Cold temperatures greeted those who had arrived for the Watec Israel 2019 Conference in Tel Aviv several weeks ago.
This conference, perhaps more than any other forum, shows just how much of a powerhouse Israel has become in the field of water technology and innovation.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
The guest of honor and keynote speaker was United States' Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler, who spoke with Israel Hayom on the side of the conference.
He has a lot of praise on the Jewish state, noting with admiration that Israel manages to reuse more than 87% of its water.
"I am here to speak about water issues, and that is certainly one area where I believe we have a lot to learn from Israel; on water issues, on the water that is recycled here. We only recycle 6% of our water in the United States, and earlier this year we issued a draft recycling plan," he said.
"We are trying to move in that direction a lot more, but there is a lot of other areas in which we cooperate with Israel. Last year I signed a new memorandum of understanding and this was to reaffirm our commitment to both countries. Last month Israel sent a team from the Environmental Protection Ministry to the US to take a look at some of the environmental remediation in similar-type sites. So we took them to Virginia and Missouri and Nevada and they took a look at some of our cleanup technology to see what they could use here."
An example of just how close the two nations are when it comes to this field is the exports between them. Israeli exports in water technology totaled a value of 850 million dollars in 2018, and more than 21% of these exports were to the United States.
Q: What is the long term project, in one sentence, in Israel?
"I would say it is water technology. Israel is certainly taking the lead internationally on water reuse and recycling. It is exchanging information, technology, staff, working together on water policy between our two nations."
Q: There is a claim that the Trump administration weakened the EPA, what do you say about that?
"So the US EPA measures 6 criteria air pollutants. We have measured them since 1970. We have reduced the six criteria air pollutants 74% since 1970, in addition all six pollutants have continued to decrease during the administration despite the fact that we have increased our economy and increased our manufacturing. The same is true on the water side. Back in 1970, 40% of our water systems failed to meet EPA standards, on a daily basis. Today over 90% of our water systems meet EPA standards every day ... reducing our fossil fuels in a much more environmentally conscious manner than most of our international competitors. The mainstream media is not giving the Trump administration credit for anything, but I think they listen to some of the national environmental organizations that are very much in tune with the Democratic Party, and all three use the same talking points and are quite often wrong about the environment and the administration."
Wheeler, who is in his 50s, has joined the EPA in the early 1990s, and is very critical of the discourse in the mainstream media when it comes to environmental issues.
"I try to speak to the average American, bypassing the media, with maximum transparency," he says.
When asked about a recent New York Times report that the EPA was going to place new guidelines that would require scientists to reveal the raw data they have before the EPA can assess their studies, he shot back, saying this was a great example of fake news.
He claimed that contrary to what has been reported, EPA protects personal information just like any other federal agency. He also noted that the whole point of the new guidelines was to make the science more accessible to the general public and to allow regulators to make an informed decision when they rule on certain issues.
Wheeler also made a surprising comment on animal testing, saying that it would be preferable if research would be based on computerized simulations and molecular biology.
He said that he had instructed his agency to reduce testing on mammals by 30% by 2025 and end it altogether by 2035. This will make the EPA "the first federal agency that would set a concrete date to end this practice," he said.
Q: So water diplomacy helps Israel fight boycott campaigns and has opened Israeli exports to more than 100 countries, is that true?
"Two of the issues that have been of concern in the Middle East have been energy and water. And I think the advancement that Israel has taken over the past few years – particularly on energy independence, the discovery of natural gas in the waters off the coast, the advancements on the water side – has really positioned Israel well to be both an energy and a water hub, not just in the Middle East, but internationally. We have created what we call water hub cities in the US. I see Israel becoming a water hub country ... [The city of] Flint, Michigan, in the United States, had a huge problem with lead contaminating the water pipes. They have done a lot of work over the last four or five years to clean up the lead in the water. And we are now are using them as a poster child for what other communities that have a problem with lead could do. I certainly see where Israel could help other neighbors in the Middle East with water technology, desalinization, water reuse and recycling."
And this can help in diplomacy?
"Yes, absolutely. I think water and energy are probably two of the biggest diplomacy issues and I think Israel is well situated to be a leader on both."
