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BORDER 2012: U.S.- MEXICO ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAM
ARIZONA - SONORA
Fall 2005
Arizona/Sonora Regional Workgroup
By Editing Committee
TVlO Arizona/Sonora Regional Workgroup is committed to informing
lllC the public about Border 2012 activities in our section of the
U.S.-Mexico border. This newsletter provides readers with information
regarding environmental work being done for or near their communi-
ties. It also contains specific contacts on the five task forces that were
created under the workgroup. We encourage you to become an active
participant in any that interest you. We hope to continue to serve
our communities on both sides of the border with information that
is important to them, through this publication and the Border 2012
Program website, www.epa.gov/usmexicoborder. If you have additional
questions or suggestions for future editions of this newsletter, please
feel free to contact us at 1-800-334-0741 (EPA San Diego Border
Office) or 1-888-271-9302 (ADEQ Tucson Office).
BORDER 2012: U.S.- MEXICO ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAM
o
UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY OFFICIAL BUSINESS PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE $300
SAN DIEGO BORDER LIAISON OFFICE AN EQUALOPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
610 WEST ASH STREET, SUITE 905
SAN DIEGO CA 92101
ARIZONA/SONORA REGIONAL WORKGROUP 1
BORDER PEOPLE: CO-CHAIRS OF THE ARIZONA/SONORA
REGIONAL WORKGROUP 2
ARIZONA/SONORA WATER TASK FORCE 3
PROVIDING SAFE DRINKING WATER TO TRIBES AND
INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES 3
HEAVY DUTY REMOTE SENSING DEMONSTRATION PROJECT 4
AM BOS NOGALES AIR QUALITY PLAN 5
ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP PROJECT 5
THOUSANDS OF TIRES CLEANED UP IN BORDER COMMUNITIES 6
NEW HAZARDOUS WASTE DISPOSAL FACILITY 7
ARIZONA/SONORA CHILDREN'S ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
TASK FORCE 8
BINATIONAL TABLE TOP EXERCISE 8
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE FIELD GUIDE 9
TRIBAL COMMUNIQUE 9
INDICATORS 10
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS 11
NATIONAL COORDINATORS MEETING 11
ACTING LOCALLY 12
TEN STATE ALLIANCE 13
CONTACT SHEET 14
.
Tucson, Arizon
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2 ARIZONA-SONORA: Regional Workgroup Newsletter
Border People: Co-Chairs of the Arizona/Sonora Regional Workgroup
In the previous Arizona/Sonora Regional Workgroup Newsletter (Summer 2004) we highlighted the work and perspectives of two Co-Chairs that admin-
ister the workgroup within Border 2012. In this edition, we are highlighting two more. This will give readers a personal look at two individuals that are
working to solve environmental challenges that border communities face in the Arizona/Sonora region. We plan to continue these type of profiles with
stories of other Regional Workgroup representatives as the members and leaders of the workgroup task forces.
Steve Owens
Director of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
Steve
Owens, director of the Arizona
Department of Environmental
Quality, was appointed to the department
by Governor Janet Napolitano in January
2003 and provides executive leadership,
setting overall policy and priorities. Before
joining ADEQ, Steve was a practicing
environmental attorney in Phoenix for 14
years. Steve has served on numerous environmental panels, including
the EPA's Clean Air Act Advisory Committee, the Phoenix Environmental
Quality Commission, the Environmental Council of the State (ECOS), and
the Joint Public Advisory Committee of the North American Commission
on Environmental Cooperation, which reviews environmental matters aris-
ing under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Among other priorities, Steve has advocated for increasing efforts that
address children's environmental health issues through his role as co-chair
of the Arizona/Sonora Regional Workgroup. The creation of the Arizona/
Sonora Children's Environmental Health Task Force is a direct response to
focus initiatives in this area. As the first such task force throughout the
U.S.-Mexico border region, several ongoing projects highlight the begin-
ning of long-term processes to improve environmental health conditions of
children living in the Arizona/Sonora border. These projects include:
Integrated pest management training for implementation at schools on
both sides of the border.
Promoting the school bus idling policy developed by ADEQ in border
region school districts, which decreases exposure of children to harmful
diesel emissions from idling school buses.
Diesel engine retrofits of buses used by the Santa Cruz County Unified
School District to further minimize diesel emissions.
Collaboration among the task forces is key not only to strengthen these
efforts, but also to maximize resources by eliminating duplicative activi-
ties. This serves as a vehicle to improve the quality of environmental
efforts in the Arizona/Sonora border region.
If you have not been active in any of the task forces, please consider part-
nering with us by contacting any of the task force leaders.
Ing. Florencio Dfaz Armenia
Delegate, Sonora Secretariat for Environment and Natural Resources
Since!
'beginning as the Federal Delegate
in Sonora for the Secretariat for
the Environment and Natural Resources
(SEMARNAT), Florencio Diaz Armenia has
demonstrated his interest regarding the envi-
ronmental concerns of communities adjacent
to the U.S. border by fostering SEMARNAT's
participation in Border 2012 task forces.
As Mayor of San Luis Rio Colorado (1997-2000), he learned first-hand
about the issues that concern the residents on both sides of the border.
During his administration, he was an active participant of the Border XXI
Program, the precursor to Border 2012. This included proposing and ini-
tiating the development of a wastewater treatment plant to the BECC and
NADBank, which is now a reality in the municipality.
In his role as co-chair of the Arizona-Sonora Border 2012 Regional
Workgroup, he has proposed the development of a priority action plan in
coordination with the Secretariat of Urban Infrastructure and Ecology of
Sonora (SIUE). Humberto Valdez Ruy Sanchez, Secretary of SIUE, is also
co-chair of the Regional Workgroup. Presented at the National Coordinators'
Meeting held in Tucson, Arizona this past March, the priority action plan
emphasized addressing issues related to Air and Water Quality, Waste and
Enforcement, Children's Environmental Health, and Chemical Emergency
Preparedness and Response, to coincide with the efforts of the local task
forces.
An issue of great interest to Mr. Diaz Armenia is the possibility of support-
ing Ihe "Projecl lo reaclivale air qualily monitoring of parliculale mailer in
border communilies," as well as Ihe clean-up of wasle lire dump sites in
Nogales, Sonora.
A goal of Mr. Diaz Armenia is lo provide capacily building opporlunilies for
municipal aulhorilies on municipal sold wasle prevenlion and integrated
managemenl, in order lo improve wasle managemenl praclices in border
communilies.
