Executive Summary
U.S.-
Mexico
Border XXI
Program:
Progress
wrhitoey
Report
EPA160/S/00/001
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THE U.S.-MEXICO BORDER XXI PROGRAM: PROGRESS REPORT 1996-2000
The Border XXI Progress Report 1996-2000 is published by
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Mexican Secretariat of Environment, Natural Resources, and Fisheries
Border XXI Program National Coordinators,
WILLIAM A. NITZE JOSE LUIS SAMANIEGO LEYVA
ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR, OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS COORDINATOR
U.S. EPA HEADQUARTERS SEMARNAP
U.S. Project Coordinator
SARAH N. SOWELL
ASSISTANT COORDINATOR, U.S.-MEXICO BORDER PROGRAM
U.S. EPA HEADQUARTERS
Mexican Project Coordinators
ABRAHAM NEHMAD (THROUGH MARCH 2000)
BORDER AFFAIRS OFFICE
SEMARNAP
and
EIKE DUFFING (FROM APRIL 2000)
BORDER AFFAIRS OFFICE
- ----- SEMARNAP
Editor
SARAH N. SOWELL
Very special thanks to Dave Fege, Assistant Director of the U.S. EPA San Diego Border Liaison Office, and Gina Weber, U.S.-Mexico Border Program
Coordinator for U.S. EPA Region 6, for facilitating the development and organization of this report. Additional thanks go to Santiago Enriquez, SEMARNAP;
Lorena Lopez-Powers, U.S. EPA San Diego Border Liaison Office; and Allyson Siwik, U.S. EPA El Paso Border Liaison Office.
For their support and management in the development of the indicators section of this report, special acknowledgement goes to Rolando Rios
Aguilar, INE/SEMARNAP, and Tomas Torres, U.S. EPA San Diego Border Liaison Office.
Tho photographs that appear on the cover and throughout this report were taken by Rebekah Hoffacker, U.S. EPA San Diego Border Liaison Office.
For more Information about this publication and the U.S.-Mexico Border XXI Program, please see the contact information provided in this document.
KEY FEDERAL AGENCIES IMPLEMENTING BORDER XXI
Environmental Protection
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Mexican Secretariat for Environment, Natural Resources and Fisheries
Mexican Secretariat for Social Development
Natural Resources
U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Mexican Secretariat for Environment,
Natural Resources and Fisheries
Border Water Resources
International Boundary and Water Commission
U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Environmental Health
U.S. Department of Health'and Human Services
Mexican Secretariat of Health
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency -
Other U.S. federal participants include the U.S. Department of State, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, j
the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Departrnent of Transportation,
; and the U.S. Department of Energy. ! : (
! .1
Other Mexican federal participants include the Secretariat of Foreign Relations; the National Institute for Statistics, Geography, and Inforrrjation;
the Secretariat of Interior (Civil Protection); the Secretariat of Communication and Transportation; and,the Secretariat; of Energy, j
This report was printed on recycled and recyclable paper with vegetable-based inks.
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U.S.-Mexico Border XXI Program: Progress Report 1996-2000
THE PURPOSE
OF THE PROGRESS REPORT
The U.S.-Mexico Border XXI Program: Progress Report
19962000 describes the advances toward achiev-
ing environmental improvements in the border
region as a result of Border XXI Program activi-
ties. The report also describes the challenges faced
in addressing environmental degradation in the
transboundary context, as well as specific limita-
tions of the Border XXI Program. It evaluates
progress toward achieving the Border XXI mission
and objectives and details the achievements made
by each of the nine Border XXI workgroups since
the program's inception in 1996.
In addition, the report provides quantitative
data on indicators used to evaluate the effective-
ness of border environmental policy and to meas-
ure environmental and human health quality in
the border area. The indicators in this report
update the information published in the 1997
United States-Mexico Border Environmental Indica-
tors Report (1997 Indicators Report).
Since the current border plan concludes at
the end of 2000, the lead agencies for Border XXI
hope this report will serve as a tool for designing
the next phase of binational planning. While many achieve-
ments have been made, the governments of both countries
recognize that there is room for improvement in several areas.
An important step in ensuring further progress is to include
state, local, and tribal governments, as well as the public
("public" refers to the residents, industry, and nongovern-
mental and private organizations that have a stake in the
border), in the establishment of (1) priorities for the border
region, and (2) activities to address those priorities. This
chronicle of achievements and shortcomings of five years of
intensive binational coordination will help establish a con-
text for dialogue among federal agencies and other border
stakeholders. Through the exchange of ideas and opinions,
the federal governments hope to initiate a new phase of
stakeholder participation in the development and imple-
mentation of the next phase of binational cooperation.
. . . THE NEED
FOR BINATIONAL COOPERATION
:T,iX,~ii,"isr.. .->*_,- J- -' _'' _ _ . . I
The U.S.-Mexico border area is a dynamic region, with a dis-
tinct composition that is as much differentiated by
social, economic, and political contrasts as it is
bound by cultural fusion and the unique interde-
pendency of its transborder city pairs. It is also
one of the most rapidly growing regions in both
countries. Today, the border region is home to
more than 10.6 million people, with about 5.8 mil-
lion people in the United States and 4.8 million in
Mexico. Population along the border is project-
ed to increase from 5 to 12 million people during
the period 2000 to 2020. Many factors associat-
ed with this growth, such as increased commercial
activity, greater traffic congestion, and increased
consumption of natural resources, have been linked
to environmental degradation and a deterioration
in the quality of life. Given the complex structure
of stakeholders having border intereststwo sover-
eign countries, 10 border states, several municipal-
ities and counties, tribal nations, national and inter-
national organizations, and the residents of the bor-
der regionattempts to address these concerns
require a coordinated binational response.
- - r - ~ - THE U.S.-MEXICO
BORDER XXI PROGRAM: 1996-2000
- _*' _ i
Under the Border XXI Program, the United States and Mex-
ico collaborate on projects to protect the environment and
natural resources of the border region, as well as the health
of its residents. The program is an innovative, binational
effort to coordinate environment and natural resources man-
agement in the border region. Border XXI works to: (1)
alleviate or avoid negative environmental pressures associat-
ed with development and (2) foster forms of social and eco-
nomic growth that are less damaging to the environment.
"With the principal goal of promoting sustainable devel-
opment, the Border XXI Program seeks a balance among
social and economic factors and environmental protection in
border communities and natural areas. Three strategies were
Peach, James and James Williams. "Population and Economic Dynamics on the U.S.-Mexican Border: Past, Present, and Future." The U.S.-Mexican
Border Environment: A Road Map to a Sustainable 2020. Paul Ganster, ed. Southwest Center for Environmental Research and Policy (SCERP), Mono-
graph Series, No. 1, 40.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
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U.S.-Mexico Border XXI Program: Progress'Report 1996-2000
outlined in the 1956 U.S.-Mexico Border XXI Program:
Framework Document (Framework Document) to accomplish
that goal:
Ensure Public Involvement
Build Capacity and Decentralize Environmental
Management
Ensure Interagency Cooperation
The Border XXI Program serves as a coordinating mecha-
nism to bring together federal, tribal, state, and local entities
from both countries to work cooperatively toward achieving
those objectives. The lead agencies on Border XXI are the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Mexico's
Secretarla de Media Ambiente, Recursos Naturales y Pesca
(SEMAPJMAP, or Secretariat of Environment, Natural
Resources, and Fisheries). In the United States, the U.S.
