Cablegate: U.S./Canada Environmental Discussions and Cec

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 OTTAWA 002047

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

STATE FOR WHA/CAN, WHA/MEX, AND OES/ENV (VAN HOOGSTRATEN)
EPA FOR THE ADMINISTRATOR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV ENRG CA MX
SUBJECT: U.S./CANADA ENVIRONMENTAL DISCUSSIONS AND CEC
COUNCIL MEETING

1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for distribution
outside USG channels.

2. (SBU) Summary: On the margins of the 12th annual
meeting of the Council of the Commission for Environmental
Cooperation (CEC) in Quebec City June 21-22, EPA
Administrator Stephen Johnson reviewed a wide range of water,
air quality, climate change, and other environmental issues
with Canadian Environment Minister Stephane Dion. The CEC
meeting served to update the U.S., Canadian, and Mexican
delegations on CEC activities and goals, and the member
countries approved the organization's Strategic Plan for the
next five years. End summary.

Bilateral Environmental Discussions
-----------------------------------

3. (SBU) Minister Dion began the meeting with Administrator
Johnson by stating that he believes the overall environmental
relationship between the two countries is very positive.
Dion said that transboundary water issues have become a key
element of the relationship, and noted that the proposed
outlet at Devils Lake, North Dakota, where flooding has
caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damages, has
already been discussed directly by President Bush and Prime
Minister Martin. Dion commented that, in his opinion, the
International Joint Commission (IJC) remains the best forum
to resolve the dispute, with an IJC-like process the second
best solution. Administrator Johnson stated that the good
news on Devils Lake is that it is now receiving appropriate
high level attention in Washington.

4. (SBU) The Administrator noted that water issues will
become increasingly important for both countries, for three
primary reasons: 1) security of water systems and potential
vulnerabilities; 2) water quality and the related issue of
invasive species; and 3) sustainability of supply and aging
water infrastructure. Johnson further noted that he has been
actively involved in putting together a collaborative
strategy on the Great Lakes, where there are more than 100
conservation programs at local, state, and federal levels.
More than 30 million Americans, he observed, depend on the
Great Lakes for drinking water. Dion agreed that water
quality in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence will become
increasingly important for Canada as well, and suggested that
the two countries find a way to approach water issues in the
same regular, comprehensive fashion used for air quality.
Johnson noted that the timing for instituting regular
discussions on water quality may be good, as IJC is preparing
a report on Great Lakes water quality, and that EPA will soon
release a draft strategy on the Great Lakes for public
comment.

5. (SBU) With regard to climate change, Dion stated that
Canada is comfortable with both the U.S. and European (i.e.,
Kyoto signatories) approaches to reducing greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions. As it prepares to host the 11th Conference
of Parties (COP-11) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate
Change in Montreal in November, Dion said that Canada will be
seeking some kind of declaration to bridge the rhetorical gap
between Kyoto's signatories and non-signatories. Dion
observed that differing approaches to climate change have not
stopped extensive cooperation between the United States and
Canada. He also noted that domestically, Canada has the
biggest challenge of all the Kyoto signatories in reducing
GHG emissions. Dion said that Canada should view this as an
opportunity to promote energy diversity and security, and
that plans for a carbon market will also present an
opportunity to increase Canada's overall energy efficiency.

6. (SBU) On air quality, Dion said that he was very pleased
with the work of the Canada/U.S. Air Quality Committee,
although he expressed some frustration with the slow process
of negotiating an annex on Particulate Matter (PM). Johnson
noted that a major priority for the Administration is to get
the Clear Skies Initiative passed, as it would write into law
current EPA regulations which will reduce sulfur dioxide,
nitrous oxides, and mercury emissions by up to 70 percent.
Johnson added that there has been a clear demonstration of
negative health effects of PM, and programs to reduce PM
create a variety of options for cross border cooperation.

7. (SBU) Administrator Johnson noted that there is now an
excellent opportunity to settle the matter of the Teck
Cominco Metals smelter mine. Pollutants from the British
Columbia facility have built up over time in Washington
state's Lake Roosevelt, and EPA is considering various
assessment and clean-up options. Dion commented that Canada
could not accept an "extraterritorial" application of U.S.
law, but said a Memorandum of Understanding on joint
investigation of the problem could prove satisfactory.
Regarding the "Victoria M," a derelict U.S. vessel mistakenly
scuttled in Canadian waters, Administrator Johnson commented
that no firms submitted proposals when EPA put out recovery
of the vessel for a fixed-price bid. Johnson added that EPA
has now asked the U.S. Navy for a specific proposal.

