US embassy cable - 05OTTAWA2057

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, Manitoba, Devils Lake, Environment 
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