October 25, 2006

The Okrug Governor’s press-service informs:

Yesterday in the settlement of Solnechny, Surgut District, the construction of the sports center "Atlant" was completed.

It had been constructed for twenty years. The construction was started in the mid of the 80-s and was "frozen". But in 2004 on the initiative of Ugra Governor Alexander Filipenko and Mayor of the Surgut District Dmitri Makuschenko it was made a decision to renew the construction, expected by the population. It was financed from two sources: regional and municipal budgets. The constructor of the "Atlant" is the company "Surgutgasstroi".

At the opening ceremony of the putting the sports center into operation Governor of the Autonomous Okrug said that its construction was an example of effective cooperation of the public authorities of two levels under the realization of the socially important programs. "I am confident that the possibilities of the "Atlant" center will be used by people of Solnechny and the whole District", - said Alexander Filipenko.

The "Atlant provides great opportunities. On the total area of 4 ths. 424 sq.m there are two gyms, fitness-club, billiard, sauna, hotel for 40 rooms, conference-hall, mini-buffet, volleyball, basketball, mini-football, various sports clubs. Next week the All-Russia Cross-bow Shooting Championships will be started. In the near future three more sports facilities will be constructed at the Surgut District.

October 25, 2006

The Okrug Governor’s press-service informs:

On October 24 in Nefteyugansk it was held the meeting where the issues of license agreements fulfillment and environmental legislation requirements observance while the development of hydrocarbon raw materials base in Siberia were discussed. The Minister of Natural Resources Yuri Trutnev, representative of Russia’s President in the Urals Federal District Petr Latyshev, Governor of Ugra Alexander Filipenko, First Deputy Prosecutor General Alexander Buksman, leaders of federal control bodies and law-enforcement bodies, representatives of oil-producing companies participated in the meeting.

Alexander Filipenko made a report and stressed the significance of oil companies effective activity in the Autonomous Okrug for Russia’s economy: "Half of the Russian oil will be produced on the fields of hydrocarbon raw materials of Ugra in the near 20-30 years. The prosperity of the state depends on how effectively and rationally we use natural resources". In his opinion, today not all the participants of the nature resources industrial development process observe the environmental legislation while their activity. As a result, the damage is made to nature of the North. Unfortunately, penalties for the damage are not adequate to the to the size of the damage" in Alexander Filipenko’s opinion.

"In the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug there is a specific position in this regard",- said Governor of Ugra. "This position was announced many times – from the formation of inter-corporate process which made serious damage to Russia’s economy up to the observance of environmental legislation provisions. Today we should react to any violations effectively and fast. It needs coordination in our everyday work of federal bodies, state and municipal authorities. It is necessary to work out the adequate measures, economic sanctions for the damage for enterprises and companies, which break the environmental legislation. It should prevent them from breaking it again".

After the reports by the leaders of the federal control bodies of Ugra Yuri Trutnev expressed his dissatisfaction regarding their work: "I cannot say that I am fully satisfied with the results of today’s meeting. I will free officials from their positions for such reports". He told bodies to make more specific reports with names of the companies and figures. Abstract data about existing "mass violations of the environmental legislation" were reported at the meeting. The participants spoke about thirty small and middle oil- and gas-producing companies.

The First Deputy Prosecutor General Alexander Buksman gave a bad estimation to the activity of federal bodies Risprirodnadzor, Rosnedra. He noted the non-coordinated activity, principles and approaches to the environmental activity, and expressed hope that at the joint Board of the Natural Resources Ministry and Prosecutor’s Office, held in November, the coordinated directions in this socially important work will be worked out.

Yuri Trutnev, Petr Latyshev and Alexander Filipenko gave a big press-conference in Nefteyugansk for numerous mass media, accredited at the meeting.