Jointly sponsored by US-AEP�s Clean Technology and Environmental Management (CTEM) program and the Chinese National Accreditation Board, the second regional workshop on "Achieving Internationally Recognized ISO 14000 Accreditation Systems" was held in Taipei, Taiwan, March 1-4. The event is part of CTEM�s ongoing efforts to promote the use of the ISO 14001 environmental management system (EMS) in Asian industry.

A previous workshop, held in June 1998 in San Francisco, California, enabled participants to formulate a six-step action plan leading to the international recognition goal. The subsequent event in Taiwan was designed to help individuals refine their action plans and agree to next steps. Representatives of accreditation bodies from eight Asian economies were in attendance: India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The Taiwan workshop featured discussions regarding the current status of the international recognition process for EMS and identified a number of future activities. These activities include the establishment of a regional electronic communications forum to facilitate information exchange; planning for an accreditation assessor training course; and, possibly, a third workshop in the first quarter of 2000.

Videoconferencing is the newest tool used by US-AEP to match Asian environmental needs with appropriate American solutions. On March 16, ten U.S. environmental companies gathered in Washington, D.C., for a videoconference with government officials and others in Manila. The event was organized by US-AEP�s Office of Technology Cooperation in Manila and supported by US-AEP�s Overseas Program Fund, administered by the National Association of State Development Agencies.

The videoconference targeted opportunities arising from the Metro Manila Air Quality Improvement Sector Development Program, funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Participating ADB representatives and Philippine government officials described project needs and requirements for prospective American participants. Selected by US-AEP�s Environmental Technology Network for Asia (ETNA), the U.S. company representatives expressed enthusiam for the event. "This the first time we have done this," said Mr. Paul Buellesback, senior chemical engineer for Eastern Research Group of Morrisville, North Carolina. "It was helpful to get everyone in one room to discuss the possibilities of working on this project." According to Mr. Mirza Beg, environmental scientist for International Business & Technical Consultants, Inc. of Vienna, Virginia, the videoconference was "a step in the right direction toward understanding the opportunities available to us." US-AEP is exploring the possibility of holding additional videoconferences in the future.

To address the growing problem of increasingly depleted and polluted groundwater, India�s Ministry of Water Resources and Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) organized a national seminar on "Advances in Water Well Drilling Techniques and Equipment" on January 8, 1999. US-AEP Environmental Exchange Program (EEP) representative Viswanatha "Cheenu" Srinivasan attended the event, in preparation for follow-up exchanges for CGWA to begin later this month.

Groundwater is the major source of drinking water for India�s population, and a March 1998 monitoring study around New Delhi showed high levels of chromium, lead, and cadmium, as well as nitrates and flouride. Most easily accessible groundwater sources have been polluted and overexploited, but according to a CGWA report, much of the groundwater below 800 meters is available and pollution free. The EEP exchanges will introduce CGWA representatives to U.S. technology and techniques that provide access to deep groundwater, which is unreachable by Indian equipment currently in use.