Department of the Interior (DOI) serves as the lead agency
for natural resources activities coordinated under Border XXI,
and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS) shares the coordination lead with EPA on environ-
mental health activities. In Mexico, the Secretarla de Salud
(SSA, or Secretariat of Health) is responsible for coordinat-
ing environmental health activities, and the Secretarta de Desar-
roUo Social (SEDESOL, or Secretariat of Social Development)
helps coordinate activities related to solid waste.
Nine binational workgroups implement the Border XXI
Program by developing projects to address specific objectives.
Each workgroup operates under the guidance of two chair-
persons, or "co-chairs," one representing the United States and
one representing Mexico. Six of the workgroups have a long-
standing history of binational cooperation in the areas of (1)
water, (2) air, (3) hazardous and solid waste, (4) pollution pre-
vention, (5) contingency planning and emergency response,
and (6) cooperative enforcement and compliance. In 1996,
three additional workgroups were created under the Border
XXI Program to provide a more comprehensive approach to
border environmental concerns. Those workgroups focus on
issues related to (7) environmental information resources, (8)
natural resources, and (9) environmental health.
THE BAStS Of U.S,-MEXICO
BORDER RELATIONS
The level of positive cooperation that exists between the
two countries on environmental matters reflects the impor-
tance of the U.S.-Mexico relationship on environmental
issues. After a long history of formal coordination between
the two countries, particularly on water and water infra-
structure issues, the United States and Mexico formally
broadened cooperation on border environmental issues by
signing the La Paz Agreement in 1983. The La Paz Agree-
ment established a general framework for developing coop-
erative environmental efforts to reduce, eliminate, or pre-
vent sources of air, water, and land pollution. The La Paz
Agreement also defined the U.S.-Mexico border region as
the area extending more than 3,100 kilometers (almost
2,000 miles), from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean,
and 100 kilometers, or 62.5 miles, on either side of the
U.S.-Mexico boundary.
In February 1992, the environmental authorities of both
federal governments released the Integrated Border Environ-
mental Plan for the U.S.-Mexican Border Area. (IBEP). The
IBEP, a two-year plan, was the first binational federal ini-
tiative created under the assumption that increased trade lib-
eralization would place additional stress on the environment
and human health along the border.
The tri-lateral North American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA) was signed in December 1992 and entered into
force in 1994. In November 1993, the presidents of the
United States and Mexico signed a bilateral agreement estab-
lishing the Border Environment Cooperation Commission
(BECC) and the North American Development Bank
(NADB) to help develop and finance solid waste, water sup-
ply, and wastewater infrastructure in the U.S.-Mexico bor-
der area. The primary role of the BECC has been to pro-
vide technical assistance to border communities and to cer-
tify environmental infrastructure projects in the border region
for consideration for financing by the NADB and other gov-
ernment and private sources. The NADB s primary role has
been to facilitate financing for the implementation of proj-
ects certified by the BECC.
The United States and Mexico also have a history of
cooperation on natural resources issues that includes a num-
TTia Agreement between the United States of America and the United Mexican States on Cooperation for the Protection and Improvement of the
Environment In the Border Area was signed in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico on August 14, 1983, and entered into force on February 16, 1984.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
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U.S.-Mexico Border XXI Program: Progress Report 1996-2000
ber of agreements and initiatives to protect migratory birds,
native habitats, and marine resources and to reduce degra-
dation or exploitation of forests, air, soil, and natural areas.
In 1996, the Border XXI Program was inititated to
build on experiences from and improve specific efforts under-
taken under the IBEP and earlier environmental agreements.
Border XXI also includes the BECC and the NADB as full
partners in water, wastewater, and solid waste infrastructure
activities.
BORDER ENVIRONMENTAL
PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUES
The border area faces many binational environmental chal-
lenges, such as limited water supply and poor water qual-
ity, sewage treatment that is inadequate or lacking, air pol-
lution, little or no treatment and disposal of hazardous and
industrial waste, potential for chemical emergencies, inci-
dence of infectious diseases, and inadequacy in or lack of
verification of compliance in the transboundary shipment
of hazardous wastes. The depletion of natural resources
presents another environmental challenge for the border.
The destruction of native habitats through population
growth and the resulting expansion of urban areas, ranch-
ing and agricultural activities, mining, recreation, and
tourism have seriously impacted the natural resource base
in the border region. These challenges continue to afreet
the environmental and economic vitality of the region.
Increased levels of domestic and industrial water con-
sumption and the border regions largely arid climate have
made maintaining an adequate water supply one of the most
serious environmental challenges on the border. It is pre-
dicted that the problem will worsen, and many communi-
ties face grave problems with the greater demand for water
that projected population growth would bring. Ground-
water and surface water contamination are also problems,
since supplies are often threatened by agricultural runoff
and the discharge of raw sewage and industrial pollution
into the rivers and aquifers along the border.
The availability of border environmental infrastructure
is another prominent issue. On both sides of the border,
growth in many areas has surpassed basic infrastructure capac-
ity. The problem is particularly acute along the border in
Mexico, where many communities lack wastewater treatment,
transportation systems are inadequate or nonexistent, and
energy demand is high. Further, resources for additional
infrastructure development are scarce.
In poor, unplanned, and generally unincorporated set-
dements along both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, infra-
structure deficiencies are particularly acute. Many of those
settlements, known in the United States as colonias and in
Mexico as asentamientos irregulares (because of their unau-
thorized use of land), have sprung up without formally sanc-
tioned local governance and have traditionally been unable
to gain access to individual or community services. In most
cases, the setdements have developed without water supplies,
wastewater treatment, or solid waste collection. Such prac-
tices as illegally dumping or burning waste contribute to seri-
ous environmental degradation and have been associated with
health problems.
Indigenous communities and U.S. border tribes are also
negatively impacted by various transborder environmental
problems, including air pollution from off-reservation activ-
ity, traffic congestion, extraction of natural resources, and
burning or illegal dumping of solid and hazardous waste.
Several binational rivers or groundwater basins lie within,
near, or under U.S. Indian reservations, and pollution in
these waters is a concern to several tribal communities. In
addition, tribal communities have expressed concern about
limited emergency response capabilities, lack of training and
equipment to respond to hazardous waste transportation
spills and accidents, and risks that may be attributable to a
lack of information about transport of hazardous waste
through their reservations lands.
Some border residents suffer from other public health
problems, such as asthma and high blood lead levels. Emis-
sions from vehicles, industrial sources, burning of trash, and
residential heating and dust from unpaved roads all con-
tribute to poor air quality and threaten the health of bor-
der residents. Moreover, the wastes generated by industrial
activity are also potentially dangerous, especially when they
are inappropriately disposed of in sewer systems, on the
ground, or in ravines. Surface water contamination from
industrial pollution and agricultural chemicals is also a seri-
ous problem in many areas. Another concern is the danger
to border residents posed by exposure to pesticides through
pesticide residues on food and the spraying of pesticides on
fields that are located near homes and schools.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
3
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U.S.-Mexico Border XXI Program: Progress Report 1996-2000
PROMOTION OF SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT ALONG THE BORDER:
CHALLENGES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS
As stated in the Framework Document, the goal of the Bor-
der XXI Program is to "promote sustainable development in
the border region by seeking a balance among social and eco-
nomic factors and the protection of the environment in bor-
der communities and natural areas . . ." (Chapter 1, Page 1
[I.I]). Although Border XXI has made notable advances, there
have been challenges in achieving the goal. These include:
(1) lack of recognition of the range of elements that affect
sustainability, (2) limitations of workgroup activities, and (3)
insufficiency of efforts to engage local-level participants.
