VZCZCXRO6965
RR RUEHLN
DE RUEHHE #0549 2000913
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 190913Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY HELSINKI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3590
INFO RUEHCP/AMEMBASSY COPENHAGEN 4097
RUEHTL/AMEMBASSY TALLINN 4181
RUEHSM/AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM 8640
RUEHRA/AMEMBASSY RIGA 0860
RUEHVL/AMEMBASSY VILNIUS 3175
RUEHLN/AMCONSUL ST PETERSBURG 0142

UNCLAS HELSINKI 000549 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
COPENHAGEN FOR EST OFFICE 
STATE for IIP/GLORIA STEELE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV OIIP EWWT EPET KPAO EN FI
SUBJECT: OIL SPILL EXPERT VISITS FINLAND 
 
 
¶1. (U) Embassy Helsinki organized a two-day visit 
by Dr. John Devens, Executive Director of the 
Prince William Sound Regional Citizens' Advisory 
Council (PWSRCAC), on May 18-19, 2007. Dr. Devens 
was Mayor of Valdez, Alaska during the 1989 Exxon 
Valdez oil spill.  One of the first NGOs of its 
kind, the PWSRCAC was created to provide citizens a 
voice in the regional decisions of the oil industry 
and to reduce pollution from oil transportation in 
the region. 
 
¶2. (U) Due to the rapid rise in oil transportation 
in the Baltic Sea, oil spill prevention has emerged 
as a very visible issue for Finnish citizens; the 
GoF lists it as one of its top emergency response 
concerns.  Events during Dr. Devens' visit included 
a visit to the Baltic Sea Traffic Coordination 
Center in Helsinki, followed by a seminar on 
combating oil spills organized by the US Embassy, 
Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, and WWF 
Finland.  Dr. Devens delivered the keynote address 
during the seminar which reached 150 people 
interested in preparing for and preventing oil 
spills in the Baltic Sea.  Dr. Devens was also 
interviewed by numerous journalists, garnering 
extensive print, television, and radio coverage in 
both Finnish and Swedish. 
 
¶3. (U) Dr. Devens was also the guest of honor at a 
dinner hosted by the Deputy Chief of Mission; 
dinner participants included many of the leading 
Finnish government and transportation security 
experts, as well as Risto Volanen, State Secretary 
in the Prime Minister's Office.  On the second day 
of his visit, Dr. Devens spoke to approximately 60 
volunteers outside of Helsinki at a mock oil clean- 
up exercise organized by NGO WWF Finland.  The 
participants were very interested in Dr. Devens' 
first-hand experiences and his thoughts on proper 
training and advance preparation in combating oil 
spills. 
 
¶4. (U) Dr. Devens was very effective at 
communicating his message to each target audience. 
His experience as Mayor of Valdez during a severe 
crisis made it easy for him to sympathize with the 
concerns and challenges faced by GoF authorities 
and non-governmental organizations preparing to 
deal with the consequences of a significant spill 
in the Baltic Sea.  Dr. Devens also participated in 
an extensive program organized by Embassy Tallinn, 
further highlighting this serious regional 
challenge. 
 
 
¶5. (U) Result:  Dr. Devens' visit successfully 
raised awareness about oil spill prevention in the 
sensitive Baltic Sea region and it resulted in 
favorable local press coverage and goodwill for the 
Embassy, especially on the environmental front. 
Dr. Devens was able to interact with a wide cross 
section of Finnish society including government 
officials, academics, journalists, business 
contacts and interested citizens.  The immediate 
feedback from participants was very positive, 
resulting in many fresh ideas and practical 
guidance for planning and preparing for an oil 
spill.  Coming from a NGO background, Dr. Devens 
shared clear examples on synergistic collaboration 
between government, NGOs and private corporations. 
 
¶6. (U) Post thanks IIP for excellent support in 
bringing Dr. Devens to Finland.  We look forward to 
working further with IIP to schedule other speakers 
in the future. 
WARE