Requesting the President of the United States to negotiate agreements to achieve early prohibition of nuclear explosions.

Declares that the President should: (1) reorder U.S. priorities concerning nuclear weapons to take into account the reduced necessity for nuclear testing and the urgent need for environmental cleanup; (2) convey to the Soviet Union the desire of the United States to resume bilateral nuclear testing talks and agree on a timetable for the early achievement of a verifiable comprehensive test ban; and (3) express to the signatories of the Limited Test Ban Treaty U.S. willingness to pursue negotiations in the conference called to amend the Treaty and provide for such test ban.

 
HJ 632 IH
101st CONGRESS
2d Session
H. J. RES. 632
Requesting the President of the United States to negotiate agreements to
achieve early prohibition of nuclear explosions.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 27, 1990
Mr. BOSCO (for himself, Mr. FASCELL, Mr. HAMILTON, Mr. LEACH of Iowa,
Mr. GREEN of New York, Mr. PORTER, Mr. MARKEY, Mrs. SCHROEDER, Mr. PANETTA,
Mr. MCDERMOTT, and Mr. MOODY) introduced the following joint resolution;
which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
JOINT RESOLUTION
Requesting the President of the United States to negotiate agreements to
achieve early prohibition of nuclear explosions.
Whereas the United States, the Soviet Union, and Great Britain as signatory
nations of the Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in
Outer Space and Under Water (Done at Moscow in 1963, commonly known as the
Limited Test Ban Treaty) and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear
Weapons (Done July 1, 1968, commonly known as the Non-Proliferation Treaty)
are committed to seek the permanent termination of all test explosions of
nuclear weapons;
Whereas the United States and the Soviet Union are engaged in nuclear testing
talks in Geneva, Switzerland, and have signed an agreement on verification
protocols to the Treaty Between the United States of America and the Union
of Soviet Socialist Republics on Underground Nuclear Explosions for Peaceful
Purposes (Done in Washington and Moscow May 28, 1976, commonly known as
the Peaceful Nuclear Explosions Treaty) and the Treaty on the Limitation
of Underground Nuclear Weapon Tests (Done in Moscow July 3, 1974, commonly
known as the Threshold Test Ban Treaty);
Whereas in 1988, a quarter century after the signing of the Limited
Test Ban Treaty, a number of states which are signatory nations to that
treaty formally proposed an amendment to the treaty that would broaden its
prohibition on testing in the atmosphere, in outer space, and under water
to include underground testing;
Whereas the formal request by more than one-third of the parties to the
Limited Test Ban Treaty mandates the convening of a conference to consider
the proposal for such an amendment;
Whereas the prohibition of underground nuclear explosions would constrain
the development and deployment of new generations of nuclear arms, reduce
reliance upon nuclear arsenals, reinvigorate efforts to prevent nuclear
proliferation, and substantially reduce the risk of further radioactive
contamination of the environment;
Whereas nuclear weapons production and testing over the past 45 years
has created an environmental crisis in the nuclear weapons industry that
the Secretary of Energy estimates will cost more than 100 billion dollars
to rectify;
Whereas the existing nuclear arsenal does not require modernization to ensure
its reliability as a deterrent;
Whereas the reliability of nuclear weapons of the United States as deterrents
to nuclear war can be assured by means other than nuclear explosive testing;
and
Whereas recent advances in verification techniques and recent agreements
and understandings between the United States and the Soviet Union regarding
in-country monitoring and on-site inspection have helped open the way to
effective verification of a comprehensive ban: Now, therefore, be it
  Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States
  of America in Congress assembled, That, at the earliest possible date,
  the President of the United States should--
  (1) reorder the priorities of the United States concerning nuclear weapons
  to take into account the greatly reduced necessity for nuclear testing
  and the urgent need for environmental cleanup;
  (2) convey to the Soviet Union the desire of the United States to resume
  immediately bilateral nuclear testing talks to identify and agree upon a
  definite timetable for the early achievement of a verifiable comprehensive
  test ban; and
  (3) express to the signatory nations of the Limited Test Ban Treaty the
  willingness of the United States to prepare for and pursue negotiations in
  good faith in the conference called to amend the Limited Test Ban Treaty
  and provide for a verifiable comprehensive test ban.