The first challenge was to recognize the broad range
of elements that impact sustainability. The strength of the
Border XXI Program is that it primarily focuses on address-
ing the environmental and natural resources elements of sus-
tainable development, as well as social factors as they per-
tain to environmental health. It also provides a point of
departure for economic and technological considerations by
promoting pollution prevention and the use of clean tech-
nologies. However, the scope of the current program does
not account for all the factors that contribute to sustain-
able development in the border region.
One of the challenges of promoting the concept through
workgroup activities is that those activities address only cer-
tain elements of sustainable development. The workgroups
have focused much of their efforts on analyzing and reme-
diating environmental, natural resource, and public health
problems resulting from previous unsustainable practices.
However, sustainable development also implies the develop-
ment of strategies that both prevent replication of existing
problems in the future and anticipate entirely new ones.
While the two federal governments acknowledged in the
Framework Document that attempts to address sustainable devel-
opment would require local-level participation, the progress of
efforts to engage border communities has been slow. It has
been only recendy that the federal governments have begun
to join with individual communities to discuss the concept in
terms of local-level priorities and conditions and to determine
how best to work in partnership with local entities to approach
sustainability on a community-by-community basis.
Examples of activities to promote sustainable devel-
opment include:
Border Institutes: Held in Rio Rico, Arizona in
December 1998, Border Institute I provided a forum
for dialogue on the future of the border region in terms
of economic, demographic, and ecological problems and
trends related to the sustainability of the border region.
Border Institute II, held in April 2000 in Rio Rico,
focused on identifying actions and policy alternatives
for achieving a healthy environment in border com-
munities.
Sustainable Development Community Workshops in
Mexico: SEMARNAP has conducted a series of sus-
tainable development workshops along the border. The
workshops are designed to provide local planners and
city officials with a forum for building consensus on
what sustainable development means for their commu-
nities. The workshops involved facilitated breakout dis-
cussions and a series of exercises related to the follow-
ing themes: (1) Population, Housing and Land Use; (2)
Urban Development, Infrastructure, and Equipment; (3)
Industry, Transportation, and Contamination; and (4)
Natural Resources, Water, and Soils. The workshops
helped participants focus on local-level implications of
development and reinforced their prominent role in
shaping the future of their communities.
BECC/NADB Sustainable Development Criteria:
The BECC has adopted sustainable development crite-
ria to evaluate infrastructure projects and has integrat-
ed these principles into an extensive public outreach
and participation program.
Future efforts will be aimed at creating additional partnerships
that facilitate the development of more comprehensive, local-
level approaches to sustainable development. Those efforts
could benefit from: (1) building on SEMARNAPs approach
of working at the local levelby examining local efforts in the
context of binational approaches and the interdependence of
border communities; (2) expanding on the strategies of pub-
lic participation and decentralization to achieve true commu-
nity empowerment in decision making; (3) addressing the rela-
tionship between the environment, natural resources, and
* Summary and full reports of the meeting titled The U.S.-Mexican Border Environment: A Road Map to a Sustainable 2020 were published by SCERP
and are available from that organization.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
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U.S.-Mexico Border XXI Program: Progress Report 1996-2000
human health and such other factors as economy, education,
health, land use, municipal management, and energy use; and
(4) employing those factors in the development and imple-
mentation of Border XXI workgroup activities.
BORDER XXI
r STRATEGIES
ENSURE PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT
As stated in the Framework Document, the first strategy is
to "ensure public involvement in the development and
implementation of the Border XXI Program . . ." (II. 1 ).
As was stated further, "Both governments aim to engage
the creativity, ideas, and energy of border residents in the
evolution and ongoing implementation of the long-term
objectives . . . "(II.l).
Examples of public involvement activities include:
During the development of the Framework Docu-
ment, public meetings held in the border region proved
to be an important opportunity for the governments to
listen to the concerns and recommendations of border
residents. In the United States, more than 20 public
meetings were held in border cities during 1995 and
1996. In Mexico, four regional and several state-level
public meetings were held during that same time peri-
od. In addition, three binational meetings were host-
ed by the two federal governments, one in Tijuana, Baja
California; one in Nogales, Arizona; and one in Ciu-
dad Juarez, Chihuahua. The historic meetings pro-
vided the first forums for border residents to engage in
dialogue with officials of both countries at the same
time.
Public meetings are held periodically to update bor-
der communities on workgroup objectives, annual imple-
mentation plans for the upcoming year, and summaries
of accomplishments for the previous year. Implemen-
tation plans have been published for 1996 to 2000.
Binational subworkgroups have been created to facil-
itate dialogue at the regional and local levels or to address
a specific border-wide topic. Some of the subwork-
groups have been meeting every 6 to 12 months to pro-
vide project updates, discuss policy and implementation
issues, and engage stakeholders in overall workgroup
planning.
Border XXI has sought additional input on border
needs and development through interaction with the
federal advisory councils of both governments, the Good
Neighbor Environmental Board (GNEB), and Mexico's
Consejo Consultivo para el Desarrollo Sustentable, Region 1
(CCDS, or Region 1 Advisory Council for Sustainable
Development).
The EPA El Paso, Texas and San Diego, California
border liaison offices were established in 1994 and serve
as the principal vehicle for providing outreach on the
Border XXI Program and facilitating access to environ-
mental information in border communities. A satellite
office is located in Brownsville, Texas. The public has
electronic access to environmental information through
the following mechanisms: (1) computer work stations
that have been installed in the El Paso and San Diego
border liaison offices (see below), and (2) the Border
EcoWeb, an Internet site that provides links to existing
border information.
SEMARNAP hosted six public meetings in 1997 to
discuss the proposed environmental indicators for each
Border XXI workgroup. The purpose of the meetings
was to provide a forum for border residents, as well as
representatives of state and local governments, the pri-
vate sector, and academic institutions, to offer their per-
spectives on the proposed indicators before they were
finalized. After the 1997 Indicators Report was pub-
lished, SEMARNAP organized follow-up workshops in
each of the six Mexican border states.
Recommendations
Despite the challenges, it is clear that the public should be
more involved in the Border XXI Program than is current-
ly the case. Outreach could be made more effective by: (1)
providing more opportunities for public input to Border XXI;
(2) revising the structure of the workgroup and National
Coordinators meetings to include a well-defined public par-
ticipation component; (3) establishing stronger links between
the workgroups and government representatives in charge of
conducting outreach and soliciting input from border com-
munities; (4) developing partnerships with border state agen-
cies to strengthen and facilitate public outreach; and (5)
expanding and diversifying environmental information activ-
ities to better inform the public about Border XXI.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
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U.S.-Mexico Border XXI Program: Progress Report 1996-2000
BUILD CAPACITY AND DECENTRALIZE
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
The second strategy of the Border XXI Program, as identi-
fied in the Framework Document, is to "build capacity and
decentralize environmental management in order to augment
the participation of state and local institutions . . ." (II. 1).
