SUCCESSFUL EPA WORKSHOP CONCLUDES

UNCLAS MUSCAT 001384 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/PI, OES/PCI STATE PASS EPA TPRATHER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL SENV KMPI MU SUBJECT: SUCCESSFUL EPA WORKSHOP CONCLUDES ¶1. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),in association with the International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement, the Omani Ministry of Regional Municipalities, Environment, and Water Resources, and Petroleum Development Oman (PDO),concluded a successful four-day Principles of Environmental Impact Assessment (PEIA) workshop on September 20 in Muscat. The workshop, funded by the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI),brought together over 35 environmental professionals from Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen to discuss the strengthening of environmental institutions and utilization of best practices to protect public health and steward environmental resources. The workshop built upon commitments enshrined in the Memorandum of Understanding on Environmental Cooperation, which is a component of the U.S.-Oman Free Trade Agreement. ¶2. In addition to the instruction provided by three EPA facilitators, Colonel Sulieman al-Busaidy, Superintendent General for Pollution Control of the Omani Ministry of Regional Municipalities, Environment, and Water Resources, provided opening remarks on Oman's commitment to enforce its environmental regulations. The workshop also featured a presentation from Saeed al-Mamary, Terminal Operations Manager for PDO, on company efforts to recycle oil production by-products. The EPA will follow up on the success of this workshop in November with a training course in Muscat tailored for reviewers of environmental impact assessments. GRAPPO