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TASK FORCE / MEDIA UPDATES
Arizona / Sonora Water Task Force
By Doug Liden, EPA Region 9
The
Arizona/Sonora Border
2012 Water Task Force
was formed in 2003 by state
and local agencies from Mexico
and the United States, includ-
ing the Comision Nacional de
Agua (CNA, Mexico's National
Water Commission), Arizona
Department of Water Resources
(ADWR), Arizona Department of
Environmental Quality (ADEQ), U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA), and the Comision de Agua
Potable y Alcantarillado del Estado
de Sonora (COAPAES, the State of
Sonora Water Commission). The
goals of the Task Force are to:
1) Improve understanding of hydro-
logic resources in the region, share
water resources data and improve
water monitoring.
2) Develop relationships with other
organizations working on similar
issues.
3) Provide technical expertise to
review binational water resources
concerns.
4) Help identify and secure funding
for water resource projects.
5) Review, comment, and rec-
ommend water quality funding
requests submitted to EPA.
One of the Task Force's projects
has been to further develop a
shared Water Information Center
(Centra de Consulta de Agua en
Sonora). The Center is a Web-
based service maintained by el
Instituto Tecnologico de Sonora in
Hermosillo (ITSON). Development
of this site was originally financed
by the World Bank, with the aim of
1) helping engineers at CNA access
data necessary for decision-making
and 2) making information readily
available to the public, to increase
awareness of water issues. To help
share data between Mexico and
the United States for studies in
binational watersheds, ADEQ has
provided the Center links to over
300,000 records from its own
internal water quality database.
These records can be identified
by running a simple query on the
CNA Water Information Center for
"Arizona" (www.aguanoroeste.org.
mx).
The most recent Arizona/Sonora
Water Task Force meeting was
held in Hermosillo, Sonora, on
April 15, 2005. During this meet-
ing, CNA agreed to develop a
workplan for monitoring drinking
water wells in Nogales, Sonora for
tetrachloroethylene (TCE). In 1996,
a binational group consisting of
ADEQ, COAPAES, and International
Boundary and Water Commission
(IBWC)-U.S. & Mexican Sections
conducted a study of thirteen wells
along the Nogales Wash. The study
found PCE and fecal coliform in
some of the wells. ADEQ contin-
ued to monitor two of the wells in
Arizona, but no further monitor-
ing was conducted in Mexico due
to resource constraints. Once
the work plan is developed, the
Task Force intends to develop a
Memorandum of Understanding so
that ADEQ can assist Mexico with
additional testing of the contami-
nated wells.
Recently completed wastewater treatment plant
at Patagonia
On the banks of the Waco East Wastewater
Treament Lagoons
For more information, contact Doug
Liden at EPA, (415) 972-3406 or
by email at liden.douglas@epa.
gov.
Providing Safe Drinking Water to Tribes and Indigenous Communities
By Linda Reeves, EPA Region 9
AttheTohono
O'odham
Nation,
approximately 15% of the
population lacks access to safe
drinking water and basic sanita-
tion. Safe drinking water is also
not available at most O'odham
indigenous communities in
Mexico. A fundamental goal of
the Border 2012 Framework is
to increase by 25% the number
of homes with access to safe
drinking water and basic sanita-
tion. Below are highlights of two
projects which increase access
for these tribal and indigenous
communities.
Continuous Chlorination
Units for the Tohono
O'odham Nation
The Tohono O'odham Utility
Authority installed continuous
chlorination units for 71 water
sources on the Tohono O'odham
Nation, ensuring that approxi-
mately 20,000 people receive
safe drinking water disinfected
against harmful bacteria such as
E. coli and fecal coliform.
At a cost of $30 per home,
EPA's tribal border infrastructure
program provided funds to the
Nation to purchase the chlorina-
tion units. The Tohono O'odham
Utility Authority donated the
cost of its labor to install the
units. The project was complet-
ed over a two year period ending
in October 2004.
Prior to completion of this proj-
ect, the Nation's water sources
were chlorinated by hand once
per month, except sources with
elevated storage tanks which
were chlorinated once every
3 months due to the risk of
climbing the tanks and limited
staff resources. At the Tohono
O'odham Nation, the rate of
communicable diseases related
to poor sanitation exceeds the
U.S. national average by 1.3
times for Hepatitis B, 2.7 times
for Salmonellosis, 13.7 times
for Shigellosis, 17 times for
Tuberculosis, and 108 times for
coli (according to the Centers for
Disease Control, based on outpa-
tient clinic data from 1999).
The Tohono O'odham Nation
has the largest land mass of
Tohono O'dham
Chorination System Unit
the tribal and indigenous com-
munities in the border region.
Located west of Tucson, it has a
population of 22,000. Seventy
miles (124km) of the reserva-
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4 ARIZONA-SONORA: Regional Workgroup Newsletter
tion are on the international
boundary between the U.S. and
Mexico. There are close ties
between the Nation and the
O'odham indigenous communi-
ties in Mexico.
Quitovac, Sonora *-
The O'odham indigenous com-
munity of Quitovac in Sonora
will have safe drinking water
by the end of this year. With
funds from EPA's Border 2012
program, the Tohono O'odham
Utility Authority will install a
new well, water storage tank and
distribution system for the com-
munity. The project will serve 17
homes and a boarding school for
100 children.
The new water system will
replace many individual hand-
dug wells which are contami-
nated with total coliform and
fecal coliform, and have high
levels of lead, arsenic, uranium
and chromium.
Mexico will provide electricity to
Quitovac, and will construct a
health clinic after the new drink-
700 children at the O'odham indigenous boarding school in Quitovac will receive safe drinking water.
ing water system is completed.
Also, EPA has allocated funds
to construct a wastewater treat-
ment system for the boarding
school to prevent contamination
of the ground water supply.
Quitovac is located in northwest-
ern Sonora, Mexico, approxi-
mately 20 miles south of the
Lukeville international port of
entry. The drinking water needs
at Quitovac are typical of the
needs at other O'odham indig-
enous communities in Sonora,
Mexico.
For more information about the
tribes and indigenous com-
munities in the Arizona/Sonora
Border Region, please contact
Ty Canez, Tribal Border Liaison,
at (480) 820-1426; or, Linda
Reeves, EPA Tribal Border
Infrastructure Coordinator, at
(415) 927-3445.
Heavy-Duty Remote Sensing
Demonstration Project at the
Nogales Border Crossing in Arizona
By Christine Vineyard, EPA Region 9
-A remote sensing
. device (or RSD)
casts a narrow beam of ultraviolet
and infrared light across a roadway
to instantaneously measure tailpipe
emissions as a vehicle crosses its
path. The technology has been
widely demonstrated in light-duty
applications. This project demon-
strated the use of the technology in
measuring heavy-duty (truck) emis-
sions at the Nogales border cross-
ing in Arizona. The RSD estimate
was corroborated with existing
EPA-approved measurement meth-
ods. Average emissions profiles
for US and Mexican trucks will be
generated and suggested cut points
for 'gross emitter' thresholds will
be identified.