The Border XXI Program has worked to build the
capacity of state, local, and tribal governments, as well as
that of other border stakeholders, through: (1) technical
assistance and training; (2) funding; and (3) strengthening
of partnerships and sharing of information. In the United
States, emphasis has been placed on building the capabili-
ties of federally recognized tribes, especially as they are relat-
ed to infrastructure needs and operations. In addition,
capacity-building efforts under the Border XXI Program
have extended to such areas as environmental education,
environmental justice, and industry participation.
Building Capacity through Technical Assistance
and Training
The projects described below illustrate some of the capac-
ity-building efforts of the Border XXI Program in the areas
of technical assistance and training.
The Contingency Planning and Emergency Response
Workgroup has assisted cities along die border in die
development of six sister city contingency plans that set
forth in detail coordinated, standard procedures for
responding to emergencies involving hazardous substances.
The Environmental Health Workgroup has helped
increase local capacity by developing several health edu-
cation programs and a health resource data base to main-
tain quality health care and respond to environmental
health emergencies in the border region.
The Hazardous and Solid Waste and Cooperative
Enforcement and Compliance workgroups have enhanced
local capacity by developing a range of training pro-
grams for state and local officials on various aspects of
environmental enforcement and sponsoring compliance
seminars for transporters of maquiladora. hazardous waste.
Building Capacity through Funding
The projects described below illustrate some of the capac-
ity-building efforts of the Border XXI Program that have
been realized through funding assistance.
The BECC has initiated substantial technical assis-
tance efforts related to the development and financing
of water, wastewater, and solid waste projects. The
efforts are aided by die BECC's Project Development
Assistance Program (PDAP). The NADB has approved
$11.6 million to assist 60 communities through the
Institutional Development Cooperation Program (IDP).
The World Banks Programa Ambiental de la Fron-
tera Norte de Mexico (PAFN, or Program for the North-
ern Border of Mexico) has helped strengthen the capac-
ity of the six Mexican border states and 10 of die munic-
ipalities in those states.
The Border XXI Program has established a U.S.-Mex-
ico Community Grants Program to build capacity for
environmental and natural resource protection at the local
level by empowering communities to develop area-specif-
ic solutions to environmental problems and local envi-
ronmental education efforts. The border communities
were notified of grant opportunities through various media.
EPA has also provided grant funding to U.S. states
to help build capacity in border communities and the
industry sector. The states have helped carry out much
of the Border XXI work through projects and programs
on pollution prevention, water conservation, and air
quality monitoring.
Building Capacity through Strengthening of
Partnerships and Sharing of Information
The projects described below illustrate some of the capac-
ity-building efforts achieved through partnerships and infor-
mation cooperation.
The Environmental Information Resources Work-
group and the border liaison offices have supported
capacity building in the border region through the cre-
ation and sponsorship of several environmental educa-
tion initiatives, including: (1) a new border-wide envi-
ronmental education strategy and five binational coop-
erative agreements to create a number of environmen-
tal education activities along the border region; (2) two
guides on environmental education in the border area;
(3) a council of educators; and (4) five environmental
education binational conferences.
EPA has made a concerted effort to more effective-
ly engage U.S. border tribes in the Border XXI Pro-
EXBOUTIVE SUMMARY
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U.S.-Mexico Border XXI Program: Progress Report 1996-2000
gram. In addition to acknowledging the important envi-
ronmental and natural resources conservation role of the
border tribes in the Coordination Principles between the
BorderXXINationalCoordinators andthe U.S. and Mex-
ican Border States and U.S. Tribes for the Border XKI
Program (Coordination Principles), EPA has also provid-
ed several grants to the tribes to build capacity, with a
special emphasis on training.
To address environmental justice concerns in border
communities, EPA is taking a four-pronged approach,
which consists of:
- Empowering communities and building local
capacity to participate in environmental decision-
making and binational activities.
- Ensuring EPA's responsiveness to environmental jus-
tice concerns, including development of a strategy to
integrate environmental justice into all aspects of the
Border XXI Program and other binational activities.
- Assuming a leadership role working with federal,
state, and tribal agencies to encourage integration of
environmental justice into their border programs.
- Reducing risk, exposure, and other adverse envi-
ronmental impacts in the border region by ensuring
compliance with environmental laws and the clean-
up of natural resources.
Although the SEMARNAP-initiated process of decen-
tralizing environmental management in the six border
states in Mexico attained some small achievements, that
principal objective has not been met. One of the pri-
mary obstacles to broader success has been the fact that
only a few limited functions have been placed under
state authority, without the provision of the necessary
resources to carry them out.
From 1995 to 1999, SEMARNAP and the north-
ern Mexican border states signed 163 decentralization
agreements.
Recommendations
Both governments recognize that much more remains to
be done to strengthen the capacity of state, local, and trib-
al governments and to decentralize environmental man-
agement. Future efforts should focus on: (1) facilitating
further decentralization through the next border program,
including increasing authority and resources a.t the state
and local levels, particularly in Mexico; (2) enabling the
full participation of all border states and U.S. tribes in the
Border XXI program; (3) continuing to implement and
expand the environmental capacity-building program for
Mexican states and municipalities under PAFN; and (4)
through training and education, continuing to build state-
and local-level capacity related to the promotion of sus-
tainable development.
ENSURE
INTERAGENCY COOPERATION
The third strategy of the Border XXI Program, as identi-
fied in the Framework Document, is to "ensure interagency
cooperation to maximize available resources and avoid
duplicative efforts on the part of government and other
organizations, and reduce the burden that coordination with
multiple entities places on border communities" (II. 1). This
strategy was developed as a direct response to public crit-
icism that federal environment and health activities along
the border were implemented in an uncoordinated fashion,
often resulting in a duplication of efforts.
Federal-to-Federal Cooperation
The emphasis on binational interagency coordination
through Border XXI has helped encourage involvement of
a full range of other federal agencies, each participating on
a project-by-project basis. The Border XXI Program is also
linked to other NAFTA-related institutions such as the
Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), the
BECC, the NADB, and the International Boundary and
Water Commission (IBWC).
State, Local, and Tribal Cooperation
In addition to extensive federal-to-federal cooperation, inter-
governmental coordination and cooperation with border
states and U.S. tribes has been a key achievement of the
Border XXI Program. The partnership role that those enti-
ties play was recently formalized through agreement on the
Coordination Principles. At the National Coordinators Meet-
ing in Ensenada, Mexico in May 1999, all 10 border state
environmental agencies, EPA, and SEMARNAP signed the
document. Present at the special session during which the
document was signed were representatives of 14 U.S. feder-
ally recognized border tribes. The Coordination Principles
BXBOUTIVa SUMMARY
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U.S.-Mexico Border XXI Program: Progress Report 1996-2000
are intended to strengthen partnerships to further enhance
the ability of border state agencies and tribes to plan an
integral role in the Border XXI Program, including the devel-
opment of the next border plan.
