The Reorganization of Russia's Environmental Bureaucracy: Implications and Prospects

Abstract

A decree by Russian President Vladimir Putin in May 2000 abolished the Russian Federation State Committee for Environmental Protection and shifted its personnel and responsibilities for environmental protection to the Russian Federation Ministry of Natural Resources. The authors argue that, official statements to the contrary, the move signals an effort by the Russian government to weaken environmental regulations and to promote natural resource development and foreign investment. The paper examines the causes for the environment committee's demise, reviews efforts to have the decision reversed, and provides an outlook for environmental protection under the new organizational arrangements.