Project Description. Two sets
of RSD equipment were be set
up at the US-Mexico border
crossing in Nogales, Arizona to
estimate emissions of Volatile
Organic Compounds (VOCs),
Carbon Monoxide(CO), Nitrous
Oxides(NOx) and Particulate
Matter(PM) from all trucks pass-
ing the equipment. RSD estimates
were corroborated with a portable
emissions monitor (PEM) for a
subset of trucks that volunteered
to participate. A PEM device was
temporarily installed on a truck
to obtain emissions estimates for
VOC, CO and NOx. Opacimeter
readings of PM were taken, though
they reflect coarse PM and RSD
reflects fine PM. Officials from the
four border states and interested
stakeholders, including Mexican air
quality officials, were invited to a
demonstration event at Nogales to
see the technology first hand. The
demonstration ran for three weeks,
with testing scheduled to begin the
second week in March. A report
was generated describing the data,
analyses, and results. An advisory
board of technical experts has been
formed to assist in reviewing the
report. The report was available
by July, 2005 and was shared
with all interested parties.
Project Partners. The par-
ticipants in the project include
the Arizona Department of
Environmental Quality, U.S.
Environmental Protection
Agency, ESP, and M.J. Bradley &
Associates.
Next Steps. After successful
completion of the three week
pilot project, the project partners
will consider establishing two to
three quasi-permanent RSD sites at
high traffic border crossings. These
sites operate from three to 12
months to gather a more compre-
hensive set of data on cross border
truck emissions and refine the
levels at which trucks should be
considered "gross emitters". The
analysis will also offer estimates on
emission reductions from a gross
emitter program.
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Ambos Nogales Air Quality Plan of Action Signed
by Michele Kimpel Guzman, ADEQ
of
Environmental
Arizona Department
Quality (ADEQ) Director Steve Owens, and
Secretariat of Urban Infrastructure and Ecology
Director Humberto Daniel Valdez Ruy Sanchez,
recently signed the Plan of Action for Improving
Air Quality in Ambos Nogales in their capacity
as public sector co-chairs of the Arizona-Mexico
Commission Environment Committee. The sign-
ing ceremony took place on June 17, 2005,
as part of the Arizona-Mexico Commission's
Summer Plenary Session in Tucson, Arizona.
The Plan of Action describes 12 recommended
actions to improve air quality in Ambos Nogales,
which is impaired by unhealthy levels of particu-
late matter. The plan serves as a guide to future
action to improve public health. It will be posted
soon in PDF format on ADEQ's Web site.
Elevated levels of particulate matter (PM) can
increase the frequency and severity of asthma
attacks, upper respiratory tract infections, and
ultimately cause emphysema, lung cancer, and
premature death. Air quality in Ambos Nogales
regularly violates the 24-hour health standard
for PM10. A 1999 binational air quality study
in the area estimated that particulate pollution
causes five to eight premature deaths annu-
ally in Nogales, Ariz., and 42 to 72 premature
deaths annually in Nogales, Sonora (which has
higher numbers because the overall population
is so much larger). Thus, the need for air quality
improvement is clear.
The Plan of Action is the culmination of a
great deal of work by many local, state and
federal agencies and organizations in the U.S.
and Mexico, working under the auspices of the
Border Liaison Mechanism Economic and Social
Development Subgroup and the Border 2012
Ambos Nogales Air Quality Task Force. The rec-
ommendations represent the consensus of the
participants, and include actions to reduce par-
ticulate emissions from unpaved roads and park-
ing lots, passenger and commercial vehicles,
traffic congestion, soil erosion, and the burn-
ing of wood and garbage in homes and yards.
Specifically, the recommended actions are:
Stabilize unpaved roads and
parking lots
Speed up individual and com
mercial border crossings
Reduce vehicle emissions
Construct major transportation
corridors
Reduce the air quality impacts
of the train route
Eliminate garbage burning
Promote more effective revegetation efforts
Reduce wood burning
Carry out engineering solutions
to soil erosion
Establish recycling programs
Create or improve public tran
sit services
Improve traffic flow on local
streets
Now that the document has been signed, the
Border Liaison Mechanism Subgroup and the
Border 2012 Ambos Nogales Air Quality Task
Force will be working to carry out the recom-
mendations. These efforts will include identify-
ing measures of progress, conducting public
education and outreach, and collaborating with
the Border 2012 Children's Environmental
Health Task Force. For further information,
please contact Placido dos Santos at (520)
628-6744 or pds@azdeq.gov.
Local Border 2012 Environmental Stewardship Project Offers Free
Training, Support
By Barbara Maco, EPA Region 9
A hi[llilAn:ll public/private partnership is working with businesses
A UlllullUllUl and municipalities to improve the environment and
public health in Arizona and Sonora, Mexico border communities.
The partnership is offering free training and technical support to enable
local governments and businesses to develop environmental management
systems (EMS) based on international standards that use eco-efficiency
and pollution prevention techniques. An EMS allows an organization to
analyze, control and reduce the environmental impact of its activities,
products and services, and promote employee stewardship. EMS have
helped companies worldwide achieve better quality and environmental
design and increase their competitive edge.
At the January kick-off meeting in Nogales, Francisco Maytorena, repre-
senting Mexico's Attorney General for the Environment (PROFEPA), told
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6 ARIZONA-SONORA: Regional Workgroup Newsletter
the participants this EMS capacity-building effort can also help them
comply with Mexico's environmental audit program and certification under
Clean Industry/Clean City (Programa Nacional de Auditoria Ambiental
Certificacion de Industria Limpia y Municipio Limpio)
Ramon Castrejon of the Infraestructura Urbana y Ecologia de Sonora
extolled the program as a "way for cities to gather support from the State
legislature and governor for increased environmental program resources."
Both the Procuradoria Federal de Proteccion al Ambiente (PROFEPA) and
the Secretaria de Infraestructura Urbana y Ecologia (SIUE) are providing
technical assistance to the participants.
Sixteen participants committed to developing and certifying an EMS by
December 2005. The third workshop was held during the second week of
May with Jose Maria Inclan of Monterrey, Mexico providing training and
individual technical support. Participants are developing EMS's covering
waste, water and energy operations.
The Association of Environmental Safety Professionals of Sonora , also
known as APSA (Asociacion de Profesionales en Seguridad Ambiental de
Sonora) is coordinating the project serving as primary liaison with partici-
pants, arranging logistics and providing technical support.
The US partners include the Arizona Department of Environmental
Quality, with staff who bring over 10 years of Border program experience
and certification in international EMS standards. The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency is providing the EMS trainer; project management and
technical resources.
Getting input and sharing results with workers and surrounding communi-
ties will be an important part of the EMS's being developed.
The project is designed to meet Border 2012 Goal 6, Environmental
Stewardship Objective 1: By 2006, increase by 50 % the number of
industries along the U.S.-Mexico Border working on voluntary compliance
and/or self-audits, such as EMS.
