A U.S. pact with Russia on civilian nuclear power has cleared what the New York Times today called "its final hurdle" in Congress. The agreement would allow Russia to reprocess spent nuclear fuel from the U.S. Deputy Energy Secretary Daniel Poneman was quoted as saying the "agreement represents a major step forward in U.S.-Russian civil nuclear cooperation. It enhances cooperation on nonproliferation" and "creates new commercial opportunities for Russian and American industry."
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Russia scholar Matt Rojansky said the agreement was "potentially far more significant" than the New Start arms treaty: "It delivers on the promise of reset because it taps into fundamentally shared interests, benefits both sides and enables the U.S. and Russia to lead together on nuclear security." A spokeswoman for Rep. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., said he opposed the deal, saying Russia continued to "train Iranian nuclear physicists, supply sensitive nuclear technology to Iran, and give secret instruction on Russian soil to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard."
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