AMBASSADOR MEETS MANITOBA PREMIER GARY DOER TO TALK

UNCLAS OTTAWA 002057 SIPDIS SENSITIVE STATE FOR WHA/CAN AND OES WHITE HOUSE FOR CEQ/DINAH BEAR E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL SENV CA SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR MEETS MANITOBA PREMIER GARY DOER TO TALK DEVILS LAKE APP WINNIPEG MESSAGE 2005/04 ¶1. SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED -- HANDLE ACCORDINGLY. ¶2. (SBU) Ambassador Wilkins took advantage of a transit stop in Winnipeg to meet with Manitoba Premier Gary Doer in the airport transit lounge. Other than a brief discussion of the BSE crisis (where the Ambassador reminded the Premier of the USG commitment to reopen the border as soon as possible),the topic of discussion was the looming crisis with North Dakota over the Devils Lake outlet. ¶3. (SBU) Premier Doer handed the Ambassador a map showing the "coalition" of states and provinces in favor of a reference of the matter to the International Joint Commission (IJC) (including Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Montana). The map shows North Dakota as the only state opposing a reference. The Premier said he understood the political dimensions to the problem, and said he had hoped an amicable solution could have been found after Governor Hoeven's reelection last year. Doer (who was accompanied by Diane Gray, Associate Deputy Minister for Federal-Provincial and International Relations and Trade) did not spend much time on the science, but instead repeatedly referred to a June 9 letter from Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty to Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Chairman James Connaughton. Doer said that Pawlenty's letter is an clear echo of Manitoba's position and that it presents a clear way forward to resolve the issue. The Ambassador asked if the letter suggests a joint reference to the IJC, and Doer said that it does, but that there are ways to move toward a resolution without a full reference. However he did reiterate his position that as soon as a single drop of water passes through the outlet then the "damage is done." ¶4. (SBU) Ambassador Wilkins, noting that everyone he spoke to on the issue (including the Prime Minister, Canadian Ambassador Frank McKenna, and North Dakota Governor John Hoeven among others) brought a real passion to it. He reiterated the vital importance of the current process in the CEQ, and urged the Premier to work seriously in that process to find a solution that does not require a reference to the IJC, because frankly there was no time for that now. ¶5. (SBU) Doer noted that Pawlenty's letter lays out a good road map for such a solution, including installation of a sand filter and a North Dakota commitment to not build an inlet to Devils Lake from the Missouri River. Doer also noted that adherence to the terms of the Boundary Waters Treaty was a policy reiterated by the President in the Waco Summit, so Manitoba was acting to support the President's policy. Finally, he said this is not a Canada-US issue since there are 10 US states that support the idea of a reference. Ambassador pointed out again that it was important to see the CEQ process through to a solution that did not include an IJC reference. 6.(U) APP WINNIPEG SENDS. WILKINS