Students and instructor at an EMS training class
Thousands of Tires Cleaned Up in Border Municipalities
By Edna Mendoza, ADEQ, Ramon Castrejon, SIUE, Emily Pimentel, EPA Region 9
Border 2012 Tire Cleanup Objectives
The growth of specific solid waste streams, such as tires is expected to
increase as a result of population and economic growth. Consequently,
as the border region is expected to continue growing, scrap tires will
be generated in even higher quantities. Risks already exist as a result
of past accumulated tire piles, called legacy tires, in the border region.
When improperly managed, scrap tires can create an environmental
nuisance and pose environmental hazards if they burn. They can also
contribute to public health risks due to diseases associated with mos-
quitoes, such as the West Nile virus and the Dengue Fever virus. If this
problem is not addressed, the potential risks associated with scrap tires
are expected to grow. Fortunately, as part of the Border 2012 Program
Goal 3 (Reduce Land Contamination), there is a specific objective to
clean up three of the largest tire piles in the US-Mexico border region.
Major tire cleanups have already been done in the Baja California/
California region through Border 2012 financing. In our Arizona/Sonora
region, the municipality of Agua Prieta, Sonora has spearheaded their
own pilot project that delivered nearly 40,000 tires to a cement plant
for use as tire derived fuel (TDF). Officials in Agua Prieta partnered
with the rail line, Grupo Mexico, to transport the tires to CEMEX in the
capital city of Hermosillo. Several thousand scrap tires remain in Agua
Prieta and officials are seeking avenues to continue with the successful
process they initiated through the pilot project.
Binational Tire Management Strategy
In June 2004, the US and Mexico signed a letter of intent to develop
a scrap tire management strategy. This commitment resulted because
of the growing awareness and concern amongst the border region's citi-
zenry. It was apparent that even if legacy tire piles are cleaned up, new
tire piles could be created if newly generated tire piles are not properly
managed. Development of the tire management strategy is a work in
progress, but the basic elements of the strategy are well accepted:
* Better understand the problems contributing to waste tire generation;
* Cleanup legacy tire piles using cost-effective solutions;
* Prevent new tire piles, and;
* Involve communities in creating solutions.
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Better understand the problems contributing to waste tire generation: There
are a variety of factors contributing to the generation of waste tires. The
border adds an additional dimension because of the used tire market,
inadequate solid waste management, and limited resources and informa-
tion to address the problems. Tire haulers operating in Mexico are required
to have a permit. In Arizona, a disposal fee is collected for every new tire
purchased, which funds scrap tire management programs in the state. All
governments acknowledge the importance of having adequate enforce-
ment, as well as, addressing compliance and enforcement gaps.
Cleanup legacy tire piles using cost-effective solutions: In the US and
Mexico, the most cost-effective and readily available option for dispos-
ing of scrap tires has been to use them as TDF. Some cement plants
and power plants use TDF as an alternative fuel to replace some of their
regular fuel (typically coal or petroleum coke). Use of legacy waste tires as
TDF has been a particularly effective use in Mexico for two main reasons:
* Legacy tires have fewer alternative use options because their quality
deteriorates over time.
* CEMEX signed an agreement with SEMARNAT to receive scrap tires for
use as TDF at no cost.
Prevent new tire piles: The challenge everywhere is preventing new tire
piles by developing several alternative scrap tire markets, such as TDF,
civil engineering applications, crumb rubber, etc. The good news is that
there are actually many viable scrap tire markets, even though they will
require long-term planning and investments. One of the most excit-
ing recent developments being considered world-wide is the concept of
increasing product stewardship. This means placing the responsibility on
tire manufactures to address life cycle issues, such as using less natural
and energy resources in the production of tires; ensure consumers know
the best ways to maximize the life of their products; and facilitate recy-
cling tires once they have reached the end of their useful life.
Involve communities in creating solutions: Unless communities know about
the scrap tire management problems and risks, and are given an opportu-
nity to contribute to the solutions, the road to resolving the problem will
be slow. The Border 2012 Program Waste Policy Forum is developing the
binational tire management strategy and will be seeking input from stake-
holders. To learn more about the Border 2012 Program or if you want to
become more involve visit the web site at www.epa.gov/usmexicoborder.
New Hazardous Waste Disposal Facility in Sonora Border Under
Consideration by Mexican Government
By Emily Pimentel, EPA Region 9
Among
Mexico's environ-
mental priorities is
to increase the number of haz-
ardous waste disposal facilities.
Currently, the only permitted facil-
ity in the entire nation is located
near Monterrey in Nuevo Leon.
According to SEMARNAT data col-
lected in the year 2000, 3.7 mil-
lion tons of hazardous waste were
manifested. Permitting a hazard-
ous waste facility is challenging
because of rigorous technical,
regulatory, and financial-responsi-
bility requirements. But the lack
of more accessible facilities, par-
ticularly in the fast growing border
region, is problematic because
of existing and future industrial
demands. About 24% of Mexico's
hazardous waste is derived from
the northwestern states of Baja
California, Sonora, Sinaloa, and
Chihuahua.
Proposal Undergoing Mexican
Government Review: Recently,
the Company Centra de Gestion
applied for a SEMARNAT permit
to construct and operate a hazard-
ous waste facility in the northern
Sonora region. The facility would
be located in an undeveloped
area 60 km southeast of Sonotya,
Sonora and Lukeville, Arizona,
65 km northwest of Caborca,
Sonora and 30 km from the
O'odham indigenous community
of Quitovac. The area is also 2
km away from Highway 2, a road
between Sonotya and Caborca.
The facility would accept hazard-
ous waste, except for bio-hazard-
ous and PCB waste greater than
50 parts per million. It could
handle about 45 tons of waste per
year for disposal and would have
a 50-year operating capacity prior
to closure. The facility would carry
out waste screening and pre-treat-
ment protocols prior to disposal
in lined confinement cells. But it
will not be set up to conduct any
recycling or treatment.
No Significant Impacts Expected:
The project proponent report
describes the construction, opera-
tion, and closure phases and the
potential environmental impacts
associated with each of them.
The report identifies minimal to
insignificant impacts, which can
be mitigated through monitor-
ing and engineering controls.
Accessible from SEMARNAT's
Web site (www.semarnat.gob.mx),
the report was available for a 30-
day public comment period that
closed June 30, 2005.
Sfttodri pKB»d&^B
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8 ARIZONA-SONORA: Regional Workgroup Newsletter
Arizona/Sonora Children's Health Taskforce
By Norman Calero, EPA Region 9
The
Arizona-Sonora Children's Environmental Health Task Force
recently began two projects aimed at reducing environmental
risk to children living in the border region. The first project, forming a
joint working group with the Arizona Mexico Commission, is intended
to reduce children's exposure to pesticides in schools. The second proj-
ect seeks to increase awareness of asthma triggers in the schools and
homes environment.
