Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Furthering International Nuclear Safety Act of 2010. This bipartisan legislation, which is cosponsored by Senators Carper and Voinovich, will enhance the implementation of the Convention on Nuclear Safety by taking a more systematic approach to improving civilian nuclear power safety. The Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine in 1986 was the worst nuclear power accident in history and made clear the need for international nuclear safety norms. According to a report commissioned by United Nations agencies, millions of people were exposed to high doses of radiation and approximately 350,000 people were displaced from their homes. On top of this, the countries most directly impacted by the disaster were estimated to have suffered economic damages on the order of hundreds of billions of dollars, while thousands of square miles of agricultural and forest lands were removed from service. In the aftermath of this accident, over 50 countries, led by the United States, worked together to develop the Convention on Nuclear Safety. This convention was formally established in 1994, and the United States joined in 1999. Through the cooperative nature of the convention, which relies on peer-reviewed national reports and the sharing of best practices, countries that are party to the treaty have been able to improve their nuclear safety. Although civilian nuclear power programs have become safer, we must not be complacent.…”