U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 2 Administrator, Alan J. Steinberg, will be visiting the Israeli Ministry of the Environment (MoE) on June 30 and July 1 in an exchange of environmental expertise and information. Mr. Steinberg will meet with the MoE Director General, Shai Avital and other environmental officials, as well as visit Ramat Hovav, a chemical manufacturing and hazardous waste disposal site in the Negev Desert.

“Meeting with our Israeli colleagues fosters a mutually positive relationship, allowing our experts to lend knowledge and gain insight,” said Alan J. Steinberg. “I plan to visit Ramat Hovav and witness firsthand the positive results of the technical assistance provided by EPA to the Israeli government to help in cleaning up this chemical industry site.

The Ramat Hovav site was established in 1975 by the Israeli government to concentrate the heavy chemical industry of southern Israel in a single, unpopulated location. In recent years, actions have been taken to improve the quality of the water, soil and air in the area and to improve the treatment of hazardous waste. In 2002, the Ministry of the Environment deemed the central biological wastewater treatment plant incapable of treating the industrial wastewater from Ramat Hovav to required levels. There were sewage discharges, which caused airborne pollutants, as well as a powerful, foul odor.

In December 2005, EPA experts in hazardous waste, air, and ground water compliance went to Israel to discuss details of Ramat Hovav and lend technical advice. Now, three years later, EPA will evaluate the progress of the site and make any necessary recommendations.  In addition, in March 2007, two EPA scientists visited Jerusalem and Nahariya to give a workshop about asbestos contamination.

Regional Administrator Steinberg will also meet with Vice Director General Yossi Inbar to discuss Israel’s energy and other environmental policies. These meetings exemplify the burgeoning relationship between EPA and MoE.

For more information about EPA’s international partnerships, please visit: http://www.epa.gov/oia