The joint working group has already met several times, both in Arizona
and Sonora, and started developing a train-the-trainer workshop, along
with associated curriculum and training materials, for Integrated Pest
Management (IPM) in Sonoran border schools. Given the established role
of pests and pesticides in triggering asthma attacks, the workshop will
establish a corps of Sonoran trainers who will then be able to make IPM
part of the routine in schools throughout Sonora. The project will also
benefit Arizona schools, state agencies, and other organizations that serve
Spanish speaking populations along the border, by creating training and
outreach materials in Spanish. The curriculum and translation of the train-
ing materials is now underway. The workshop is tentatively scheduled for
early fall 2005 in Nogales, Sonora.
The task force's outreach efforts on asthma triggers in the school and
home environment will include producing and distributing bilingual educa-
tion and outreach materials on how to reduce outdoor air pollution, pesti-
cide use, and school bus idling. The materials are currently in draft form.
When finalized, they will be distributed to area schools as well as to an
existing promotora-based outreach program (Steps to a Healthier Arizona
Initiative).
Binational Table Top Exercise
Douglas/Cochise County, Arizona
Agua Prieta/Sonora
By Lauren Volpini, U.S.EPA Region 9
On March 1,2005,
the
Border
2012 Emergency Preparedness and
Response Task Force for Arizona,
and Sonora, Mexico, conducted
a bi-national hazardous materi-
als tabletop exercise in the Agua
Prieta, Sonora and Douglas, Arizona
area. A tabletop exercise brings
key personnel together in an infor-
mal setting to discuss simulated
emergencies. During exercise play,
participants discuss issues in depth
and resolve them, using a slow-
paced problem solving process
rather than the rapid, stressful
process that is characteristic of
a full-scale exercise or an actual
event. This exercise was conducted
in cooperation with numerous par-
ticipating agencies and was facili-
tated by the U.S. EPA, Region 9.
Participants included 38 represen-
tatives from 19 agencies and orga-
nizations, including the Douglas
and Agua Prieta Fire Departments,
Proteccion Civil, AZ Departments
of Emergency Management,
Environmental Quality, and Health
Services; Cochise County Health
Department, U.S. Customs and
Border Patrol; Red Cross, Mexico;
various city emergency response
personnel; and local hospitals.
The goal of the tabletop exercise
was to evaluate coordination of
the two Binational Emergency
Response Plans and actions in
response to a hazardous materi-
als incident affecting both Mexico
and the U.S. along the border
between Agua Prieta, and Douglas.
Simulated participants were deliv-
ered an exercise scenario in which
a tanker truck carrying several
thousand gallons of sulfur dioxide
overturned in Agua Prieta, Sonora,
resulting in a release of sulfur
dioxide that endangered human
Tabletop exercise participants discuss response efforts.
health and threatened to travel
across the border into Douglas,
Arizona. Additional exercise objec-
tives included effective com-
munication, establishment of the
Incident Command System, assess-
ing the logistics of the response,
exploration of health care and
medical implications, and the use
of the Binational Prevention and
Emergency Response Plans to sup-
port response activities. At the con-
clusion of the exercise, participants
shared their comments and sugges-
tions, which were compiled into an
implementation plan designed to
improve overall response capability
in the border area. The Douglas,
Arizona - Agua Prieta, Sonora
Binational Hazardous Materials
Exercise: Amigos in Peligro After
Action Report presents a summary
of the exercise and the plan. For
copies, please contact Chief Novoa,
Douglas Fire Department at (520)
363- 2481.
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2005
English/Spanish Field Guide for
Emergency Response Communication
Guia de Campo para Comtmieaei6n dc
Respuesta a Emergencia* Eipariol/lngle
M published and distributed a bilingual (English/
Spanish) Field Guide for Emergency Response
Communication in March 2005 in cooperation with the
Arizona/Sonora Emergency Preparedness and Response
Task Force of the Border 2012 U.S./Mexico Environmental
Program.
The Guide will help facilitate communication among bilin-
gual emergency responders in the border communities.
It will be useful in conducting training, exercises and in
actual emergencies. It contains commonly used terms and
phrases, as well as valuable reference information and
useful phone numbers.
Copies of the Guide can be downloaded from the Web at:
www.epa.gov/Border2012.
MMIu
Acdon« de fl wptrfrta
US Tribes and Mexican Indigenous Communities Issue Joint Communique
Contact: Nina Heptner, NAEPC
ThO 26 UlSl tribes and various Mexican indigenous communities in
lilt the border region issued a joint communique to express their envi-
ronmental issues, accomplishments and priorities (see highlights below).
Following is a summary of the communique, the full text is available at
(www.naepc.com/downloads).
Both U.S. tribes and Mexican indigenous communities are working to
improve air quality on their reservations and in their communities. U.S.
tribes and Mexican indigenous communities are faced with air pollution
problems due to agricultural and metropolitan areas near or on their reser-
vations and communities. The Cocopah Tribe, in Arizona, is conducting a
demonstration project to study improved tilling of farmlands on the tribe's
reservation, to decrease the exposure of tribe members to dust emissions.
The Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Tribe in Texas, located in an urban environment
along the border, is sampling ambient air for volatile organic compounds
and hazardous air pollutants, in partnership with EPA Region 6 and the
University of Texas School of Public Health. This will provide baseline
assessment of exposure and identify potential health risks to the tribal
community. The Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla Indians is paving dirt roads
on its reservation to reduce air pollution. U.S. Tribes with monitoring sta-
tions will continue air sampling for ozone and particulate matter (which are
largely produced by off-reservation activities) to further define concerns of
their communities. They will continue to seek funds to reduce emissions
that affect their communities.
The ability to provide access to safe drinking water and basic wastewater
sanitation is another high priority for tribal and indigenous communities
in the U.S. and Mexico. Quitovac, a small O'odham indigenous community
in Mexico, received funding for a potable water system for the community
and boarding school for 100 children (with funding coordinated through
the Tohono O'odham Nation). Nearly all the indigenous communities in the
Mexico border region lack access to safe drinking water and basic sanita-
tion, and these communities will be severely impacted by the proposed
new water usage fees. EPA's tribal border infrastructure program has fund-
ed 39 projects for 15 Tribes in the California and Arizona Border Region,
providing access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation for over 8,000
homes. Despite these successes, there is still an estimated $60 million
shortfall in funding needed for tribal infrastructure. Tribes are also con-
cerned about protecting shared aquifers which are threatened by overdraft
and contamination from off-reservation activities.
Tribal communities are greatly affected by illegal dumping. On the
Tohono O'odham Nation in Arizona and the Campo Indian Reservation in
California, there is an ongoing struggle to remove waste left behind due
to undocumented immigration. In other areas near the border, tribes and
indigenous communities are struggling to halt the illegal burning of trash,
dumping of cars, and the increase of illegal drug labs. With the increase
in traffic across tribal lands and communities, it is imperative that we be
prepared for environmental accidents and strive to put preventative mea-
sures in place.
