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ftl Advison AcroM Bordai
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Innovative and
Practical Approach
to Solving Border
EnvironmentaPProblem
arch 2009
Twelfth Report of the
Good Neighbor Environmental Board
to the President and Congress
of the United States
.
I
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About the Board
The Good Neighbor Environmental Board is an independent U.S. Presidential advisory committee that was created in 1992 under the
Enterprise for the Americas Initiative Act, Public Law 102-532. It operates under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), and
its mission is to advise the President and Congress of the United States on "good neighbor" environmental and infrastructure practices
along the U.S. border with Mexico. The Board does not carry out border-region environmental activities of its own, nor does it have a
budget to fund border projects. Rather, its unique role is to step back as an expert, nonpartisan advisor to the President and Congress
and recommend how the Federal Government can most effectively work with its many partners to improve the environment along the
U.S.-Mexico border. Under Presidential Executive Order 12916, its administrative activities were assigned to the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and are carried out by the EPA Office of Cooperative Environmental Management (OCEM).
Membership on the Board is extremely diverse. It includes senior officials from a number of U.S. Federal Government agencies and from
each of the four U.S. border states—Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas. It also includes representatives from the tribal, local
government, nonprofit, ranching and grazing, business, and academic sectors. In addition, the Board maintains dialogue with its counter-
part Mexican environmental agency advisory groups and the Consejos Consultivos para el Desarrollo Sustenable (CCDS)—referred to
as Consejos—to help ensure that it remains informed about issues on the Mexico side of the border.
The Board meets twice each calendar year in various U.S. border communities and once in Washington, DC. Its advice is submitted to
the U.S. President and Congress in the form of annual reports that contain recommendations for action. These recommendations are
submitted after consensus is reached across the entire membership. They are shaped by the combined expertise of the Board members,
by the Board's ongoing dialogue with its Consejo counterpart groups, and by the speakers and concerned citizens from both sides of the
border who attend its meetings in border communities. The Board also occasionally issues Comment Letters during the year to provide
input on timely topics. One of the most frequently recurring themes in its advice is that support for cross-border cooperation is essential
if sustained progress is to be made on environmental issues along the U.S.-Mexico border.
All meetings of the Good Neighbor Environmental Board are open to the public. For more information, see the Board Web Site, http://
www.epa.gov/ocem/gneb, or contact EPA OCEM at 202-564-2294.
Notice: This report was written to fulfill the mission of the Good Neighbor Environmental Board (the Board); a public advisory commit-
tee authorized under Section 6 of the Enterprise for the Americas Initiative Act, 7 USC, Section 5404. It is the Board's Twelfth Report to
the President and Congress of the United States. EPA manages the operations of the Board. This report, however, has not been reviewed
for approval by EPA and, hence, the report's contents and recommendations do not necessarily represent the views and policies of EPA,
nor of other agencies in the Executive Branch of the Federal Government, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products
constitute a recommendation for use.
To request a hardcopy of this report, contact the National Service Center for Environmental Publications at 1-800-490-9198 or via
e-mail at nscep@bps-lmit.com and request publication number EPA 130-K-09-001. An electronic copy of this report can be found on
the Good Neighbor Environmental Board Web Site at:
(English version) http://www.epa.gov/ocem/gneb/gneb 12threport/English-GNEB-12th-Report.pdf
(Spanish version) http://www.epa.gov/ocem/gneb/gnebl2threport/espanol-gneb-l2th-report.pdf
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Tribute to Carlos Marin
The Good Neighbor Environmental Board suffered a tragic loss during the year when Board member
Carlos Marin, U.S. Commissioner of the International Boundary and Water Commission, died in a plane
crash. Commissioner Marin was a passenger in a chartered Cessna 421 four passenger prop plane that
was traveling to the area of Presidio, Texas Ojinaga, Chihuahua, to survey flood conditions on the Rio
Grande Conchos River and to coordinate joint response efforts with local officials and the Mexican
government. The plane crashed in mountainous terrain in Mexico, killing all aboard including Mr. Marin's
Mexican counterpart, Arturo Herrera.
Mr. Marin was appointed U.S. Commissioner by President George W Bush in December 2006, after
27 years of service to the Commission. He had served on the Good Neighbor Environmental Board since
2006, and was instrumental in informing and advising the Board about water infrastructure needs along
the U.S. Mexico border.
