US embassy cable - 05TELAVIV6332

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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JONES