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10ARIZONA-SONORA: Regional Workgroup Newsletter
Indigenous communities in the border area also lack solid waste disposal
programs. In 2004, the Pala Band of Mission Indians removed 34,000
tires from its reservation, and started a recycling program for waste oil and
consumer recyclable items. The Tohono O'odham Nation has estimated
that there are over 300 wildcat dumps on its reservation, and that 1,500
undocumented migrants dump six tons of trash on the reservation every
day.
As we move forward into this next year, our immediate tribal priorities are:
Improve the air quality on reservations and in indigenous communities
Increase access to and improve infrastructure for safe drinking water
and wastewater by seeking continued funding of the Tribal Border
Infrastructure Program, including tribal allocations and funding for
Mexican indigenous communities
Reduce the amount of contamination left behind due to undocumented
immigration
Promote emergency preparedness along the border region
Establish a Lower Colorado River Task Force under the Border 2012
program
Highlights on the US - Mexico Border Indicators Effort
By Steven Young, EPA Washington DC
A physician
keeps track of
blood pressure
readings and other vital information
(e.g., cholesterol levels) in order to
observe a patients' cardiovascular
health. Similarly, one can rely on
multiple indicators to take a pulse
on the environment and environ-
mental health conditions along the
US-Mexico border. Indicators can
also create a basis for tracking
changes in environmental and pub-
lic health conditions, and hopefully
improvements over time, as a result
of the collective environmental
effort at the border. Thus, indica-
tors can be used as a tool to inform
the public and border stakeholders
about Border 2012 progress and
current environmental and health
conditions. Ultimately, the public
and stakeholders will benefit from
developing and maintaining sound
binational indicators. The U.S. and
Mexico, like many other countries,
use indicators to monitor their pro-
grams, plan their next actions, and
track trends.
A sample border indicator, currently
under consideration is percent of
population connected to potable
water supply. As more water sup-
ply infrastructure is built to pro-
vide safe drinking water to more
border communities, this indicator
would show a positive upward
trend. Development of indicators
to measure progress in achieving
all six goals of the Border 2012
program is currently underway.
The six goals cover environmental
media (water, air, and land) as well
as environmental health, emer-
gency preparedness and response,
and cooperative enforcement and
compliance. Both environmental
and program indicators are neces-
sary to simultaneously report on
the effectiveness of the Border
2012 program and changing condi-
tions at the border. Environmental
indicators measure actual border
conditions and trends over time, as
well as the progress toward meet-
ing specific environmental and
health targets. Program indicators
measure environmental manage-
ment activities and progress toward
meeting Border 2012 goals and
objectives.
The Border Indicators Task Force
(BITF) was created in December
2003 to coordinate with all the
Border 2012 stakeholders to define
a set of indicators as well as pre-
pare protocols for the collection
and analysis of the data necessary
to report environmental and health
results. The goal of the Task Force
is to publish the initial set of bina-
tional indicators by the end of this
year, and then to develop a sustain-
able mechanism to update indica-
tors periodically. Various stakehold-
ers are participating in developing
and using indicators. In addition to
the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) and Mexico's
Secretariat for the Environment and
Natural Resources (SEMARNAT),
agencies such as the U.S. Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), and the Mexican Secretariat
of Health (Secretaria de Salud) are
contributing. The state and local
health and environmental depart-
ments on both sides of the border
are also key players in this process,
as well as international organiza-
tions such as the Pan American
Health Organization (PAHO) and
the Southwest Consortium for
Environmental Research and Policy
(SCERP).
For more information, please con-
tact the following officials or visit
us online at http://www.epa.gov/
border2012/indicators.htm).
Steve Young
EPA (202) 566-0608
young.steve.epa.com
Sandra Duque
EPA (202) 566-1810
duque.sandra@epa.gov
Salvador Sanchez SEMARNAT
(52-55) 5628-0854
ssanchez@semarnat.gob.mx
Iris Jimenez Castillo
SEMARNAT (52-55) 5628-0854
iris.jimenez@semarnat.gob.mx
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Strategic Communications: Essential to the Border 2012 Program Success
By Albes Gaona, EPA Washington DC
communication is critical to a successful Border 2012
Program. Ensuring effective and timely communications
with the public, program partners, and other stakeholders, is a program
priority. To that end, the Borderwide Communications Task Force (BCTF)
was created at the first National Coordinators Meeting in Matamoros,
Tamaulipas, on December 2003 with participants from state, regional,
U.S. and Mexican federal offices. Since then, the task force has expanded
to include additional stakeholders from the border region.
The goal of the BCTF is to promote the Border 2012 Program through
timely and efficient internal and external communications. In addition, the
task force develops communication tools, and coordinates communications
for all events and outreach activities.
Over the past few months, the taskforce has been working on the devel-
opment of the Border 2012 Communications Strategies in addition to
other projects, as reported at the 2005 National Coordinators Meeting in
Tucson last March. The strategy, a guideline for timely and efficient com-
munications, has been finalized and is now in effect. Other accomplish-
ments included the completed redesign of the official Border 2012 web
site, aimed at improving information sharing online; the completion of the
Border 2012 Program Directory (Yellow Pages) listing most program par-
ticipants; and the Border 2012 Information Kit, a basic outreach package
containing program fact sheets and other information.
The BCTF's main goal for 2006-07 is to successfully carry out the Border
2012 Communications Strategies along with other activities intended to
enhance program communications at all levels. For additional information
on the BCTF please visit the website at http://www.epa.gov/border2012/
communications.htm, or contact the taskforce leaders at:
U.S.: Albes Gaona
EPA's Office of International Affairs
Phone: 202 564-6253
E-mail: gaona.albes@epa.gov
Mexico: Iris Jimenez
SEMARNAT's Office of Statistics and Environmental Information
Phone: (55) 5628-0854
E-mail: iris.jimenez@semarnat.gob.mx
"Strategic communication is
critical to a successful
Border 2012 Program."
U.S. and Mexican Representatives Report on Border Environmental
Accomplishments and Priorities
By Albes Gaona, EPA Washington DC
TJllO Year's National
1111N Coordinators Meeting
(NCM) took place in Tucson,
AZ and was successfully hosted
by the Arizona Department of
Environmental Quality and the U.S.
EPA's Region 9. The meeting was
chaired by Jerry Clifford, the U.S.
National Coordinator and Maria
Teresa Bandala, Mexico's National
Coordinator, and attended by rep-
resentatives from U.S. and Mexico
federal, state and local govern-
ments, as well as border tribes and
indigenous communities, non-prof-
its and the public sector.