President Bush issued the following statement regarding the tragedy: "I am deeply saddened by the
tragic death of Carlos Marin, a dedicated public servant who died while fulfilling his responsibilities as
United States Commissioner of the International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and
Mexico. Carlos Marin was an accomplished engineer and capable leader who achieved the American
dream while serving at the Commission for over two decades. He quickly rose through the ranks
as he worked hard to effectively apply the boundary and water treaties between our country and
Mexico. I appreciate his efforts to protect our Nation's interests, raise agency morale, and establish
solid and transparent relationships with his Mexican counterparts. I am honored that he served in my
Administration."
The Board dedicates this Twelfth report to the memory of our colleague, Carlos Marin.
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Innovative and Practical Approaches to
Solving Border Environmental Problems
Table of Contents
Letter to the President and Congress
Recommendations
Executive Summary
Introduction
Border Context..,
Case Studies:
Waste to Resource: Fibrous Concrete as an Alternative to Landfilling and Burning Paper
Scrap Tire Cleanup in the Border Region
Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination Plant
The Brawley and Imperial Wetlands in the Imperial Valley California
The Bahia Grande: Achieving Multiple Environmental Benefits Through Wetland Restoration
The Campo Kumeyaay Wind Project
Transboundary Emissions Trading in the Paso del Norte Area
Community Assist of Southern Arizona (CASA): Promotora Business Visit Program
Waste-Based Biodiesel: Altering Present Use and Disposition of Waste Vegetable Oil and Grease
Appendices:
Glossary of Acronyms
Comment Letter to the President and Congress
Key Partners and Contact Information for Case Studies
Membership Roster and Resource Specialists
Note of Thanks...
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NEB
Environmental Advisors Across Borders
Chair
roon iMFirwROR Paul Ganster> ph-D-
GOOD NEIGHBOR Telephone: (619) 594-5423
ENVIRONMENTAL BOARD E.mail: ganster@mail.sdsu.edu
Presidential advisory committee on
environmental and infrastructure issues Designated Federal Officer
alonf the U.S. border with Mexico Mark Joyce
Telephone: (202) 564-2130
www.epa.gov/ocem/gneb
E-mail: joyce.mark@epa.gov
March 11, 2009
The President
The Vice President
The Speaker of the House of Representatives
On behalf of the Good Neighbor Environmental Board, your advisor on environmental and infrastructure
conditions along the U.S. border with Mexico. I am pleased to submit to you the Twelfth Report of the Good
Neighbor Environmental Board to the President and Congress of the United States.
The Twelfth Report highlights case studies of successful projects from different areas of the U.S.-Mexico
border that address important environmental problems. Although these examples demonstrate the power
of mobilizing local, tribal, regional, and state stakeholders from both sides of the border, they also reveal
the critical role that federal agencies and the Congress play. To continue and strengthen the federal role in
harnessing the power of diverse stakeholders for resolution of border environmental problems that are driven
by rapid population growth, trade flows, and poverty, this report recommends:
• Increased federal leadership in fostering markets and support for renewable energy, alternative fuels, and
reuse of scrap material, both domestically along the border and across the border with Mexico.
• Enhanced federal support for the Border 2012 Program process — the joint U.S.-Mexico effort that is
based on local initiatives to resolve border environmental problems — as well as other border environ-
mental initiatives.
• Continued and enhanced efforts at the federal level to facilitate cross-border cooperation with Mexico
on transboundary environmental issues.
• Improved cooperation across media, federal agencies, and other agencies is critical to resolve efficiently
many border environmental issues. Fostering of such cooperation by federal agencies is a critical element
for successful results in green initiatives.
We appreciate the opportunity to provide these recommendations to you in this, our Twelfth Report, and
respectfully request a response. In addition, we welcome continued dialogue on implementation of our
advice.