Although participation has been limited, local govern-
ments have played a role in the Border XXI Program. For
example, local governments have been involved in the devel-
opment of binational sister city contingency and emergency
plans and recommendations for binational air pollution
abatement strategies in specific areas, such as the El Paso
County-Ciudad Judrez-Dofia Ana County, New Mexico air
basin and the San Diego County-Tijuana region.
Some EPA-supported state initiatives in the border
region are not currently part of the Border XXI Program.
For example, work being done on pesticides use and expo-
sure is not explicitly covered by any Border XXI workgroup.
However, with EPA funding, the four U.S. border states
sponsored several information exchange conferences for U.S.
and Mexican officials to improve working relationships with
agencies responsible for pesticide regulations hi Mexico. In
the next phase of border planning, pesticides issues may
receive more focused attention.
The states play a critical role in helping to address bor-
der environmental and natural resource management issues, and
EPA encourages continued support for such cooperative efforts.
Cross-Workgroup Cooperation
As each of the Border XXI workgroups' programs devel-
oped, it became apparent that many of the individual pro-
grams could benefit from collaborative interaction. The
benefits of collaboration were especially evident in the case
of the Environmental Health Workgroup, which found syn-
ergistic opportunities with the Air, Hazardous and Solid
Waste, Environmental Information Resources, and Water
Workgroups. Since many of the health problems occur-
ring along the border are the result of water- or air-based
vectors, it became evident that measured changes in air and
water quality were an ideal test bed for measuring changes
in health status.
As a result of joint efforts between the Air and Envi-
ronmental Health Workgroups, preliminary air measurements
made by EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD),
in collaboration with the Texas Natural Resource Conserva-
tion Commission (TNRCC), concluded that a children's pul-
monary health study would be feasible. The Air and Envi-
ronmental Health Workgroups continue to work with local
agencies to design a study in El Paso County to further ana-
lyze the problem.
As a result of joint efforts between the Water and Envi-
ronmental Health Workgroups, several projects are under way
to identify key water bodies for which joint studies could
be developed. Projects could be implemented in Nuevo Lare-
do, Nuevo Le6n; Reynosa, Tamaulipas; El Paso; and Del
Rio, Texas as a result of those efforts. In addition, the Envi-
ronmental Health and Water Workgroups have jointly imple-
mented the Agua Limpid en Casa (Clean Water in Homes)
program, which is described in the Environmental Health
Workgroup segment of the next section.
Coordination between the Cooperative Enforcement and
Compliance Workgroup and the Hazardous and Solid Waste
Workgroup has resulted in the streamlining of both work-
groups. Joint subworkgroup meetings are held regularly, and
information is exchanged on case-specific investigations relat-
ed to the transboundary movement of hazardous wastes
between the United States and Mexico. The two workgroups
also participate in joint training sessions on regulations relat-
ed to illegal shipments of hazardous waste, as well as import
and export regulations governing hazardous waste and mate-
rials. They also train hazardous waste inspectors.
Public- and Private-Sector Cooperation
Federal, state, tribal, and local agencies involved in the Bor-
der XXI Program have been working to cultivate strong
public and private partnerships with industry.
In March 1999, EPA and the Procuraduria Federal de
Proteccidn alAmbiente (PROFEPA, or Mexico's Federal Attor-
ney General for the Environment) sponsored the Environ-
mental Auditing and Pollution Prevention in the Maquilado-
ra Industry conference, held in San Francisco, California for
maquiladora parent companies and trade associations. The
purpose of the conference was to increase awareness of envi-
ronmental stewardship and to encourage corporate executives
to augment their roles as environmental stewards.
In 1999, EPA and SEMARNAP signed the Seven Prin-
ciples of Environmental Stewardship for the 21st Century
(Seven Principles) with the U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Com-
merce (USMCOC) and the BECC. The Seven Principles
advance the notion of corporate environmental stewardship
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
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U.S.-Mexico Border XXI Program: Progress Report 1996-2000
and seek to promote sustainable development through the
enhancement of environmental compliance and implemen-
tation of economically efficient and effective environmental
measures. A comprehensive strategy for promoting the effort
is currently being developed.
Recommendations
As a result of the efforts and experiences gained, both gov-
ernments recognize that much more remains to be done to
facilitate further binational cooperation at all levels. The
following efforts and changes could be considered under the
next border program: (1) either refine the program mission
for the next phase of border cooperation so that it better
reflects the jurisdictions of the environmental and health
agencies in both countries (that is, so that it is focused only
on those activities over which the environmental and health
agencies have influence) or expand the scope of the border
program to include other federal agencies in the next phase
of the border program; (2) continue to strengthen overall
coordination efforts with border states and tribes; (3) initi-
ate mechanisms that will more fully involve local govern-
ment; (4) continue efforts to promote cross-linkages between
workgroups; (5) boost efforts to more closely coordinate with
other NAFTA-related institutions; and (6) involve states,
tribes, and local governments in the development, quantifi-
cation, and evaluation of environmental indicators.
ft, v THE U.S.-MEXICO BORDER XXI
^WORKGROUPS: KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS
This section highlights the major accomplishments of the nine
Border XXI Workgroups and provides a brief overview of the
program efforts from 1996 to 2000 to preserve the border
environment and the health of border residents and to pro-
tect the regions natural resources. Although much work
remains, the Border XXI Program has made great strides in
preventing further environmental deterioration through proj-
ects that have fostered improvements in envkonmental stew-
ardship. This binational cooperation has enabled significant
improvements to be made in both the continuity and the
uniformity of natural ecosystem and biodiversity preservation.
Following are summaries of some of the most relevant
accomplishments of each workgroup.
Air
The Border XXI Air "Workgroup has advanced knowledge
about air quality conditions in principal border sister cities.
The workgroup also has coordinated with other agencies
to help monitor, prevent, and control air pollution. In
addition, progress has been made in Mexico on identify-
ing significant contamination sources through the estab-
lishment of the Emission Inventory Development Program.
The Air Workgroup has initiated and conducted bina-
tional air program activities in the sister cities of San Diego
County, California-Tijuana, Baja California; Imperial County,
California-Mexicali, Baja California; Nogales, Arizona-Nogales,
Sonora; Douglas, Arizona-Agua Prieta, Sonora; and El Paso
County-Ciudad Juarez-Dona Ana County. Recent efforts have
concentrated on establishing and operating air quality moni-
toring networks in. Tijuana and Mexicali, similar to those oper-
ating in San Diego County and Imperial County and in El
Paso County-Ciudad Juarez-Dona Ana County.
In May 199(5, the Joint Advisory Committee (JAC) for
the Improvement of Air Quality in the El Paso County-Ciu-
dad Juarez-Dona Ana County Air Basin was created to pro-
vide locally based recommendations to the Air Workgroup
on how to manage air quality in the region. In May 1999,
the JAC completed a strategic plan that includes 26 priori-
ties for improving air quality.
Other accomplishments of the Air Workgroup include
the development of (1) the Ciudad Judrez Air Quality Man-
agement Program 19982002 (published in May 1998), and
(2) the Program to Improve Air Quality in Mexicali
2000-2005 (published in February 2000). Both programs
were developed with the participation of various communi-
ty sectors. It is expected that the Air Quality Program for
Tijuana will be released in 2000.
