program for entrepreneurs from Belarus and
Kaliningrad.
(B) The Great Lakes-Baltic Sea Partner-
ship program that is being implemented by the
Environmental Protection Agency.
(C) A Center of Excellence for Treatment
of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis in Riga,
Latvia.
(D) A regional HIV/AIDS strategy being
developed under United States and Finnish
leadership.
(E) Multiple efforts to combat organized
crime, including regional seminars for police of-
ficers and prosecutors.
(F) Programs to encourage reform of the
Baltic electricity market and encourage United
States investment in such market.
(G) Language and job training programs
for Russian-speaking minorities in Latvia and
Estonia to promote social integration in those
countries.
(H) A mentoring partnership program for
woman entrepreneurs in the northwest region of
Russia and the Baltic states, as part of broader
efforts to promote women’s participation in po-
litical and economic life.
(6) Norway, Sweden, and Finland have made
considerable efforts to provide assistance to the
newly independent Baltic states and to the North-
west region of Russia. In particular, the United
States notes the request placed before the European
Union by Finland in 1999 for the creation and ex-
tensive funding by the European Union of a ‘‘North-
ern Dimension’’ Initiative to substantially address
the problems that now exist in Northern Europe
with regard to economic development, protection of
the environment, the safety and containment of nu-
clear materials, and other issues.
(7) The United States commends the endorse-
ment of the ‘‘Northern Dimension’’ Initiative by the
European Council at its meeting in Helsinki, Fin-
land in December 1999 and calls on the European
Union to act on that endorsement through the provi-
sion of substantial funding for the Initiative.
(8) While the European Union, its member
states, and other European countries should clearly
take the lead in addressing the challenges posed in
Northern Europe, in particular through appropriate
yet substantial assistance provided by the European
Union, the United States-Northern Europe Initia-
tive, and this Act are intended to supplement such
efforts and build on the considerable assistance that
the United States has already provided to the Baltic
states and the Russian Federation. Partnership with
other countries in the region means modest United
States investment can have significant impact.
(9) The United States Northern Europe Initia-
tive’s focus on regional environmental challenges is
particularly important. Northern Europe is home to
significant environmental problems, particularly the
threat posed by nuclear waste from Russian sub-
marines, icebreakers, and nuclear reactors.
(10) In particular, 21,000 spent fuel assemblies
from Russian submarines are lying exposed near
Andreeyeva Bay, nearly 60 dangerously decrepit nu-
clear submarines, many in danger of sinking, are
languishing in the Murmansk area of Northwest
Russia, whole reactors and radioactive liquid waste
are stored on unsafe floating barges, and there are
significant risks of marine and atmospheric contami-
nation from accidents arising from loss of electricity
or fire on deteriorating, poorly monitored nuclear
submarines.
(11) This waste poses a threat to the safety
and stability of Northern Europe and to countries of
the Eurasian continent.
(12)(A) In addition, the Environmental Protec-
tion Agency has facilitated the expansion and up-
grading of a facility for the treatment of low-level
liquid radioactive waste from the decommissioning of
nuclear submarines docked at naval facilities in the
Arctic region of Russia.
(B) The Environmental Protection Agency has
also initiated a project to construct an 80-ton proto-
type cask for the storage and transport of civilian-
controlled spent nuclear fuel, much of it damaged
and currently stored onboard an aging vessel an-
chored in Murmansk Harbor. Currently in the de-
sign phase, this project is scheduled for completion
in 2000.
(13) Working with the countries in the region
to address these environmental problems remains
vital to the long-term national interest of the United
States.
(14) The United States and other countries are
currently negotiating a number of agreements with
Russia which will provide internationally accepted
legal protections for the United States and other
countries that provide nuclear waste management
assistance to Russia. Regrettably, it has not yet been
possible to resolve remaining differences over liabil-
ity, taxation of assistance, privileges and immunities
for foreign contractors, and audit rights.
(15) Concluding these agreements is vital to the
continued provision of such assistance and to the
possible development of new programs.