Respectfully yours,
Paul Ganster, Chair
Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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Recommendations
The Twelfth Report highlights case studies of successful projects from different border areas
that address important environmental problems. These examples demonstrate the power of
mobilizing local, regional, and state stakeholders from both sides of the border, and also reveal
the critical role that federal agencies and the U.S. Congress play. To continue and strengthen the
federal role in resolution of border environmental issues, this report recommends:
• Continued and enhanced efforts at the federal level to facilitate crossborder cooperation on
transboundary environmental issues. This includes facilitation of direct and formal coopera-
tion among U.S. and Mexican state and local authorities through formal arrangements
such as the Joint Advisory Committee (JAC) for the Improvement of Air Quality in the
Paso del Norte Air Basin, the Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC), the
US.-Mexico Environmental Program: Border 2012, the Border Liaison Mechanism, and
the 1983 La Paz Agreement for binational environmental management. Greater attention
and resources from state and federal authorities should be made available to assist local
governments and community stakeholders in improving the border environment. In addi-
tion, all relevant U.S. and Mexican federal agencies need to cooperate on solving border
environmental issues. (Key Elements [see page 4]: Strategy, Partnerships, Community
Mobilization)
• Enhanced federal support for the Border 2012 Program process—the joint U.S.-Mexico effort
to resolve border environmental problems—as well as other border environmental initiatives.
This includes additional support for the local binational Border 2012 task forces that
incorporate all stakeholders and facilitate public participation, transborder networking, and
regional capacity building to generate locally effective solutions for border environmental
problems. (Key Elements: Partnerships, Community Mobilization)
• Improved cooperation across media, federal agencies, and local and state entities to resolve
many border environmental issues efficiently. Many solutions have wide-reaching impacts
but require significant cooperation from relevant agencies and other stakeholders. For
example, the utilization of fibrous concrete that is being implemented as an environ-
mental solution in Nogales, Sonora, not only addresses affordable housing issues, but also
waste, recycling, and landfill issues. Rubberized asphalt paving, another example, addresses
the problem of scrap tires while providing benefits of high-quality paving material,
reduced landfilling, and reduced public health threats. Cooperation must be fostered by
federal agencies as a critical element for successful results in green initiatives. (Key Ele-
ments: Resources, Technology, Strategy, Partnerships)
• Increased federal leadership in fostering markets and support for renewable energy, alternative
fueb, and reuse of scrap material, both domestically along the border and across the border
with Mexico. This can be facilitated through practices such as information sharing, regula-
tory incentives, tax incentives, and subsidies. (Key Elements: Resources, Technology,
Strategy, Financing, Partnerships)
Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problem
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Executive Summary
Environmental issues affecting the U.S.-Mexico
border region can be complex and particularly
difficult to resolve. The region suffers from many
serious environmental problems, including water
pollution and inadequate water supply air pol-
lution, hazardous and solid waste, habitat and
species protection concerns, and conservation
challenges. Although U.S. and Mexican border
communities are linked by economic integration
and social and familial connections, key differ-
ences between the two countries present barriers
to addressing transborder environmental problems
jointly. These barriers include significant economic
and wealth asymmetry, different cultural and
political traditions, and dissimilar public admin-
istration systems that are difficult to coordinate
across the international boundary. The U.S. border
is characterized by relative poverty and low lev-
els of support for public services, and both U.S.
and Mexican border communities are struggling
to meet the demand for services produced by
decades of rapid population growth, urbanization,
and industrial expansion, as well as burgeoning
flows of international trade.
For its Twelfth Report to the President and
Congress of the United States, the Board discusses
innovative and practical approaches to advancing
pollution prevention and solving environmental
problems in the U.S.-Mexico border region. These
novel projects and approaches have promoted
environmental quality and have brought improve-
ment to the lives of border residents. This report
provides case studies of successful efforts to
address specific border environmental issues with
examples of cooperation involving a range of
stakeholders across environmental media, agencies,
and borders. These case studies discuss:
• The use of fibrous concrete blocks to reduce
solid waste and provide affordable housing;
• Scrap tire cleanup across and along the border;
• Inland desalination as a new source of water in
the arid border region;
• Constructed wetlands to clean contaminated
water in agricultural areas;
• Wetland restoration to improve habitat and
reduce windborne dust;
• Wind power to address regional demand for
clean, renewable energy and the economic
needs of a border tribe;
• Transboundary airshed management and
emissions trading to reduce transborder air
pollution;
• Environmental performance improvement of
local businesses through community-based
trainers (the promotora model); and
• Production of biodiesel from waste vegetable
oil and grease to improve air quality while
reducing blockages of the sewage conveyance
and treatment system.
