Domenici Statement on Russian Suspension Agreement
February 1, 2008
03:52 PM
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Pete Domenici, ranking member of both the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, today issued the following statement regarding an agreement signed today between the U.S. and Russia on uranium.
“I am deeply concerned about the suspension agreement signed with Russia today. Simply put, I believe the United States will not be getting enough bang for the buck from this deal.
“Under this agreement, our nation will be committing up front to drop our objections to previous uranium dumping activities, which will leave our fledgling market completely exposed.
“Since there are no protections in this agreement against unfair competition, uranium enrichment projects being developed in America could be severely undermined. And for all of this, we will still not be advancing common U.S. and Russian nonproliferation goals.
“We need to eliminate more weapons grade materials left over from the Cold War while creating a level playing field for U.S. enrichment providers. In the coming weeks, I will be considering legislative options to accomplish this goal.”
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