RUSSIAN ENVIRONMENT MINISTRY PROPOSES MEETING WITH NEW EPA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MOSCOW 000454 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR OES/PCI EPA FOR ELLA BARNES E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SENV ECON PREL RS SUBJECT: RUSSIAN ENVIRONMENT MINISTRY PROPOSES MEETING WITH NEW EPA ADMINISTRATOR, REINVIGORATED COOPERATION MOSCOW 00000454 001.2 OF 002 SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED -- NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: On January 23, the Director of International Cooperation at the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology (MNRE) praised past U.S.-Russian environmental cooperation and suggested an initial meeting between EPA Administrator Jackson and MNRE Minister Trutnev this spring. MNRE and Embassy representatives discussed options for further joint work, which the Russian side suggested might best be advanced through a non-binding memorandum of cooperation. This enthusiasm at the MNRE was an encouraging contrast to the more cautiously optimistic tone of other GOR ministries responsible for environment, science and health issues. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (U) On January 23, EST Counselor and the Embassy's environment affairs staff accompanied Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Program Manager Eleonora Barnes to a meeting with Igor Maydanov, Director of the MNRE Department of International Cooperation. Maydanov was accompanied by his deputy Igor Shumakov; Dmitriy Kuznetsov of the Arctic Contaminants Action Program (ACAP) Secretariat; Andrey Peshkov, Director of the Office of Cooperation in Radiation Security and Waste Management in the International Cooperation Department; and staff member Igor Zotov. ¶3. (SBU) Noting that there had been important changes in the Russian government structure, Maydanov explained that functions previously dispersed among ten or so different agencies had been consolidated within MNRE. Maydanov welcomed the appointment of new EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and expressed his hope that both sides would look together at key sectors and determine priorities for future work. He proposed an exchange of proposals for introductory meetings between EPA's new senior team and Russian counterparts, hopefully at the level of Administrator-Minister. He said that the Russian side would be prepared to exchange initial proposals as early as the end of February, with a visit to be organized -- in either Moscow or Washington -- as early as May. When the U.S. side cautioned that arrangements might take longer than one month because of the political transition, Maydanov proposed allowing two to three months to agree upon a meeting date and priorities for cooperation. ¶4. (SBU) Both sides agreed that environmental cooperation plays a key role in bilateral relations. Maydanov recalled past discussions about a non-binding memorandum of cooperation between MNRE and EPA encompassing a wide range of cooperative activities, possibly to include conservation of biodiversity, hazardous waste remediation and management, scientific cooperation, innovations and partnerships, and emerging issues related to pollution from marine transportation to address problems related to climate change, technical exchange programs, and training on legal and regulatory enforcement. Maydanov said that the Russian Ministry of Finance had approved the ratification of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, and that the Duma would discuss the ratification documents in the spring of 2009. Barnes agreed that MNRE and EPA should continue to explore deepening work on issues of mutual concern, including persistent organic pollutants (POPs), transboundary pollution, and mercury management. Maydanov proposed that it would be wise to begin with an agreement among top officials of the two agencies to strengthen cooperation, perhaps through a signed document. ¶5. (SBU) Maydanov noted the history of successful work under the Arctic Council's Arctic Contaminants Action Program (ACAP). Peshkov noted that the United States is one of the largest supporters of ACAP activities. ¶6. (SBU) EST Counselor suggested cooperation to combat illegal logging, including by U.S. and Russian law enforcement. Maydanov said that this topic could be complicated, depending upon its context and focus. The Russian State Forestry Agency, an autonomous agency formerly affiliated with MNRE but reassigned in June 2008 to the authority of the Ministry of Agriculture, is responsible for forestry management on land where logging is permitted. MNRE oversees federally protected lands, where logging is banned. If illegal logging takes place on federally protected lands, then law enforcement agencies must be involved. ¶7. (SBU) Comment: There is already a wide range of ongoing and productive cooperation on environmental protection between our two countries at the working level. MNRE's enthusiasm to begin MOSCOW 00000454 002.2 OF 002 cooperation with the new U.S. administration is an encouraging contrast with the more cautiously optimistic attitude we have encountered at other GOR ministries responsible for environment, science, and health issues. A written understanding would not only reaffirm our joint political commitment to environmental cooperation, but also advance projects that have been delayed and assist in launching new initiatives. BEYRLE