United States Environmental Protection Agency UPDATE Information Resources Management (PM-211A) October 1991 220N91010 •MS91 Mexico's Environmental Laws, Regulations and Standards To support EPA's work related to Mexico, the Office of International Activities (OIA) and the Office of General Counsel (OGQ have obtained and compiled various materials related to that country's national environmental program. These materials include translated versions of Mexico's federal environmental laws, most (if not all) of the implementing regulations and standards that have been issued since 1988, and other additional documents of interest. Due to the increased interest in Mexico's programs generated by work on the U.S.-Mexico Border Plan, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and other efforts, OGC has made these materials available to EPA employees and the public through EPA's library. Now available for reference in the Headquarters Library International collection and in the Law Library are five looseleaf binders containing: (1) The national law and the organization of SEDUE (Secretaria de Dcsarrollo Urbano Y Ecologia - EPA's counterpart in Mexico) (2) The 1983 U.S.-Mcxico Border Agreement, with Annexes, and the 1983 U.S.-Mexico Agreement for Mexico City; and regulations, standards and test procedures relating to: (3) environmental impact (4) air and water pollution (5) hazardous wastes, pesticides, and toxic substances. Additional materials will be added over time as newly adopted regulations are received and translated. OIA plans to publish these documents jointly with SEDUE in the near future. Until then, please consult the INFOTERR A staff at FTS 260-5917 concerning restrictions on copying. This article was written by Ellen Shapiro of the Ojjlce of General Counsel NEW JOURNAL REVIEW: Japan Environment Monitor Japan Environment Monitor is one of the new Journals in the rapidly expanding International Collection in the Headquarters Library. It is published monthly by a volunteer staff devoted to grassroots environmentalism. Japan Environmental Monitor was conceived as a way to link Japanese environmental organizations and activists with their counterparts in other parts of the world. It focuses on environmental issues specific to Japan but with international implications. The majority of the journal contains reprints of articles which have appeared in other Japanese magazines and newsletters. Regular features include the "News Shorts" section which is a compilation of news briefs covering the past month obtained from Japanese newspapers, journals, and national mass-circulation Dailies (Japan Times, Asahi Evening News, Mainichi Shimbun, tc.j. In addition, poems, book reviews, and announcements of pcoming conferences are interspersed throughout each issue. Japan Environment Monitor is written from the environmental activist's viewpoint. The editorials and commentaries are controversial and pointedly critical of the Japanese government's environmental policies. It is an excellent source of the Japanese debate on environmental issues. For more information please contact the INFOTERRA staff at FTS 260-5917. -Gary Prevost Printed on Recycled Paper ------- Did You Know?... Just the Facts, Ma'am Statistical indicators of environmental conditions are among the most frequent requests received at INFOTERRA, and among the most difficult to locate. INFOTERRA has made the acquisition of statistical sources a priority to meet this need for facts and figures. Following is a list of selected sources of environmental statistics available in the International Collection at the Headquarters Library. Reference materials do not circulate. Environmental Data Reporter. UNEP. 1990. REF QH541.15M64E58 1989/90. Environmental Indicators: A Preliminary Set. OECD. 1991. REF HC79.E5ET78 1991. Guide to Kev Environmental Statistics in the U.S. Government U.S. EPA and World Resources Institute. 1990. HC79£5A3 1990. OECD Environmental Data Compendium. OECD. 1989. REFTD169.O71989. World Development Report 199Q. World Bank. 1990. HC59.7W6591990. World Resources. 1990-91. World Resources Institute and UNEP. 1990. REF HC.W6675 1990. World Tables 1989-90. World Bank. 1990. REFHC59.W669 1990. R e cent Article s New and Noteworthy Bird, Chris. "Medicines from the Rainforest," New Scientist August 17, 1991. No. 1782. pp. 34-39. Hahn, Jurgen. "Environmental Effects of the Kuwaiti Oil Field Fires," Environmental Science & Technology. September 1991. Vol. 25, No. 9. pp. 1530-1532. Hinrichsen, Don. 'Those Danube Blues," [Eastern European pollution] International Wildlife. September/October 1991. Vol. 21, No. 5. pp. 38-46. INTERNATIONAL, USER-FRIENDLY & STA TE-OF-THE-ART The USAID Bulletin Board System A new electronic bulletin board, USAID, sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development, is now accessible to the public. Users have a choice of several Special Interest Groups (SIGs) that contain different kinds of information on international development topics like education, health, agriculture, communications and the environment. Two of these SIGs are AID sponsored sub-boards: CDCNET (Clearinghouse for Development Communication) and LEARN-TECHNET (Learning Technologies Network for Basic Education Project). Although not all files have been loaded on CDCNET, it will contain information on applications of specific communication media to international development issues, including the environment Other Special Interest Groups (not sponsored by AID) include information on PC communications and software; information on space engineering and research; and health related topics. Finally, there is a SIG for miscellaneous information not covered in other areas called ECLECTIC. The ECLECTIC SIG includes Worldwide Echomail. Messages to any bulletin boards around the world can be relayed through many of the message conferences. Disc file transfer and faxing is also possible through this bulletin board. To log on to the USAID bulletin board dial (202) 296-6304. Set your data to 8 bits, parity to none and baud speed to 2400. The system is run by New Generation Computers. For more information or a demonstration contact the system operator, Mark Prado at (202) 466- 6275. —Lili Vivonco MacKenzie, Debora. "Europe's Hot Air over Carbon Cuts,' New Scientist. August 24, 1991. No. 1783. pp. 17-18. Rubenson, Sven. "Environmental Stress and Conflict in Ethiopian History: Looking for Correlations," Ambio. August 1991. Vol. 20, No. 5. pp. 179-182. Westing, Arthur H. "Environmental Security and its Relation to Ethiopia and Sudan," Ambio. August 1991. Vol. 20, No. 5. pp. 168-171. ------- |