VZCZCXRO8265
RR RUEHAST RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB RUEHPOD RUEHTM
DE RUEHRL #1026 2110714
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 290714Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY BERLIN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1780
INFO RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS BERLIN 001026 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
STATE FOR AGS, OES 
PLEASE PASS TO ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY: FERLAND 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV KGHG ENRG EUN GM
SUBJECT: GERMANY MAY NAME OFFICIAL DELEGATES TO THE METHANE 
TO MARKETS PARTNERSHIP SOON 
 
REF: A. 07 STATE 46836 
     ¶B. 06 STATE 52612 
 
 ¶1. (SBU)  SUMMARY: The U.S. Embassy in Berlin has repeatedly 
engaged German Environment Ministry (BMU) officials to 
encourage their active participation in the Methane to 
Markets (M2M) Partnership.  While Germany became a Partner 
Country to the Partnership in July 2006, it has yet submit 
the names of its representatives for the Steering Committee 
or any of the four Subcommittees and it has yet to send 
official delegates to any committee meetings.  BMU contacts 
recently told the Embassy that this situation may change soon. 
 
¶2. (SBU)  Since summer 2006, the Embassy has worked with the 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to encourage Germany's 
active engagement in the Partnership.  In November 2007, the 
BMU sent Stefan Lechtenboehmer, co-Director of the Wuppertal 
Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, on their 
behalf to attend the M2M Expo in China.  However, no 
government officials have attended any M2M committee 
meetings. 
 
¶3. (SBU) EMBOFFs meet with Martin Schoepe, Head of Division, 
and Axel Conrads, Desk Officer, from the Energy, Environment 
and Project-Based Mechanisms division of the BMU's 
International and EU Affairs office June 26.  Conrads and 
Schoepe confirmed that Germany supports the M2M Partnership 
but that the Environment Ministry is understaffed to the 
point that they cannot devote more resources to it at this 
time.  Both Conrads and Schoepe stressed that Germany has no 
issue with the Methane to Markets Partnership itself. 
Schoepe said that he expected to receive additional funding 
in the fall that would allow for him to hire another employee 
and that the M2M Partnership would be a central part of this 
new employee's portfolio.  Schoepe and Conrads were unable to 
provide the Embassy with a list of its representatives to the 
Steering Committee or any of the four Subcommittees 
(agriculture, coal mines, landfills, and oil and gas 
systems). 
 
¶4. (SBU)  COMMENT: However, the Embassy continues to press 
this issue and is therefore hopeful that the Environment 
Ministry may re-focus its engagement ahead of the next 
Steering Committee meeting in January 2009.  END COMMENT. 
KOENIG