The Air Workgroup, in collaboration with the Western
Governors' Association (WGA), initiated the Emissions Inven-
tory Development Program to strengthen Mexico's capacity
for completing tliis important air quality planning activity.
The cornerstone of the program has been the development of
a series of 10 guidance manuals that Mexico's Instituto Nacional
de Ecologia (INE, or National Institute of Ecology) will use
as a reference in the development of its revised emissions inven-
tory program. Currently, five manuals have been completed
The subsections are presented in alphabetical order by workgroup name. In the translation of this Executive Summary, the subsections appear in
alphabetical order by workgroup name in Spanish.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
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U.S.-Mexico Border XXI Program: Progress Report 1996-2000
in both Spanish and English while, at the time this report
was prepared, completion of the other five was expected in
2000. INE, in conduction with the WGA, selected Mexicali
as the first city to produce an emissions inventory under the
new program. This pilot program for Mexicali began in 1997.
The second pilot program for Tijuana began in 1999. Its
completion is expected by the end of 2000.
The U.S.-Mexico Centra de Informacidn sobre Contam-
inaddn deAirepam la Frontera MAcico-EUA (CICA, or Bor-
der Information Center on Air Pollution) has been a strong
supporter of the workgroup's activities and has provided tech-
nical assistance hi evaluating air pollution conditions along
the border.
In addition, in the spirit of the Border XXI Program,
die workgroup formed two specialized subworkgroups to
address issues related to (1) energy and (2) vehicle conges-
tion at border crossings.
Contingency Planning and Emergency Response
The U.S.-Mexico Joint Contingency Plan for responding to
hazardous material leaks or spills along the border was mod-
ified in June 1999 to reflect the institutional and legislative
changes that have occurred in both countries. The modi-
fied plan changed the binational notification system to ensure
timely notification of the appropriate counterpart officials
when a chemical accident occurs hi the border region.
The Computer-Aided Management of Emergency Oper-
ations (CAMEO) system was successfully translated into Span-
ish for use in the border region. CAMEO is a software sys-
tem that facilitates chemical emergency response and planning.
In addition, six contingency plans were signed for the
following sister city pairs: Eagle Pass, Texas-Piedras Negras,
Coahuila; Brownsville, Texas-Matamoros, Tamaulipas; Lare-
do, Texas-Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas; San Luis, Arizona-San
Luis Rfo Colorado, Sonora; McAllen, Texas-Reynosa; and
Nogales, Arizona-Nogales, Sonora. The plans address inter-
national coordination requirements for responding to emer-
gencies involving hazardous substances.
Cooperative Enforcement and Compliance
The Cooperative Enforcement and Compliance Workgroup
formed five regional subworkgroups to strengthen enforce-
ment and compliance strategies and improve coordination
among local, state, and federal agencies on both sides of
the border. The first three subworkgroups were established
for Texas, New Mexico, and Chihuahua; California and
Baja California; and Arizona and Sonora. In 1998, two
additional subworkgroups were established for Coahuila and
Texas and Nuevo Le6n, Tamaulipas, and Texas.
The regional subworkgroups have cooperated bination-
ally on various investigations, joint inspections, and other spe-
cific incidents. Such binational cooperation occurred on the
following occasions: (1) an incident involving die import to
Mexico of a material identified as enhanced soil; (2) a case
involving Alco Pacffico of Mexico; and (3) an incident involv-
ing the import to Mexico of empty drums that formerly con-
tained hazardous materials or waste. In addition, the exchange
of information has facilitated the detection of illegal ship-
ments to and from the United States and Mexico.
The workgroup has supported a capacity-building train-
ing program designed to educate border personnel on envi-
ronmental enforcement programs. Federal, state, and local
environmental officials from Mexico and the United States
have participated in this program, along with customs per-
sonnel from both countries. As a result, hundreds of indi-
viduals have been trained on the legal aspects related to cross-
border transportation of hazardous substances, chemicals, and
pesticides and the illegal commerce in ozone-depleting sub-
stances and flora and fauna.
EPA, PROFEPA, and the border states have collabo-
rated to promote environmental auditing. Since its incep-
tion, Mexico's National Environmental Audit Program has
enlisted more than 1,345 businesses, 395 of which are locat-
ed in Mexico's northern border states and 81 of which rep-
resent the maquiladora industry. In addition, PROFEPA
issued 412 Clean Industry Certificates from 1997 to 1999.
The certificates were issued to those companies that exhib-
ited timely compliance with action plans established as a
result of environmental audits. Each certificate is valid for
two years and is renewable for another two-year period.
EPA has worked with PROFEPA to promote environ-
mental auditing efforts among the U.S. parent companies of
maejuilttdoras. For example, EPA issued letters to parent com-
panies encouraging those companies to take part in PRO-
FEPA's environmental audit program. EPA also has distrib-
uted an informative video that presents environmental audit-
EXBO UTI VE SUMMARY
10
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U.S.-Mexico Border XXI Program: Progress Report 1995-2000
ing as a tool for ensuring compliance and identifying pollu-
tion prevention opportunities. Acknowledging the global-
ization of today's industries, EPA and PROFEPA held a con-
ference for twin plants in March 1999 to promote increased
levels of environmental compliance and pollution reduction.
Environmental Health
Some adverse health effects seen along the U.S.-Mexico
border appear to be caused by environmental contamina-
tion of air, water, and soil by chemical and biological pol-
lutants. The Environmental Health Workgroup has estab-
lished numerous activities to address these issues and
improve the quality of life on the border. Highlights of
those activities include:
The Lower Rio Grande Valley Cross-Border Air Pollu-
tion Project found that transboundary transportation of
emissions originating in Mexico did not appear to cause
noticeable deterioration of air quality on the U.S. side of
the lower Rio Grande Valley border.
As part of the Pediatric Lead Exposure Initiative, a labora-
tory for blood lead analysis was established at the Hospital
Municipal de Tijuana (Tijuana Municipal Hospital). Local
personnel and community members were trained to recognize
symptoms of lead poisoning. As a result, not only are chil-
dren with elevated blood lead levels receiving care, but the
sources of the lead exposure are being determined as well. A
separate Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Nation-
al Center for Environmental Health study in the Arizona-
Sonora border region in March 1998 identified no major sites
of concern on the basis of the sample population.
The Advanced Training Project is part of a binational
program to strengthen environmental health capabilities of
individuals and institutions in the areas of environmental
and occupational toxicology, epidemiology, engineering, and
risk communication in the U.S.-Mexico border region. To
date, four scholarships have been awarded to public health
workers to obtain masters degrees in environmental epi-
demiology, and several short courses covering epidemic-
logical themes have been conducted.
The Environmental Health Alert and Communication
Project facilitates access to quality health and environmental
information for border communities, health providers, and
health officials. In collaboration with the four U.S. bor-
der states, the Environmental Health Yellow Pages, a resource
tool to help identify agencies responsible for specific envi-
ronmental health, issues, have been compiled.
The Retrospective Study on Pediatric Asthma and Air Qual-
ity focused on children between the ages of 1 and 17 residing
in the Paso del Norte airshed who visited an emergency room
for asthma treatment. The study showed that there was a pos-
itive correlation between levels of paniculate matter less than
10 microns in diameter (PM-10) and the incidence of asthma.
