No licenses for new Chernobyls
Ecologists agree with the RF Gosatomnadzor about reasons of a
panic caused by the incident at the Balakovo NPP
23 November 2004, Moscow. Today Greenpeace Russia together with
22 other Russian organizations submitted two petitions to the
General Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation proving that
a recent incident at the Balakovo NPP is the result of nonfeasance
of nuclear authorities.
Non-governmental organizations have requested an investigation
about violations and elements of crime in actions of officials who
hadn't provided the population of the Saratov, Ulyanovsk, Penza and
other regions with timely and reliable information about the
incident at the Balakovo NPP at night of 3-4th of November
2004.
The cause of a mass panic of the population was, first of all,
contradictory official information about the incident. After the
structure's block had been shut down the officials responsible for
informing the population gave at least two contrary interpretations
of what had happened in mass media:
1. At the 2nd energy block of the Balakovo NPP maintenance works
of the feedwater pipe line of the 4th steam generator are carried
out. The generator was deactivated to be repaired in compliance
with the application submitted and endorsed by an appropriate
organization. The source of the information is the chief engineer
of the Balakovo NPP Mr. Ignatov.
2. There was an emergency situation at the 2nd energy block of
the Balakovo NPP (an emergency shutdown caused by the safety system
of the reactor after the pipe line of the regulator of steam
generators' level had been damaged). The source is the press
service of the RF Atomic Energy Agency.
Furthermore, an official (the head of civil defense and
emergency situations department Mr.Romanenko) made his first
statement on a local TV channel in the town of Balakovo (situated
in immediate proximity to the NPP) 17 hours after the incident.
Gosatomnadzor, having analyzed the situation, imposed
responsibility to appropriate structures of the Balakovo NPP. "I
think the work of bodies in charge of public relations was not
sufficient because they failed to inform citizens about what had
really happened", - said Mikhail Miroshenko, the head of the
department for safety control over nuclear power plants of the
Federal Service for Environmental, Technological and Nuclear
Supervision.
Besides that, non-governmental organizations addressed the
General Prosecutor's Office of the RF with a demand to take
necessary measures in regard to the report of the press service of
the Balakovo NPP of November 9, 2004. According to the press
release of the Balakovo NPP, "the Greens" "contributed to stirring
up hysteria".
The authors of the appeal express their hope that criminal
negligence in words and actions must entail responsibility.
According to non-governmental organizations, the distribution of
such information comes under article 129.2 of the Criminal Code of
the RF "Slander in a Public Statement or in Mass Media".
"We are not going to bear tricks of nuclear officials, - said
Greenpeace Russia energy department coordinator Vladimir Chouprov.
- These people should know how to bear responsibility for what they
do".
Additional information
Art. 8.5 of the Code on Administrative Offences
- Concealment, deliberate distortion or untimely provision of
full and complete information about radiation environment, as well
as the distortion of facts about the environment by persons in
charge of providing such information... entails an administrative
fine at the amount of 5-10 minimum wages for citizens; 10-20
minimum wages for officials; 100-200 minimum wages for legal
entities.
Art. 140 of the Criminal Code of the RF
- Illegal refusal by an official to provide collected according
to the procedure documents and materials that directly affect
rights and freedoms of citizens or provision a citizen with
incomplete of deliberately false information, if these actions
caused damage to rights and legitimate interests of citizens...
entail a fine at the amount up to 200.000 roubles or at the amount
of 18 month wage or other income of the convict or revocation of
right to be appointed to certain positions or to take certain
activity during 2-5 years.
The following representatives addressed the General Prosecutor's
office:
Greenpeace Russia (Moscow)
Zeleny Mir (Sosnovy Bor, Leningrad region)
The Division of the All-Russian Society for Nature Protection
(Balakovo, Saratovsky region)
Saint Petersburg Society of Naturalists
Belona Ecological Association (Saint Petersburg)
Moscow International Discussion Club (Moscow)
"Scientists for Social Responsibility" (Novosibirsk)
"Centre for Ecological Initiatives" (Saratov)
"Center for Civil Initiatives" (Dimitrovgrad, Ulyanov
region)
Clean Energy Coalition (Saratov)
"Ecodefence-Council" (Moscow)
"Nature and Youth" (Murmansk region)
Siberian Information Ecological Agency (Tomsk)
"Save Pechora Committee" (Pechora, the Republic of Komi).
Union for Chemical Safety (Moscow)
Public Assessment Group for Technical-Economic Feasibility Study
of the Construction of the Far East NPP (Komsomolsk-na-Amure)
Ecological and Social Equity Fund (Voronezh)
Eco-SPES (Dzerzhinsk)
"Krasnoyarsk District Ecological Union" (Krasnoyarsk)
"Buryat Regional Baikal Organization" (Ulan-Ude)
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Centre (Krasnoyarsk)
Komi Regional Commission "Memorial" (Syktyvkar)
"Collective Action Institute" (Moscow)