Results of U.S./Russian Collaboration on High-Level Waste Tank Problems

Abstract

The uncertainties that have governed U.S. and Russian strategy for environmental management and international cooperation in the years since the collapse of the Soviet Union are dissolving in dramatic fashion. Proclamations that international détente could provide solutions resound throughout the halls of Congress and across the wastelands of the former weapons’ sites. Fanning the flames for action to the legacy of the Cold War, the public cries out to their governments. Negligent waste management practices in all parts of the world are now under scrutiny by the Green Movement and other environmentally conscious groups. Not since the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund program has the environmental arena become such a visible commodity constantly thrust into the limelight for public mindfulness. The horrors of Chernobyl are flashed across the airwaves, demanding an end to secrecy and vigilance for protection of the public and the environment during site restoration. Gone are the days of individual country rights for restoration without consideration of their neighbor.