The Toxicology Center Development Project helps
strengthen the ability of Mexican regional, state, and local
toxicology centers to respond to environmental emergen-
cies and the clinical needs of poisoned patients. The proj-
ect also helps improve the capacity of environmental health
officials to identify potentially hazardous places and indus-
tries. To date, toxicology centers have been established in
Hermosillo, Sonora and Ciudad Juarez. A third is being
established in Reynosa.
Identifying priorities for the Environmental Health Work-
group and cross-referencing these priorities with other work-
groups, particularly those for Water, Air, Hazardous and
Solid Waste, and Environmental Information Resources, has
allowed Border XXI to ensure that the protection of human
health remains the most important goal of the program.
As an example, the Environmental Health Workgroup,
together widi the Water Workgroup, developed the pilot pro-
gram Clean Water in Homes in some border communities in
Chihuahua and Sonora. The objective was to improve the
health conditions of residents of small, impoverished com-
munities that lack basic infrastructure. Such communities
often have high infant mortality rates (rates for children under
one year) because of gastroenteritis.
Major accomplishments of die program include:
A decrease (13.2 percent) in enteric diseases
An increase (13 percent) in water purification
awareness
SXieUTIVB SUMMARY
11
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U.S.-Mexico Border XXI Program: Progress Report 1996-2000
An increase in water purification practices (between
3.5 and 20 percent)
An increase (between 3 and 5 percent) in vegetable
disinfection
The external assessment conducted by Mexico's Fun-
dacldn de Mtxico-Estados Unidos para la Ciencia (FUMEC,
or Mexico-United States Foundation for Science) concurred
with the program by noting the significant decrease in gas-
trointestinal diseases in the community.
The program has been highly successful, achieving good
results with few resources. The current plan is to extend the
program to both sides of the border on a permanent basis.
Environmental Information Resources
With respect to environmental information, the Border XXI
Program has made significant progress in developing infor-
mation systems to facilitate a deeper understanding of the
environment. These systems also have helped promote bet-
ter-informed public participation.
Following is an overview of several projects the Environ-
mental Information Resources "workgroup has implemented.
The border environmental indicators are used to measure
environmental performance and to provide a basis for assess-
ing both the progress and of Border XXI activities and their
impacts on the environment. The indicators are also used to
help inform the public about conditions of and pressures on
die environment and natural resources and the effectiveness
of actions taken to address those concerns. The 1997 Indi-
cators Report was developed with input from the public. An
update of the information published in that report is provid-
ed in the individual workgroup chapters of this document.
The Border EcoWeb is an environmental inventory being
developed for use on the Internet. The multiyear project
was undertaken in response to the growing demand for envi-
ronmental information in the border communities. Border
EcoWeb includes environmental information, project lists,
and points of contact for environmental border activities.
The Reporte del Estado Ambiental y de los Recursos Nat-
urales en la Frontera Norte de Mexico (Report on the
State of the Environment and Natural Resources in die
Northern Border of Mexico) describes the economic, social,
demographic, natural, environmental, and institutional con-
ditions in Mexico's northern border region. The report also
establishes an objective baseline of scientific information relat-
ed to those parameters.
A geographic information system (GIS), developed coop-
eratively between Mexico's Institute Nacional de Estadistica,
Geografia e Informdtica (INEGI, or National Institute of Sta-
tistics, Geography, and Information) and the U.S. Geologi-
cal Survey (USGS), produces aerial photographs and spe-
cialized maps of the border region. To date, aerial coverage
of the U.S. border has been completed, while aerial cover-
age of regions in Mexico is still underway. A binational dig-
ital map, as well as a variety of GIS applications, will be
developed on the basis of the results of the project.
Hazardous and Solid Waste
EPA and INE operated the Hazardous Waste Tracking
System (HAZTRAKS) for several years. In 1998, HAZ-
TRAKS was replaced in Mexico with INE's version of a
hazardous waste tracking system, known as Sistema de
Rastreo de Residues Peligrosos (SIRREP, or Tracking Sys-
tem for Hazardous Wastes). The use of both systems has
considerably improved the ability to monitor trans-
boundary hazardous waste shipments in the U.S.-Mexi-
co border region. It is worth noting that a 1999 study
carried out by TNRCC determined that the operation of
SIRREP and the HAZTRAKS system is the most effec-
tive way of tracking the movement of hazardous wastes
between the two countries.
Another relevant accomplishment of the Border XXI
Hazardous and Solid Waste Workgroup was the negotia-
tion and recent agreement on the Consultative Mechanism
for the Exchange of Information on New and Existing Facil-
ities for the Management of Hazardous and Radioactive Waste
within 100 Kilometers of the U.S.-Mexico Border. The mech-
anism addresses public concern on both sides of the bor-
der related to the siting and operation of hazardous and
radioactive waste facilities in the border region. The agree-
ment will allow the two countries to exchange data and
other information about new and existing treatment, stor-
age, and disposal facilities in the border region that han-
dle hazardous or radioactive wastes.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
12
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U.S.-Mexico Border XXI Program: Progress Report: 1996-2000
Natural Resources
The Natural Resources Workgroup has implemented numer-
ous activities related to biodiversity and natural protected
areas. The principal activities were carried out under a
letter of intent (LOI) signed in June 1997 between SEMAR-
NAP and DOI. The LOI broadened cooperation to pre-
serve contiguous natural protected areas along the border
in two pilot regions, the Sonoran Desert and the Chi-
huahua Desert. The agreement established a basis for man-
aging the areas as shared ecosystems. Compatible man-
agement systems provide the continuity needed for pro-
tection activities and research efforts on both sides of the
border. Several projects of common interest have already
been implemented in these shared protected natural areas,
including: (1) exchange of personnel; (2) capacity building
through training; (3) development of species inventories;
and (4) cooperation on cultural resources.
In June 1999, SEMARNAP and DOI signed a joint
declaration to increase binational cooperation in activities
related to the upper San Pedro River basin. The declara-
tion focuses on improving and conserving the basins natu-
ral and cultural resources, including the river and its ripar-
ian zone. The agreement includes provisions for policy coor-
dination, instrument formulation, research, transboundary
species study, and information exchange.
One of the foremost accomplishments achieved in Mex-
ico has been the establishment of a management system for
six natural protected areas in the border region. The sys-
tem provides for the development of management plans and
ensures the availability of personnel, equipment, vehicles,
and financial resources for the natural protected areas. In
addition, Mexico has identified habitats for species that
require special protection, such as the bighorn sheep, the
black bear, the pronghorn, the ironwood, and various cacti.
Pollution Prevention
The Pollution Prevention Workgroup has worked to estab-
lish pollution prevention, energy efficiency, and recycling as
practical methods of achieving economic growth and envi-
ronmental protection along the U.S.-Mexico border. INE
has established a pollution prevention office within the
agency; partnerships have been initiated among INE, EPA,
the states, industries, and educational institutions along the
border. EPA and the states have worked with PROFEPA
to promote pollution prevention as a means of achieving
compliance. Highlights have included pollution prevention
workshops, held with the cooperation of local governments,
industry, and educational institutions, on topics that best
suit the needs of the communities.