The National Coordinators Ma. Teresa Bandala
and Jerry Clifford
During the two-day event, the
National Coordinators and partici-
pants renewed their commitment
to the Border 2012 goals, reviewed
progress, and set directions for
2006. The public had the oppor-
tunity to attend the open meet-
ings and the public session on
the second day, and for the first
time, representatives from the U.S.
border tribes and Mexico's indig-
enous communities presented their
accomplishments and priorities. In
the end, the meeting resulted in a
shared understanding of environ-
mental accomplishments, and pri-
ority actions needed in upcoming
years to address environmental
and health concerns across the
U.S.-Mexico Border.
Among the many accomplish-
ments reported by program
partners:
A reaffirmed commitment to
provide safe drinking water and
sanitation to protect public
health in border communi-
ties. In 2003 and 2004, the
U.S.EPA provided $95 mil-
lion in grant funds through
the Border Environment
Cooperation Commission and
North American Development
Bank for critical safe drinking
water and sanitation projects
benefiting over a million border
residents.
1 Efforts made by El Paso, Ciudad
Juarez, and Dona Ana County in
moving towards meeting air qual-
ity standards for all pollutants
were recognized. Also acknowl-
edged were the joint efforts of
Federal and State authorities in
California and Baja California for
beginning, in 2004, to transfer
management of 13 monitoring
stations from U.S. agencies to
Mexican authorities in Mexicali,
Tijuana and Playas de Rosarito.
1 Over 281,000 scrap tires have
been removed from abandoned
tire pile sites in Mexicali, Tijuana,
and Ciudad Juarez, the tires were
used as fuel in cement plants.
A continuing effort to remove and
dispose of 1,500 tons of hazard-
ous waste from the Metales y
Derivados site, an abandoned
secondary lead smelter and bat-
tery recycling facility in Tijuana.
The Border 2012 Environmental
Health Workgroup is forming an
alliance with the U.S.-Mexico
Border Health Commission to
target resources and improve col-
laboration among environmental
health agencies at all levels of
government in both countries.
Efforts to expand the Border
Compliance Assistance Center
will strengthen compliance at
U.S.-Mexico Ports-of-Entry,
improve compliance by expanding
pollution prevention and environ-
mental management systems,
and use data to identify areas
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12ARIZONA-SONORA: Regional Workgroup Newsletter
where regulated facilities' toxic
substances emissions pose the
greatest potential to harm sur-
rounding communities.
A commitment was made to
prevent environmental accidents,
and where accidents do happen,
to prevent the worst consequenc-
es. In the last year, first respond-
ers have received training and
conducted exercises to prepare
for and manage chemical acci-
dents and respond to terrorism.
As the Border 2012 Program
moves forward, program partners
agreed to the following immediate
priorities for 2005-06:
Continue to increase access to,
and improve, safe drinking water
and wastewater infrastructure.
Retrofit diesel buses and trucks,
and improve availability of low
sulfur diesel fuel along the bor-
Carry out a demonstration project
for the binational clean-up and
restoration of abandoned sites
contaminated with hazardous
waste.
Clean up additional tire piles.
Promote financing mechanisms
for landfill projects involved in
the Methane to Markets initiative
As progress continues to be
made this year, program partners
acknowledge that there is impor-
tant work yet to be done. But they
are confident that with continued
collaboration, and proper transpar-
ency and accountability, a substan-
tial contribution towards a cleaner,
healthier and more sustainable
border environment for future gen-
erations will be made.
Program partners at the National Coordinators Meeting.
Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano welcomes the Border 2012 National Coordinators
Meeting to Tucson.
Acting Locally: What the border-wide Environmental Health Workgroup is and how it
works with the states of Arizona and Sonora
by Kirstin Crowder, Association of Schools of Public Health Fellow at the USEPA
Thp hnrHpr wi»]pEnvironmental Health workgroup CEHWO, is
lilC UUlllCl WlllCcharged with addressing environmental health
problems that are binational and have border-wide applicability.
The bulk of the Workgroup's efforts have been in funding studies of
air and pesticide pollution epidemiology, and in environmental health
education and professional capacity-building. The EHWG is completing
a pesticide study that investigated exposure measurement techniques
in Arizona; since pesticides break down in the environment, researchers
wanted to find out whether urine samples reveal exposure to the origi-
nal pesticide compound as well as the degraded compound, and how
widespread this potentially confusing phenomenon is.
In keeping with Border 2012's bottom-up approach, the EHWG fre-
quently relies on the regional environmental health taskforces for infor-
mation on environmental health needs. At the annual EHWG meeting
in February, the leaders of the environmental health taskforces were
invited to give presentations on the problems identified as priorities to
their local constituents. The Workgroup was interested to see whether
these priorities overlapped. Common priorities cited by the presenters
were air pollution (or asthma-triggers), water pollution and scarcity, and
pesticide poisoning.
The meeting participants also voiced a need for indicators for envi-
ronmentally-mediated diseases. Accordingly, the EHWG has turned its
attention to developing air and water indicators. It is about to hire two
contractors to assess the completeness of data in air and water moni-
toring and their anticipated health effects. Additionally, the work group
is creating two teams of experts in air quality research or management,
water quality, and associated illnesses. These teams will make recom-
mendations on which indicators will best serve the stakeholders of
Border 2012 and how to develop them, based partly on the results of
the contractors' work. The Workgroup hopes that these recommenda-
tions will be available by late fall 2005.
In a program as large and multi-themed as Border 2012, partnering
can be difficult, especially when the scope of work differs. The partner-
ship of the EHWG and its regional counterparts in Arizona/Sonora and
also California/Baja California is an example of how some of those gaps
in communication and resources can be bridged. For more information
on the EHWG and its projects go to http://www.epa.gov/ehwg. For a full
description of Border 2012 and the relationships between its mem-
ber groups, please see the Border 2012 Framework document, or the
California/Baja California Newsletter at www.epa.gov/usmexicoborder.
Current projects the EHWG funds in Arizona, and Sonora:
Urinary Metabolites in Environmental Media: A Scoping and
Feasibility Study (Yuma, Arizona)
-------
Past projects the EHWG has funded in Arizona and Sonora:
Project Clean Environment for Healthy Kids II (San Diego County,
Calif.; Tijuana, Baja California; and Somerton, Arizona)
Household Pesticide Use Survey (Douglas, Arizona)
Pesticide Exposure and Potential Health Effects in Young Children
Along the U.S. - Mexico Border: Pesticide Exposure in Children Living
in Agricultural Areas (Yuma County, Ariz.)
U.S.-Mexico Border 2012 Initiative for Pediatric Lead Exposure
Identification and Risk Reduction (Tijuana, Baja California; and
Arizona/Sonora border region)
National Human Exposure Assessment Survey (NHEXAS) Border
Project 1996-2002 (Arizona border region)
Investigation of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (Nogales, Arizona)
Ten States Alliance
By Ricardo Martinez and Claudia Villacorta, P.E.
effortstoaddress
, environmental
issues along the U.S. -Mexico border
region were usually made on a proj-
ect-by-project basis. But approximate-
ly ten years ago, these efforts became
more coordinated as a result of the
fourteenth U.S. - Mexico Border
Governors Conference in May 1996
in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and the ten
U.S. - Mexico Border States' Retreat
in Austin, Texas in November 1996.
