Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05TELAVIV6332
2005-11-03 15:37:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Tel Aviv
Cable title:  

SHIMON PERES ASKS ADMINISTRATOR JOHNSON FOR EPA

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UNCLAS TEL AVIV 006332 

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/IPA, NEA/RA, OES/PCI, OES/ENV, AND OES/STC
USEPA FOR INTERNATIONAL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV PREL EIND KSCA PGOV IS ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
SUBJECT: SHIMON PERES ASKS ADMINISTRATOR JOHNSON FOR EPA
ADVICE ON HAZARDOUS WASTE DISPOSAL

REF: A. TEL AVIV 5044

B. 04 TEL AVIV 6550

C. 04 TEL AVIV 2901

UNCLAS TEL AVIV 006332

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/IPA, NEA/RA, OES/PCI, OES/ENV, AND OES/STC
USEPA FOR INTERNATIONAL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV PREL EIND KSCA PGOV IS ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
SUBJECT: SHIMON PERES ASKS ADMINISTRATOR JOHNSON FOR EPA
ADVICE ON HAZARDOUS WASTE DISPOSAL

REF: A. TEL AVIV 5044

B. 04 TEL AVIV 6550

C. 04 TEL AVIV 2901


1. Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres has written to USEPA
Administrator Johnson requesting that a team of 2-3 EPA
experts visit Israel for one week to advise on sustainable
solutions for the Ramat Hovav chemical industry and hazardous
waste disposal site located in the Negev. Embassy has
provided the text of the letter to EPA, NEA and OES, along
with a recent tender for consulting services that provides
extensive information about Ramat Hovav. The Israeli Embassy
will be delivering the original of the letter to USEPA.


2. The Ramat Hovav Industrial Park includes 17 industrial
plants which produce a variety of hazardous wastes, Israel's
only hazardous waste treatment plant, and a wastewater
treatment plant with 150 hectares of evaporation ponds. The
issue of Ramat Hovav is a very important one for the GOI, as
it will have a direct impact on Israel's development plans
for the Negev. There is a dispute between the Ministry of
Environment and the industries at the site, with MOE wanting
all hazardous liquids eliminated at Ramat Hovav and industry
wanting to pipe some treated effluents to the sea.


3. The EPA team would be advising a court-appointed mediator
in the ongoing dispute between the companies at the site and
MOE regarding allowable discharges. Israel is looking for
both subject matter and regulatory advice, including what
technologies are available to address problems at the site
and economic/regulatory approaches that could support a
sustainable solution. An ideal team might include an
economics/regulatory expert, someone knowledgeable about the
chemistries of the wastes at the site, and a technology
expert. As VPM Peres notes in his letter to Administrator
Johnson, the mediator is to conclude his work by the end of

2005.


4. The Peres letter notes that the Israeli side will cover
the expenses of the EPA team. Embassy asks that EPA provide
an estimate of those costs. Embassy point of contact for the
requested visit is ESTH Officer Bob Tansey,
TanseyRJ@state.gov.

********************************************* ********************
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http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/telaviv

You can also access this site through the State Department's
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JONES