The case studies involve strong frameworks
and leadership by the Federal Government (scrap
tires; transboundary airshed management), state
governments (biodiesel), local governments (inland
desalination; wetland restoration), and a tribal
government (wind energy project), with key
contributions by universities, the private sector,
and local stakeholders to assure continuity and
community participation. Others (fibrous concrete
blocks and improved environmental performance
of local businesses) represent local initiatives of
non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the pri-
vate sector, and universities. Almost all involved a
diverse group of Mexican and U.S. partners. Many
of the case studies that successfully addressed
transboundary issues required the participation
of the two Federal Governments to formally
bring together U.S. and Mexican partners. Others
involved informal and non-diplomatic coordination
across the border of the sort that has characterized
border communities for decades.
In addition to the case studies, four case
highlights are included in the report. Less detailed
than the case studies, they provide additional
examples of innovative and practical approaches to
solving border environmental problems.
The positive outcomes of many of these case
studies and broader border efforts suggest that the
task of environmental improvement in the border
region is best served by a proactive U.S. Federal
Government working to:
Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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Support and facilitate the efforts of the pri-
vate sector, community organizations, local
governments, state governments, universities,
and other stakeholders engaged in projects
to address specific environmental issues and
improve the environment.
Address the growing environmental infrastruc-
ture deficit that affects most U.S. and Mexican
border communities with increased funding
through traditional channels such as the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the
Border Environment Infrastructure Fund, the
Border Environment Cooperation Commission
(BECC), the North American Development
Bank (NADB), International Boundary and
Water Commission (IBWC), and grants to local
and state agencies, NGOs, and universities.
Continue to enhance cooperation among all
appropriate federal, state, and local agencies
on border environmental issues through the
bottom-up Border 2012 Program process.
Foster cooperation on environmental problem
solving across the border at all levels through
strong U.S. and Mexican federal leadership and
support. •
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Introduction
For its Twelfth Report to the President and
Congress, the Board examines innovation and envi-
ronmental quality along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The approach taken by the Board was to identify
six key elements to successful innovation—resourc-
es, technology strategy financing, partnerships,
and community mobilization—and use case
studies to illustrate how those elements operate.
Innovation is, by nature, a dynamic process, and
the U.S.-Mexico border is an ever-changing place.
None of the cases represent the ideal; instead they
illustrate both the opportunities and challenges of
developing and implementing new and practical
approaches to solving environmental problems in
the region.
Although the border region is unique, in many
ways the problems facing the region are similar to
problems throughout the United States. Numerous
accomplishments and solutions are readily trans-
ferable and applicable to other communities in
the country. Successful efforts turn wastes (waste
oil, scrap tires, waste paper, and stormwater) into
resources; promote education and new ways of
thinking about these issues; build rapport and
trust across borders, sectors, and levels of govern-
ment; and bring energy producers and information
closer to the users. These efforts frequently are
community driven but supported by people and
institutions outside of the region. This report will
highlight some of those endeavors.
The report is organized in two major sections.
The first section describes the region, its charac-
teristics, and some of the pressing environmental
issues faced there. The second section includes
the case studies and highlights. Many promis-
ing ideas, programs, and projects are in the early
stages of development, but to be included in this
report, the program or project had to have been
in existence a minimum of 1 year to ensure that
early results were available and both successes and
challenges could be examined.
The key elements of successful innovations and
problem solving are illustrated through nine case
studies, each highlighting one or more of these
elements (See text box below). Each case study is
introduced by a brief background on the specific
issues being addressed. A description of the case
study follows, incorporating most of the elements
described above. Subsequently, the specific ele-
ments for which the case study was chosen are
discussed at greater length.
KEY ELEMENTS FOR SUCCESSFUL INNOVATION
AND PROBLEM SOLVING ALONG THE U.S.
MEXICO BORDER
Resources: The conservation of resources or the efficient
and effective use of resources.
Technology: The use of new technology or a novel use of
existing technology.
Strategy: The application of new strategies to solve
problems or the utilization of existing strategies in new or
unique manners.
Financing: Financing that allows for innovation, capacity
building, and problem solving.
