Devils Lake

James Connaughton, chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality, spends most of his time crafting domestic policy on air pollution, water quality and other national environmental issues. But he became involved in an international dispute over the rising North Dakota lake as the deadline neared for a new outlet to begin operating and Canada increasingly lobbied against it.

Under guidelines announced last month, the outlet is now draining Devils Lake floodwaters into the Sheyenne River and ultimately the Red River, which flows north into Canada. The drainage channel has been running continuously for two weeks.

Officials in Manitoba, which borders North Dakota, tried to block operation of the outlet because of fears that it would drain pollution and alien species of fish and plants into their waters.

North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven credits the council with negotiating the technical details of the dispute.

"We wanted to get people focused on the facts and the science and CEQ was helpful in working through that," Hoeven said.

The State Department initially handled the issue, but CEQ's added involvement brought the talks closer to the Oval Office. It also brought the environmental details to the table and helped those involved to understand the nuts and bolts of the dispute, Hoeven said.

A spokeswoman for the Canadian government agreed.

"Given that it was an environmental issue, I think it was a natural place for the negotiations to be held," said Jasmine Panthaky, of the Canadian embassy in Washington. "They certainly helped in resolving points of difference and maintaining momentum."

Panthaky said Canada was "impressed and pleased" with the outcome.

Michele St. Martin, spokeswoman for Connaughton, said the office acted as facilitator for North Dakota, Canada, and various U.S. agencies.

"It was very important that we explored a number of options and made sure the best information was at the table," she said.

North Dakota built the outlet because the lake has risen more than 26 feet since 1992, tripling in size and swallowing homes and farmland.

Under the agreement, the state may operate the outlet to relieve flooding damage. North Dakota has built a rock-and-gravel filter for the outlet's water, while the two countries develop a more sophisticated sand filter that could cost more than $18 million.

Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., said the agreement was a "reasonable solution."

"CEQ's involvement was acceptable to us because we reached a conclusion," he said.

The council's work on the outlet is not yet done. Hoeven said the office is drafting a more detailed document because the original agreement - released as an unsigned statement by all of the interested parties - is not legally binding.

Outside of its role in Devils Lake, the council works closely with other parts of the government to develop and oversee environmental policy. The office reports annually to the president on the state of the environment and settles disputes between federal agencies on environmental laws.

Connaughton, who is President Bush's top environmental adviser, is seen as the chief architect of the administration's environmental agenda.

"There are so many things we do, especially in this global community," St. Martin said.