Three pollution prevention roundtables have been ini-
tiated to further promote pollution prevention and energy
efficiency as a cost-effective and sustainable way to achieve
economic growth while preserving the border environment.
Roundtable members consider the concerns and needs of the
maquiladora industry and view local academic institutions
as a way to address those needs through the establishment
of sustainable cooperative programs.
By increasing efficiency and promoting pollution pre-
vention as a cost-effective environmental compliance tool,
workgroup members have joined together to provide tech-
nical assistance along the border. In California-Baja Cali-
fornia, technical assistance was provided through a series of
workshops targeting the electronic and textile sectors. The
workshops educated the industries on methods that would
reduce air pollution.
Through the Arizona-Mexico International Green Orga-
nization (AMIGO) program, manufacturers, trade associa-
tions, and government agencies in the Arizona-Sonora region
are invited to participate in AMIGO activities, including the
sharing of information about successful waste reduction activ-
ities and technology transfer. For their participation in the
program, maquiladora facilities were presented with awards
for environmental excellence.
Along the Texas-Mexico border, TNRCC, in conjunc-
tion with PROFEPAs voluntary auditing program, completed
21 on-site technical assistance visits to maquiladoras. Reports
from participating maquiladoras indicated annual reductions
of 9,600 tons of hazardous waste, 88,600 pounds of volatile
organic compounds (VOC), and 57,400 tons of nonhaz-
ardous waste. Further, 37 million gallons of water and 77
million kilowatt hours of electrical energy had been con-
served. Through pollution prevention and energy conserva-
tion methods, the maquiladoras had realized annual savings
of almost $10.1 million.
Rather than leaving cosdy remediation for future gen-
erations, the Pollution Prevention Workgroup endeavors to
achieve economic growth and a healthy environment through
the prevention of environmental problems. The workgroup
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
13
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U.S.-Mexico Border XXI Program: Progress Report 1996-2000
relies heavily on the work of and its partnership with the
border states as they continue to collaborate with industry
and educational institutions in local communities to carry
out pollution prevention efforts.
Water
After five years, the Border XXI Program has made signif-
icant progress in implementing infrastructure that address-
es water needs in the border regions.
The main improvement in Mexico has been the increase
in potable water services between 1995 and 2000 from 88
percent of the population served to 93 percent served. The
availability of sewage services also has increased from 60 per-
cent served in 1995 to 75 percent served in 2000, while
wastewater treatment improved from 34 percent to 75 per-
cent served. Most border communities in the United States
now have 100 percent water and sewage coverage, with the
exception of the communities known as colonias. Howev-
er, in most of the colonias as well as in other areas, funds
have already been allocated for improving systems operations
and for increasing water and sewage coverage.
The three levels of government from both countries, as
well as binational agencies, have participated in the program.
The United States-Mexico Border Infrastructure Coopera-
tion Committee is made up of participants representing EPA,
Mexico's Comisitn National del Agua (CNA, or National
Water Commission), both sections of the IBWC, the BECC,
and the NADB. Through the committee, the partners work
closely to develop policies for implementing potable water
and sanitation projects in the region, thereby increasing insti-
tutional coordination, streamlining decision making, and
optimizing available resources.
The BECC and the NADB were created to collabo-
rate on the preparation, development, implementation,
and funding of border infrastructure projects. Since Sep-
tember 1995> the BECC has certified 36 water or sani-
tation projects on both sides of the border. Some of the
projects have already been completed, while others are in
progress or still in the planning stage. Certified projects
might receive funding from EPA's Border Environmental
Infrastructure Fund (BEIF). The BEIF, which is man-
aged by the NADB, provides grants equal to those pro-
vided by federal, state, and local governments. To date,
the BEIF has provided significant funding for several cer-
tified projects. In addition, loans are available through
the NADB.
Among the many projects in the planning stages are
specific programs to provide services to colonias and various
Indian tribes on the U.S. side of the border. In addition,
Indian tribes in the U.S. border area have received funding
for sewage and potable water projects through both the Envi-
ronmental Infrastructure Program for Indian Tribes and the
Border Grant Program.
EPA, CNA, BECC, NADB, IBWC, and FUMEC have
collaborated on various studies focused on strengthening
water utilities. The studies have assisted the utilities in
improving the design and planning of various projects, as
well as in watershed monitoring.
Special emphasis has also been placed on border water-
shed management, mainly of the Colorado River and the
Rio Grande. Binational committees have been established
to address technical problems and collaboration issues. The
committees have worked to characterize water quality, with
the goal of determining the correlation between the devel-
opment and maintenance of environmental infrastructure and
the water quality of the two rivers.
In addition, the Water Workgroup has helped build capac-
ity in communities on both sides of the border. Most notably,
EPA has provided resources to support workshops and the
development of training manuals for utility operators.
t ~ CLOSING
C* - * REMARKS \
This report provides the first comprehensive account of the
efforts over the past five years of the U.S.-Mexico Border
XXI Program to improve environmental, health, and nat-
ural resource conditions and promote sustainable develop-
ment in the U.S.-Mexico border region. Through an eval-
uation of the progress and the limitations of the Border
XXI Program, the federal governments of the United States
and Mexico hope that the reader will learn more about not
only the strengths and weaknesses of the Border XXI Pro-
gram, but also the complexity of the endeavor and the scale
of the challenges that remain. While this report is retro-
spective, it also marks the beginning of a forward-looking
process for augmenting the participation of border resi-
Number of projects certified as of March 2000.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
14
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U.S.-Mexico Border XXI Program: Progress Report 1996-2000
dents, increasing local-level capacity, and creating additional
public and private partnerships to meet the needs of the
border region.
The Border XXI partnership has achieved notable suc-
cesses, among them a vastly increased level of infrastructure
development, innovative and wide-reaching mechanisms for
addressing border clean-up, accords with border states and
tribes, and an ambitious agenda for work with the private
sector. The indicators project, updated in this report, pro-
vides the public with qualitative and quantitative assessments
of those and odier aspects of the program. In addition, the
Border XXI Program has provided an important mechanism
for increasing the depth of public involvement in environ-
mental protection and has provided more information and
better tools for doing so than existed before the program
began.
Despite substantial efforts and important advances, seri-
ous environmental problems remain. Water pollution, poor
air quality, lack of infrastructure, exposure to toxics, out-
breaks of infectious diseases, and problems related to the
transboundary shipment of hazardous material are just some
of the issues that border communities continue to face. Many
of the difficulties In addressing these problems are attribut-
able to the area's staggering growth, a growth that, even by
the most conservative projections, will result in the near-
doubling of the region's population to 19 million people by
2020. This explosive population growth, coupled with
unplanned development, has challenged both institutional
and infrastructural. capacity. Responding to various envi-
ronmental and health concerns in a vast area experiencing
almost limitless growth and having very limited resources,
and across cultures, languages, and political systems, has
proven to be among the most challenging aspects of the
implemention of the program.
The two federal governments acknowledge the serious-
ness and magnitude of the work that lies ahead and hope
that this report helps to spur further dialogue about not only
the design and scope of the next border cooperation frame-
work, but also the form and function of future collabora-
tive opportunities.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
15
U.S. Government Printing Office; 20O1 62O-779
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