During these meetings, an official
framework was created for the U.S.-
Mexico Border States' Environmental Program.
The framework formed an alliance, known as the Ten States Alliance
(a.k.a. Ten States Retreat), to develop a mechanism for ongoing communi-
cation, cooperation, and exchange of information among the environmental
agencies of the U.S. -Mexico Border States. The Ten States Alliance is
comprised of the leading officials of the state agencies responsible for
environmental protection, and natural resource conservation for the states
of Arizona, Baja California, California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, New Mexico,
Nuevo Leon, Sonora, Tamaulipas and Texas.
Since its inception in 1996, the Ten States Alliance has aimed at provid-
ing a forum to discuss high-level policy on environmental issues in the
shared US-Mexico shared border region. This forum has helped identifying
common goals, challenges, differences, and unifying common ground on
important issues. The Ten States have proven to be a group of consensus
builders in a dynamic setting, which has also given way to fruitful rela-
tionship building among the ten environmental authorities that oversee
the US-Mexico border region. The Ten States Alliance has been funded
through several sources in the past, including the Ford Foundation, the
State of California, and since 1997 through a grant from the U.S. EPA
Office of International Activities, and U.S. EPA Regions 6 and 9. These
EPA grants are managed by the Western Governor's Association.
The Ten States Alliance has paved the way for ongoing coordination and
information exchange among the state environment agencies, and between
them and key institutions and stakeholders in the border region. Some of
the major accomplishments of the alliance include:
Lobbying the U.S. Congress to sustain and increase the Border
Environment Infrastructure Fund (BEIF);
Lobbying to keep the Border Environment Cooperation Commission
budget at its current level;
Joint development of the Border 2012 Environmental Program;
Providing a forum for high-level policy discussion and consensus build
ing on contentious issues; and
Development of several key Joint Declarations for the Environmental
Worktable at the Border Governors Conference
The Ten States Alliance meets annually to discuss environmental issues of
mutual concern and to develop joint declarations for the Border Governors
Conference. The Border Governors Conference (BGC) is an annual meeting
of the Ten U.S.-Mexico Border Governors, their designated representa-
tives and worktables. Since the first conference in 1980, the BGC has
enhanced joint border efforts addressing agriculture, border crossings,
border security, education, environment, tourism, economic development,
and health. At this year's conference in Torreon, Coahuila, the Ten States
Alliance developed three Joint Declarations, which were adopted by the
ten governors. The governors declared:
(1) To advance the production of Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel Fuel for air qual-
ity and public health improvement by encouraging the Mexican Congress
to accelerate planned investments for modernization at the Mexican
Petroleum (PEMEX) refineries, thereby facilitating the introduction of this
cleaner burning diesel fuel throughout the border region.
(2) To implement and promote comprehensive waste management pro-
grams throughout the U.S.-Mexico border region, including a strategy for
state-to-state and transboundary information exchange on waste manage-
ment. Economic instruments, such as creation of environmental funds or
the introduction of a "Green Seal", will be considered as an aid to develop
pollution prevention and environmental remediation programs.
(3) To request the Mexican Congress and Mexican Border State
Congresses to promote the legislation to have used vehicles-both legally
imported vehicles and regularized vehicles-comply with Mexican federal
and state emission standards as a prerequisite for registration.
The next BGC will be held in the summer of 2006 in Austin, Texas. In
preparation for the conference, the Ten States Alliance will meet again to
discuss progress and develop new joint declarations. California will host
the next Ten States Retreat in May 2006.
For more information, please contact:
Ricardo Martinez at rmartinez@waterboards.ca.gov.
Claudia Villacorta at cvillacorta@waterboards.ca.gov.
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13 ARIZONA-SONORA: Regional Workgroup Newsletter
Arizona/Sonora Regional Workgroup Co-Chairs
Laura Yoshii
Deputy Regional Administrator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Region IX
Stephen A. Owens
Director
Arizona Department of Environmental
Quality
Ing. Florencio Dfaz Armenta
Delegate
Sonora Secretariat for Environment and
Natural Resources
Humberto D. Valdez Ruy Sanchez
Secretary
Sonora Secretariat of Urban
Infrastructure and Ecology
Task Force Co-Chairs
U. S. Co-Chair and Organization
Phone Numbers & E-mail
Mexico Co-Chair and Organization
Phone Numbers & E-mail
Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Response
Diane Carper
Cochise County Health Dept.
520-432-9472
dcarper@co.cochise.az. us
Willebaldo Alatriste
Sonora Civil Protection
662-217-5410 or 30
wac@proteccioncivilsonora.gob.mx
Water
James "Jim" Holway
Arizona State University
602-771-2231
james.holway@asu.edu
Roberto Fernando Salmon Castelo
National Water Commission
52-662-212-4988
rsalmon@grno.cna.gob. mx
Children's Environmental Health
Ward B. Jacox
ADEQ
602-771-2231
jacox.ward@azdeq.gov
Elitla Edith Frfas Bustos
SEMARNAT
52-662-259-2721 or 18
impacto@sonora.semarnat.gob.mx
Waste and Enforcement
Emily Pimentel
US EPA
John Rothman
US EPA
Edward M. Ranger
ADEQ
415-972-3326
pimentel.emily@epa.gov
415-972-3923
Rothman.john@epa.gov
602-771-4477
ranger.edward@azdeq.gov
Ernesto Munro Palacio
PROFEPA
Ramon Castrejon Lemus
SIUE
Francisco Javier Maytorena Fontes
PROFEPA
52-662-217-5459
delegado_son@correo.profepa.gob.mx
52-662-213-1966
racastrejon@hotmail.com
52-662-217-5454 or 53 or 59
auditoria_son@correo.profepa.gov.mx
Ambos Nogales Air Quality
Placido dos Santos
ADEQ
520-628-6744
q.gov
Angel Lopez Guzman
Sonora Secretariat of Urban
Infrastructure and Ecology
52-662-213-1966
arkilopez@yahoo.com.mx
Other Contacts
Tomas Torres
EPA Border Program Coordinator
torres.tomas@epa.gov
619-235-4775
Lorena Lopez-Powers
Arizona-Sonora Regional Workgroup
Coordinator
lopez-powers.lorena@epa.gov
619-235-4768
Placido dos Santos
Border Environmental Manager
pds@azdeq.gov
520-628-6744
Tibaldo "Ty" Canez
Arizona Border Tribal Coordinator
tycanez@msn.com
480-820-1426
602-565-2752 (eel.)
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