Russia Eliminates Environmental Agency
MOSCOW, Russia, May 23, 2000 (ENS) - In a move to restructure the federal
government's executive branch, President Vladimir Putin has eliminated the
state committee for environmental protection along with several others.
They were the state committees for forestry, northern regions, land policy,
cinematography, and youth policy. The committee for environmental protection
was the main government body responsible for monitoring and analyzing all
environmental sectors except those related to nuclear issues.
The decree was made public over the weekend and triggered immediate criticism
from leading environmentalists.
The environmental and forestry functions were transferred to the Ministry on
Natural Resources, which licenses development of Russia's oil, natural gas and
other mineral deposits.
Indicating that he will be subordinating environmental concerns to the
development of natural resources, President Putin Saturday completed his new
Cabinet by appointing as energy minister a relative unknown, Alexander Gavrin,
who has close ties to the country's biggest oil producer, LUKoil.
In an interview with the "Moscow Times" Monday, former committee head Viktor
Danilov-Danilyan called Putin's decree "absurd." He called for continued
independent monitoring and testing of the environmental effects of natural
resource development.
But Putin's order does not transfer the environmental experts from the former
state committee to the Ministry on Natural Resources and how the monitoring
will be conducted is still unclear.
In a statement issued last week, Greenpeace Russia called the elimination of
the environmental protection committee "a step away from the civilized
world."
"Even the presence of a shabby State Committee for the Environment is better
than no environmental monitoring body whatsoever," said Greenpeace Russia
spokesman Alexander Shuvalov.
Vladimir Slivyak, coordinator of nuclear programs for the Moscow based
organization Ecodefense called the move, a step towards
"de-environmentalization of the state."
Working with environmental issues is not an easy task in Russia. President
Putin was director of the Russian Security Police, or FSB, in 1998 and
1999. He
is known to share their belief that environmentalists may be working against
the best interests of Russia.
Many Russian groups and individuals were accused of espionage for their work
against radioactive contamination and for nuclear safety in 1999 and 2000.
In arresting environmentalists and others, the Russian police have made wide
use of the practice of planting drugs on them, human rights activists have
said.
------------- * ENWL (English) * --------
Ecological North West Line * St. Petersburg, Russia
E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
-----------------------------------------------
_________
earthradioTV.com - Alternative News Forum for ecology, politics &
consciousness. MIRROR SITES:
USA http://www.earthradioTV.com/
CZECH http://mujweb.cz/www/ecologynews/
UK http://members.tripod.co.uk/ecologynews/
Canada http://www.ecologynews.com/
<A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A>
DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER
==========
CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic
screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are
sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths,
misdirections
and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and
minor
effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said,
CTRL
gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers;
be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and
nazi's need not apply.
Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector.
========================================================================
Archives Available at:
http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html
<A HREF="http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of
[EMAIL PROTECTED]</A>
http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
<A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A>
========================================================================
To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Om
