Russia takes up bill to import nuclear waste
Russia’s lower house of parliament convened today for a final vote on a controversial proposal that would permit the import of other countries’ nuclear waste for reprocessing.
Russia’s Atomic Energy Ministry said it could earn up to £14bn over 10 years and use part of the money to clean up Russian regions polluted by radioactive waste from the Soviet-era nuclear program.
But opponents said the measure risks making Russia the world’s nuclear dump, and question whether the money will be used as promised.
After passing a first reading in December, the measure briefly stalled due to controversy over alleged conflicts of interests on the part of Atomic Energy Minister Yevgeny Adamov. He was dismissed in a cabinet shakeup, but his successor, Alexander Rumyantsev, also championed the idea and it passed on second reading in April.
Environmentalists and other opponents are sceptical of government promises to clean up radioactive damage to the environment, since previous pledges have gone unfulfilled.
Russian towns, rivers and swathes of land were exposed to radioactive pollution during the secretive development of the Soviet nuclear industry and environmentalists say they remain dangerously polluted.
Scientist Alexei Yablokov, a former presidential adviser, has said opinion polls show that 90% of voters are against the bill.
