EPA
and  Mexico
                                                                                 w
On June 6, 1978, Environmental Protection Agency Ad-
ministrator Douglas M. Costle and his Mexican counter-
part. Ing.  Humberto Romero Alvarez of the Subsecre-
tariat  for  Environmental  Improvement  of Mexico
(SMA), signed  a  Memorandum of  Understanding
pledging mutual cooperation on  environmental prob-
lems, including air and water pollution problems along
the U.S. —Mexican border.  This agreement supple-
ments the 1944 Boundary Waters Treaty between the
two  countries, which dealt with  water allocation and
water quality issues. The International Boundary and
Water Commission —a bilateral commission established
to implement the 1944 Treaty—is  working to make the
Treaty's water quality and sanitation objectives more
explicit.
  Under the new Memorandum, the United States and
Mexico are making an inventory of environmental prob-
lems along their border and setting priorities for dealing
with them. Issues include pollution of coastal waters,
pollution of border waters, and air pollution in  urban
regions along the border. The Memorandum provides
for annual meetings between high-level environmental
officials of the two countries to oversee the work and to
discuss environmental issues common  to both  coun-
tries.
  EPA is also involved with Mexico under the Consulta-
tive Mechanism  established by President Carter and
President Lopez Portillo in 1977, and strengthened dur-
ing President Carter's trip to Mexico City in 1979. The
Consultative Mechanism provides for frequent meetings
of high-level officials on  issues  of mutual interest, in-
cluding pollution problems along the border and con-
tingency planning for oil spills.
  EPA provides technical  assistance to Mexico on en-
vironmental problems through direct contacts between
EPA and  SMA, but more often under the auspices of
the Pan American Health  Organization (PAHO),  which
serves as the Regional Office for the Americas  of the
U.N.-affiliated World Health Organization.  Since 1969,
U.S. environmental officials have worked with Mexican
officials through PAHO on all phases of pollution con-
trol programs.  Many of  these contacts take  place
through the PAHO regional office in El Paso, Texas.
                                                                             SEPA
                                                                                 United Slates
                                                                                 Environmental Protection
                                                                                 Agency

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