Book Description
"Despite the tragedy of Chernobyl, comparatively little has been done, either by the former Soviet Union or by the West, to minimize if not eliminate another accident. The rhetoric and resolve has yet to be matched by the necessary funding."
Eight years after the Chernobyl explosion, economic dependence on nuclear electric power in Russia, Ukraine, and Lithuania has increased significantly. In those three states, 15 Chernobyl- designed reactors, without containment shields, are still in use and a new one is nearing completion in Russia. While the West pushes for shutting down possibly unstable facilities, it has not yet been able to convince the former Soviet states nor devised a comprehensive plan to support the financial consequences of closure. The author examines safety concerns involved and economic justifications for resisting closure as the two sides search for a solution. The paper includes interviews with witnesses and survivors.
About the Author
Robert E. Ebel is an internationally recognized expert on oil and energy issues in the former Soviet Union and the newly independent states. Formerly vice president for international affairs at Enserch Corporation, an energy, engineering, and construction company, Ebel advised the corporation and its subsidiaries on global issues relevant to day-to-day operations. He has also held posts at the Central Intelligence Agency, the Department of Interior, and the Federal Energy Office. He traveled to the Soviet Union in 1960 as a member of the first U.S. petroleum industry delegation, in 1969 as a member of a natural gas delegation, and in 1971 with the first group of Americans to visit the oil fields in Western Siberia. He is a past chairman of the Washington Export Council and is a member of the Board of Directors of American Near East Refugee Aid. He attended the 1991 U.S.-Soviet Energy Roundtable in Moscow and the 1992 Oil and Gas Workshop in Western Siberia. Ebel earned a B.A. in international relations from Syracuse University. He served in air force intelligence from 1950 to 1954 and is a graduate of the Russian Language Program
