ENVIRONMENT: Opposition to Russian Toxic Waste Plant Plan Rejected

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Andrei Ivanov

MOSCOW, May 13 1996 (IPS) - Citizens of the Russian town of Sergei Posad are fighting a government plan to build a U.S. co-funded plant in their town to reprocess thousands of tonnes of heptyl — a highly toxic chemical used as liquid rocket fuel.

There are unwanted stocks of heptyl (dimethylhydrazine) at various military installations around Russia where missiles and rockets are made and launched. Russia continued to use liquid rocket fuel long after America switched to solid fuel, largely because it was cheaper.

However, heptyl is highly toxic, carcinogenic, easily soluble in water — so in the event of a leak it can spread quickly and easily — and, of course, very volatile.

Estimates of how much heptyl stored in Russia’s former ‘closed cities’, the Soviet era secret towns like Sergei Posad, in Soviet days known as Zagorsk, range from 50,000 tonnes to 150,000 tonnes.

At the Scientific Research Institute of Chemical and Construction Machines (SRICCM) based in Sergei Posad, there are over 100 tonnes of heptyl in store. And if the new reprocessing facility is installed, at least another 10,000 tonnes will be brought there from the other sites in Russia.

Hundreds of signatures have been collected on petitions protesting about the plans.

“The people of this town object to these plans — and rightly so,” says the mayor of Sergei Posad, Vasili Goncharov, who is leading the protests. “We already have enough problems to contend with in this area including a radon depository and a testing site for storage of pesticides and household waste.”

Heptyl disposal is not just a Russian problem. Other countries with missile and space programmes also have problems with ageing stocks of heptyl since, so far no technology for reprocessing has proved to be environmentally friendly.

The facility to be built in Sergei Posad, some 70 kilometres from Moscow, will be constructed with U.S. aid under the Congress- backed Nunn-Lugar technical assistance programme. This has raised fears that foreign heptyl will also be brought in for treatment.

“The reprocessing project is tied to deliveries of heptyl from abroad, especially from the United States,” alleges Goncharov. “This is part of a wider policy of dumping dangerous and harmful production processes on us here in Russia.”

Henryk Matysyak, Director of SRICCM, denies this abHSA8475 4 SSS 592 PA SPORT 1 SOCCER Chelsea 3rd Lead BATES RULES OUT HARDING PEACE TALKS Chelsea chairman Ken Bates today ruled out any hope of a late reconciliation after his talks with millionaire director Matthew Harding broke down. “There is no going back now, the matter is over,” said Bates after ending negotiations in the latest twist in the battle of Stamford Bridge. “It has dragged on long enough. “The goalposts kept moving and it was time to put up or shut up. It was better that the uncertainty was resolved. “I have always said that I saw Matthew as my natural successor and I have a lot of regret it has ended in the way it has. “But life has to go on. You can’t keep hanging round for the train if it’s not going to leave the station. You have to get another train.” The decision to end talks means that Harding’s planned #10million cash injection will not go ahead, though Bates insisted today that new player-manager Ruud Gullit will be given money to spend in the transfer market. Bates said that former Dutch international Gullit, who succeeded England coach elect Glenn Hoddle last week, was already in talks with two top continental players. They are believed to be Italian Gianluca Vialli and Bayern Munich’s Jurgen Klinsmann, who could be heading back to London just a year after leaving Tottenham to return to Germany. Harding, who will remain a director though his association with the club must now be in doubt, was understood to be in Germany last week talking to Klinsmann. That has angered Bates, who was unaware of Harding’s trip. He said: “You can’t have the chairman of a football committee flying off to talk to players without telling other members of the board.” The duo reached an agreement _ which Harding had not signed _ at the end of March. That would have led to his becoming vice-chairman and also put him in charge of a committee responsible for the club’s playing affairs. But the statement from Chelsea Village plc announced today that talks aimed at satisfying the conditions made at the time had been “terminated”. “The negotiations have reached a stalemate where the requirements of neither side could be satisfied,” said the statement. “The further investments and assistance by Mr Harding, which would have flowed from agreement, will not proceed. “Mr Harding will continue to act as a director of Chelsea Football Club. The deferral of conversion of the #5million of unsecured loan stock held by him will end and such loan stock will be converted into 14,285,714 ordinary shares in accordance with its terms. “A further announcement of the issue of such shares will be made.” The March agreement seemed to end months of arguing between the two contrasting personalities, which at one stage saw Harding banned from the directors’ box. But at the time of the agreement Bates said he was “happy to reaffirm his original belief that he views Matthew Harding as his natural successor as chairman of Chelsea and believed that such a strong partnership will accelerate Chelsea joining Europe’s football elite.” Bates also recognised that it would not have been possible to successfully float Chelsea Village without Harding’s financial contribution, but now it appears the liaison has irrevocably hit trouble. Harding, apart from the #5million convertible unsecured loan stock in Chelsea Village, also has the right to lift his holding to 25.1% and, subject to contract, options to subscribe for a further 7.5million shares before 2001. end sr

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