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Semyon Vainshtok reported to the head of state on modifications to the project of constructing the Eastern Siberia – Pacific Ocean oil pipeline. The major decision concerning these modifications was taken 26 April at a meeting on the social and economic development of the regions of the Siberian Federal District. At that meeting Vladimir Putin suggested moving the part of the oil pipeline which would have gone right beside Lake Baikal to beyond the reach of the lake’s catchment area. This measure is designed to prevent pollution in Lake Baikal in the event of an extraordinary situation.

The new project provides that the Eastern Siberia – Pacific Ocean pipeline will be laid closer to an oil field, which is therefore easier to access, and will pass 400 km away from the lake, Semyon Vainshtok reported. Such a decision will not only minimize the environmental risks but will also lower the construction costs of the Eastern Siberia – Pacific Ocean oil pipeline.