Cablegate: Germany May Name Official Delegates to the Methane

VZCZCXRO8265
RR RUEHAST RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB RUEHPOD RUEHTM
DE RUEHRL #1026 2110714
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 290714Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY BERLIN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1780
INFO RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS BERLIN 001026

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS
STATE FOR AGS, OES
PLEASE PASS TO ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY: FERLAND

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV KGHG ENRG EUN GM
SUBJECT: GERMANY MAY NAME OFFICIAL DELEGATES TO THE METHANE
TO MARKETS PARTNERSHIP SOON

REF: A. 07 STATE 46836
B. 06 STATE 52612

1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The U.S. Embassy in Berlin has repeatedly
engaged German Environment Ministry (BMU) officials to
encourage their active participation in the Methane to
Markets (M2M) Partnership. While Germany became a Partner
Country to the Partnership in July 2006, it has yet submit
the names of its representatives for the Steering Committee
or any of the four Subcommittees and it has yet to send
official delegates to any committee meetings. BMU contacts
recently told the Embassy that this situation may change soon.

2. (SBU) Since summer 2006, the Embassy has worked with the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to encourage Germany's
active engagement in the Partnership. In November 2007, the
BMU sent Stefan Lechtenboehmer, co-Director of the Wuppertal
Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, on their
behalf to attend the M2M Expo in China. However, no
government officials have attended any M2M committee
meetings.

3. (SBU) EMBOFFs meet with Martin Schoepe, Head of Division,
and Axel Conrads, Desk Officer, from the Energy, Environment
and Project-Based Mechanisms division of the BMU's
International and EU Affairs office June 26. Conrads and
Schoepe confirmed that Germany supports the M2M Partnership
but that the Environment Ministry is understaffed to the
point that they cannot devote more resources to it at this
time. Both Conrads and Schoepe stressed that Germany has no
issue with the Methane to Markets Partnership itself.
Schoepe said that he expected to receive additional funding
in the fall that would allow for him to hire another employee
and that the M2M Partnership would be a central part of this
new employee's portfolio. Schoepe and Conrads were unable to
provide the Embassy with a list of its representatives to the
Steering Committee or any of the four Subcommittees
(agriculture, coal mines, landfills, and oil and gas
systems).

4. (SBU) COMMENT: However, the Embassy continues to press
this issue and is therefore hopeful that the Environment
Ministry may re-focus its engagement ahead of the next
Steering Committee meeting in January 2009. END COMMENT.
KOENIG

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