Enhancing Cooperation Between the United States and Greenland

Economic, Technical, and Environmental Cooperation

Under the joint declarations on Economic and Technical Cooperation and on Cooperation on the Environment in Greenland the Governments of the United States and Denmark, including the Home Rule Government of Greenland, have agreed to broaden the relationship between the United States and Greenland.

The Declaration on Economic and Technical Cooperation creates a Joint Committee that will work actively and collaboratively to identify and consider proposals and agree, subject to funding approval, new or enhanced joint cooperation projects and programs in the fields of research, technology and energy cooperation, environmental issues, education, development, tourism, air traffic planning and trade. The first meeting of the Joint Committee will take place in the capital of Greenland, Nuuk, Autumn, 2004.

In the Declaration on Cooperation on the Environment in Greenland the Governments of the United States and Denmark, including the Home Rule Government of Greenland, recognize the importance of protecting the environment in Greenland and will cooperate with regard to the prevention of and combating pollution, as well as protection of nature and the landscape.

The United States reaffirms that the armed forces in the Thule Defense Area respect Greenland Home Rule Government environmental standards, as reflected in the Final Governing Standards applying at the Thule Defense Area, which the U.S. Government updates periodically to reflect the more protective of the U.S. or Greenlandic environmental standards.

An Environmental Subcommittee is established to meet regularly to identify and address environmental issues and recommend relevant countermeasures to risks that may be posed by environmental contamination affecting the Thule Defense Area and the areas adjacent to the Defense Area.

Some illustrative examples of projects that are planned, subject to the availability of funds in accordance with national laws and procedures, include the following inside and outside the formal framework of the declarations:

a) Outside the Formal Framework of Economic/technical and Environmental Cooperation

• The operations and maintenance contract at Thule Air Base is scheduled to be renewed in November 2004. The value is expected to exceed $500 million. The new contract calls for encouraging the contractor to use the local Greenlandic workforce to the maximum extent possible, and for programs to improve the skills and qualifications of the Greenlandic labor force at the base.
  
  
• In December 2003, the U.S. Air Force awarded a five-year contract valued at $17.5 million to Air Greenland to transport cargo and personnel to Thule Air Base.
  
  
• The United States plans to modernize and improve facilities at Thule Air Base. For example, the Fiscal Year 2005 budget submitted to the U.S. Congress requested $21 million for construction at the base. Other projects are planned at the base over the next five years. As with the operations and maintenance contract, the contractor will be encouraged to use the local Greenlandic workforce to the maximum extent possible for construction purposes at the base.

• Programs in the fields of culture and education:
  
  
  • Development and implementation of a virtual consulate.
  • Opening of an American corner in Nuuk.
  • Provision of English-language training resources to Nuuk’s Teacher Training Institute.
  • Inclusion of Greenlanders as eligible for relevant U.S. scholarship programs.
    
    
• Programs in the field of science:
  
  
  • Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between National Science Foundation, Greenland Home Rule Government and Danish Polar Centre concerning cooperation.
  • MOU between U.S. Geological Survey, Greenland Home Rule Government and Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) concerning cooperation.
  • Provision of field logistics to scientific projects in Greenland.
    
    

• The Joint Committee on Economic and Technical cooperation initially will explore the possibilities for short and long term cooperation on:

  • Telemedicine (e.g. capacity building, and provision of equipment and technical assistance).
  • Arctic technology (e.g. capacity building, exchange programs, logistics and provision of equipment).
  • Alternative energy (e.g. hydrogen) technology.

c) Within the Framework of Environmental Cooperation

• Cooperation projects outside the Thule Defense Area, under the purview of the Joint Committee:
  
  
  • Cooperation on site surveys to help elaborate “clean-up” plan(s) outside the Thule Defense Area. The partners’ contributions to such implementation, including clean up, will be financial or in kind, e.g. logistical support, expertise, data processing, and/or equipment.
  • Survey of species in North Star Bay as a part of a broader Environmental Impact assessment in accordance with Arctic Environment Protection Strategy standards.
  • Capacity building for environmental protection/improvement, including clean-up in Greenland.
  • Cooperation on national park management.
  • Oil/gas and minerals assessments.
  • Climate change assessments.
    
    
• U.S. projects at the Thule Defense Area, under the purview of the Environmental Subcommittee:
  
  
  • Measures to prevent leakage of toxic material to the recipient, including stabilization of the coastline at North Star bay (sea walls) and establishment of a drainage system to protect erosion of land (landfills).
  • Continued clean up and removal of materials and infrastructure within the Thule Defense Area.
  • Development of a framework for regular public presentation of environmental data for the Thule Defense Area.
  • Surveys on air emission and waste water (sewage).