8. (SBU) Regarding trilateral issues, Johnson and Dion both
noted that the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP)
presents opportunities for trilateral cooperation, but that
any activities under the SPP need to be handled carefully in
light of the ongoing work of the CEC. Both noted approvingly
that Mexico's recent announcement that it will move to
low-sulfur diesel fuel was a result of activities within the
broader SPP framework.

12th Regular Session of the CEC Council
---------------------------------------

9. (U) The 12th regular session of the CEC Council opened
with brief remarks by the heads of each of the three national
delegations: Minister Dion, Administrator Johnson, and
Mexican Head of Delegation Jose Manuel Bulas Montoro. Also
addressing the opening session were Quebec Minister of
Sustainable Development and Environment Thomas Mulcair,
Arturo Duran, chair of the CEC's Joint Public Advisory
Committee, and William Kennedy, CEC Executive Director.
Kennedy took note of the many CEC activities during the year,
including reports on sound management of chemicals, maize and
biodiversity, North American power plant emissions, the "Baja
to Bering" marine priority conservation areas study, and the
Pollutant Release and Transfer Registry.

10. (SBU) At the Council's in-camera sessions, the parties
adopted the CEC Strategic Plan for 2005-2010. The Strategic
Plan envisions a results-oriented strategy focused on
information for decision-making, capacity building, trade and
environment, and expanding partnerships for environmental
stewardship. The Strategic Plan further reaffirms the
commitments laid out in the "Puebla Declaration," adopted in
2004 on the tenth anniversary of the North American Agreement
on Environmental Cooperation, which envisions the CEC as a
catalyst for regional action and discussion of North American
environment and economic concerns. The Council then heard
from various working groups which had studied specific issues
over the preceding months, including activities focusing on
Information, the North American Atlas Framework, Trade and
Environment, and Capacity Building, as well as a session with
Business Associations.

11. (SBU) The Information group, noting that the Puebla
Declaration calls for credible, balanced and timely
information on the North American environment, reported that
its key objectives are strengthening the capacity of decision
makers to understand continental issues, establishing an
environmental information and knowledge framework,
identifying emerging trends and issues, and communicating
environmental information to facilitate action. The North
American Atlas Framework group reported that air quality and
emissions can be the first part of a comprehensive digital
data system under the Framework, a system which will
ultimately contain environmental information in a variety of
formats, including linked maps and spreadsheets, to identify
potential problems and areas for action. The Framework will
also improve comparability and compatibility of data reported
by the member countries, and help bridge the gap between
technical data and policy considerations.

12. (SBU) The Trade and Environment group operates under
article 10(6) of the North American Agreement on
Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC), which mandates the CEC to
cooperate with the NAFTA Free Trade Commission (FTC) to
achieve the environmental goals of NAFTA. The group reported
that its objectives are to encourage trade in "green"
products, as well as increase the capacity to identify trade
related environmental concerns and improve collaboration and
coordination among members. The group is also developing
training materials to identify, analyze, and take enforcement
action against trade in harmful substances and protected
species.

13. (SBU) The Capacity Building group, acknowledging that
the development of institutional capacities is especially
important to Mexico, reported on projects to improve training
for wildlife inspectors and enforcement personnel, to
establish alliances for integrated environmental enforcement
in selected industries and regions, and to develop
instruments to promote effective ecosystem management. The
development of an integrated environmental enforcement regime
for Mexico will promote capacity building in Mexican federal,
state, and municipal government agencies and in the private
sector, with incentives for businesses to improve their
environmental performance.

14. (SBU) The session for Business Associations included
the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the U.S. Council for
International Business, and Mexico's Confederacion de Camaras
Industriales. After a presentation by each of the
associations, the session focused on how the parties can
interest the private sector in actions consistent with CEC
goals, which models may be useful for private sector
involvement, how achievable goals may be set, and what
product or report would be most useful for the next Council
session.

15. (SBU) The CEC 12th Regular Session concluded with a
meeting between the Council, the parties, and the Joint
Public Advisory Committee, comprised of public representative
appointed by each of the parties. The parties also released
a Ministerial Statement announcing the Strategic Plan and
reaffirming CEC goals.

16. (U) This message has been cleared by EPA.

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