(16) With the election of Russian President
Vladamir Putin, the opportunity presents itself to
surmount these problems, to conclude these out-
standing agreements, and to allow assistance pro-
grams to move forward to alleviate this problem.
(17) The United States Government is cur-
rently studying whether dismantlement of multi-pur-
pose submarines is in the national interest.
(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to dem-
onstrate concrete support for continued cross-border co-
operation in Northern Europe and immediate efforts to
assist in the clean up of nuclear waste in that region.
SEC. 3. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.
It is the sense of the Congress that—
(1) the United States Northern Europe Initia-
tive is a sound framework for future United States
involvement in Northern Europe;
(2) the European Union should move expedi-
tiously to authorize and fund the proposed ‘‘North-
ern Dimension’’ Initiative at appropriate yet sub-
stantial levels of assistance;
(3) the United States should continue to sup-
port a wide-ranging strengthening of democratic and
civic institutions on a regional basis to provide a
foundation for political stability and investment op-
portunities, including cross-border exchanges, in
Northern Europe;
(4) the United States should demonstrate con-
tinued commitment to address environmental secu-
rity challenges in Northwest Russia, in cooperation
with partners in the region;
(5) recently-elected Russian President Vladamir
Putin should rapidly conclude pending nuclear waste
management agreements to enable assistance pro-
grams to go forward; and
(6) assistance to Russia on nuclear waste man-
agement should only be provided after issues related
to liability, taxation of assistance, privileges and im-
munities for foreign contractors, and audit rights
have been resolved.
SEC. 4. SUPPORT FOR UNITED STATES NORTHERN EUROPE
INITIATIVE PROJECTS.
(a) AVAILABILITY OF AMOUNTS FROM EAST EURO-
PEAN AND THE BALTIC STATES ASSISTANCE.—Of the
amounts available for fiscal year 2001 to carry out the
provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the
Support for Eastern European Democracy (SEED) Act
of 1989 for assistance and for related programs for East-
ern Europe and the Baltic States, not less than
$2,000,000 shall be used for projects described in sub-
section (c).
(b) AVAILABILITY
OF
AMOUNTS
FROM
INDE-
PENDENT STATES OF THE FORMER SOVIET UNION AS-
SISTANCE.—Of the amounts available for fiscal year 2001
to carry out the provisions of chapter 11 of part I of the
Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Freedom for Rus-
sia and Emerging Eurasian Democracies and Open Mar-
kets Support Act of 1992 for assistance for the inde-
pendent states of the former Soviet Union and related pro-
grams, not less than $2,000,000 shall be used for the
projects described in subsection (c).
(c) PROJECTS DESCRIBED.—The projects described
in this subsection are United States Northern Europe Ini-
tiative projects relating to environmental cleanup, law en-
forcement, public health, energy, business and trade pro-
motion, and civil society.
SEC. 5. REPORT ON ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY.
Not later that 180 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in consultation
with the heads of other appropriate Federal departments
and agencies, shall prepare and submit to the Congress
a report on—
(1) the threat to the environmental security of
the countries of Northern Europe and other coun-
tries of Europe and Asia presented by Russian ma-
rine nuclear reactors, waste, and contamination; and
(2) identifying the possibilities for new and ex-
panded United States and multilateral assistance
programs for environmental clean-up in Northwest
Russia, including technical exchanges and private-
public partnerships.
SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) NORTHERN EUROPE.—The term ‘‘Northern
Europe’’ means the northwest region of the Russian
Federation (including Kaliningrad), the Republic of
Belarus, the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of
Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, the Kingdom of
Denmark, the Republic of Finland, the Republic of
Iceland, the Kingdom of Norway, the Republic of
Poland, and the Kingdom of Sweden.
(2) UNITED STATES NORTHERN EUROPE INI-
TIATIVE.—The term ‘‘United States Northern Eu-
rope Initiative’’ means the framework agreement es-
tablished in 1997 between the United States and the
countries of Northern Europe to promote stability in
the Baltic Sea region and to strengthen key institu-
tions and security structures of the United States
and the countries of Northern Europe.
Passed the House of Representatives May 15, 2000.
Attest:
Clerk.