Cross-Border Cooperation and Environmental Safety in Northern Europe Act of 2000
PL 106-255 (H.R.4249), enacted 08/02/2000

PUBLIC LAW 106-255—AUG. 2, 2000 
114 STAT. 639 
Public Law 106-255 
106th Congress 
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. 
Aug. 2, 2000 
[H.R. 4249] 
Cross-Border 
Cooperation and 
Environmental 
Sjifety in 
Northern Europe 
Act of 2000. 
Hazardotis 
substances. 
114 STAT. 640 
PUBLIC LAW 106-255—AUG. 2, 2000 
(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 c£in 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 
PUBLIC LAW 106-255—AUG. 2, 2000 
114 STAT. 641 
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 stud3dng 
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 EuropeEin 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 
114 STAT. 642 
PUBLIC LAW 106-255—AUG. 2, 2000 
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 Eurasigm 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. 
Deadline. 
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 
PUBLIC LAW 106-255—AUG. 2, 2000 
114 STAT. 643 
and security structures of the United States and the countries 
of Northern Europe. 
Approved August 2, 2000. 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 4249: 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 146 (2000): 
May 15, considered and passed House. 
July 19, considered and passed Senate. 
WEEKLY COMPILATION OF PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS, Vol. 36 (2000): 
Aug. 3, Presidential statement.