H. R. 4249
One Hundred Sixth Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE SECOND SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Monday,
the twenty-fourth day of January, two thousand
An Act
To foster cross-border cooperation and environmental cleanup in Northern Europe.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Cross-Border Cooperation and
Environmental Safety in Northern Europe Act of 2000’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following:
(1) Northern Europe is an increasingly vital part of Europe
and one that offers great opportunities for United States invest-
ment.
(2) Northern Europe offers an excellent opportunity to make
progress toward the United States vision of a secure, pros-
perous, and stable Europe, in part because of—
(A) historical tradition of regional cooperation;
(B) the opportunity to engage Russia in positive,
cooperative activities with its neighbors to the west;
(C) commitment by the Baltic states to regional
cooperation and integration into western institutions; and
(D) longstanding, strong ties with the United States.
(3) The United States Northern Europe Initiative (NEI)
provides the conceptual and operational framework for United
States policy in the region, focused on developing a regional
network of cooperation in the important areas of business and
trade promotion, law enforcement, the environment, energy,
civil society, and public health.
(4) A central objective of the United States Northern
Europe Initiative is to promote cross-border 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 Partnership 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.
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(E) Multiple efforts to combat organized crime,
including regional seminars for police officers and prosecu-
tors.
(F) Programs to encourage reform of the Baltic elec-
tricity 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 entre-
preneurs in the northwest region of Russia and the Baltic
states, as part of broader efforts to promote women’s
participation in political and economic life.
(6) Norway, Sweden, and Finland have made considerable
efforts to provide assistance to the newly independent Baltic
states and to the Northwest region of Russia. In particular,
the United States notes the request placed before the European
Union by Finland in 1999 for the creation and extensive funding
by the European Union of a ‘‘Northern Dimension’’ Initiative
to substantially address the problems that now exist in
Northern Europe with regard to economic development, protec-
tion of the environment, the safety and containment of nuclear
materials, and other issues.
(7) The United States commends the endorsement of the
‘‘Northern Dimension’’ Initiative by the European Council at
its meeting in Helsinki, Finland in December 1999 and calls
on the European Union to act on that endorsement through
the provision 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 par-
ticular through appropriate yet substantial assistance provided
by the European Union, the United States Northern Europe
Initiative, 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 Initiative’s focus
on regional environmental challenges is particularly important.
Northern Europe is home to significant environmental prob-
lems, particularly the threat posed by nuclear waste from Rus-
sian submarines, icebreakers, and nuclear reactors.
(10) In particular, 21,000 spent fuel assemblies from Rus-
sian submarines are lying exposed near Andreeyeva Bay, nearly
60 dangerously decrepit nuclear 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 contamination 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 Protection Agency
has facilitated the expansion and upgrading of a facility for
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the treatment of low-level liquid radioactive waste from the
decommissioning of nuclear submarines docked at naval facili-
ties in the Arctic region of Russia.
(B) The Environmental Protection Agency has also initiated
a project to construct an 80-ton prototype cask for the storage
and transport of civilian-controlled spent nuclear fuel, much
of it damaged and currently stored onboard an aging vessel
anchored in Murmansk Harbor. Currently in the design 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 manage-
ment assistance to Russia. Regrettably, it has not yet been
possible to resolve remaining differences over liability, 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 outstanding agreements, and to allow assist-
ance programs to move forward to alleviate this problem.
(17) The United States Government is currently studying
whether dismantlement of multi-purpose submarines is in the
national interest.
(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to demonstrate con-
crete support for continued cross-border cooperation 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 Initiative is a sound
framework for future United States involvement in Northern
Europe;
(2) the European Union should move expeditiously to
authorize and fund the proposed ‘‘Northern Dimension’’ Initia-
tive at appropriate yet substantial levels of assistance;
(3) the United States should continue to support a wide-
ranging strengthening of democratic and civic institutions on
a regional basis to provide a foundation for political stability
and 
investment 
opportunities, 
including 
cross-border
exchanges, in Northern Europe;
(4) the United States should demonstrate continued
commitment to address environmental security 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 programs to go forward; and
(6) assistance to Russia on nuclear waste management
should only be provided after issues related to liability, taxation
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of assistance, privileges and immunities 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 EUROPEAN 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
Eastern Europe and the Baltic states, not less than $2,000,000
shall be used for projects described in subsection (c).
(b) AVAILABILITY OF AMOUNTS FROM INDEPENDENT STATES OF
THE FORMER SOVIET UNION ASSISTANCE.—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 Russia and Emerging Eurasian Democracies and Open Markets
Support Act of 1992 for assistance for the independent states of
the former Soviet Union and related programs, not less than
$2,000,000 shall be used for the projects described in subsection
(c).
(c) PROJECTS DESCRIBED.—The projects described in this sub-
section are United States Northern Europe Initiative projects
relating to environmental cleanup, law enforcement, public health,
energy, business and trade promotion, and civil society.
SEC. 5. REPORT ON ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY.
Not later that 180 days after the date of the enactment of
this Act, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the heads
of other appropriate Federal departments and agencies, shall pre-
pare and submit to the Congress a report on—
(1) the threat to the environmental security of the countries
of Northern Europe and other countries of Europe and Asia
presented by Russian marine nuclear reactors, waste, and
contamination; and
(2) identifying the possibilities for new and expanded
United States and multilateral assistance programs for environ-
mental 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
INITIATIVE.—The
term ‘‘United States Northern Europe Initiative’’ means the
framework agreement established in 1997 between the United
States and the countries of Northern Europe to promote sta-
bility in the Baltic Sea region and to strengthen key institutions
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and security structures of the United States and the countries
of Northern Europe.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.