Partnerships: Strong collaborations among stakeholders
in which all are involved in the problem-solving effort and
decision-making process.
Community Mobilization: Broad-based community suppor
and participation in problem-solving activities.
Waste to Resource: Fibrous Concrete as an
Alternative to Landfitting and Burning Paper—
Since 2004, a stable network of individuals and
organizations has developed on the Arizona-Sonora
border, focused within the communities of Ambos
Nogales, to develop, test, and use waste paper to
produce fibrous concrete building blocks for the
construction of housing for low-income families.
This initiative has brought together a diverse
group of partners and has succeeded in construct-
ing benches for schoolyards in Nogales, Arizona,
and low-income housing in Nogales, Sonora.
Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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Scrap Tire Cleanup in the Border Region—
Large numbers of scrap tires accumulate in the
border region, presenting cleanup and disposal
or recycling challenges. In rural areas in the New
Mexico-Chihuahua border region, residents and
community leaders launched an effort to locate,
collect, and transport scrap tires for safe disposal.
Some of the tires were used as fuel at the Cemen-
tos de Chihuahua cement plant at Samalayuca,
which uses state-of-the-art emissions control
equipment.
Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination Plant—
Water utilities and other entities in the sister
cities of El Paso and Ciudad Juarez have worked
together to characterize groundwater supplies in
the Hueco Bolson aquifer. El Paso then developed
a desalination plant to supplement existing water
supplies. The desalination plant uses reverse osmo-
sis to obtain potable water from brackish water
drawn from the aquifer.
Brawley and Imperial Wetlands in the Impe-
rial Valley, California—Two pilot wetlands were
constructed in Imperial and Brawley in 1999 to
improve water quality in the New River, which
flows into the Salton Sea north of the California-
Baja California border. These sites have been
monitored since 2001.
The Bahia Grande: Achieving Multiple
Environmental Benefits Through Wetland Restora-
tion—The Bahia Grande tract sprawls over 21,000
acres in southeastern Cameron County, Texas, next
to the Gulf of Mexico, and its revival restored the
estuary to the vital nursery for recreationally and
commercially important aquatic species that it was
in the 1940s. Returning water to the Bahia Grande
also had the immediate effect of reducing the
amount of dust in neighboring communities.
The Campo Kumeyaay Wind Project—The
first commercial-scale wind energy project on a
Native American reservation in the United States
also is the first phase in a long-term plan by the
Campo Kumeyaay Nation to tap into the consider-
able wind resources on its reservation. It represents
the culmination of a 15-year process to evaluate
and quantify the adequacy of the wind resource
while educating the community on its costs and
benefits.
Transboundary Emissions Trading in the Paso
del Norte Area—In 2001, the Texas Legislature
passed a law allowing transboundary and cross-
pollutant emissions trading in the Paso del Norte
airshed, which includes El Paso County, Texas;
Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua; and Dona Ana County,
New Mexico. The legislation opened the way for
the El Paso Electric Company to substitute emis-
sion reductions achieved elsewhere in the Paso del
Norte airshed for NO reductions in El Paso if the
substitution results in overall air quality improve-
ment for the airshed.
Community Assist of Southern Arizona
(CASA): Promotora Business Visit Program—
Nonprofit organizations, local and state agencies,
businesses, and academic organizations partnered
to develop a program to train community mem-
bers to work with local businesses to improve
environmental conditions in their neighborhoods.
The program uses the promotora model, developed
in Mexico, in which lay health advisors provide
information to community members.
Waste-Based Biodiesel: Altering Present Use
and Disposition of Waste Vegetable Oil and
Grease—In 2004, this project began to establish
and operate facilities for small-scale biodiesel
production and testing on both sides of the
Arizona-Sonora border. Student researchers from
Arizona and Sonora identified sufficient waste
vegetable oil and grease in cafeterias and restau-
rants in both states and in maquiladoras in Sonora,
and by the fall of 2008, biodiesel production was
underway.
In addition to the detailed case studies, four
examples of innovation along the border are
highlighted in text boxes throughout the report.
These examples further illustrate how the six key
elements (defined in the text box on page 4) sup-
port innovation and problem solving. The case
studies and case highlights represent only a sample
of many successful projects that address environ-
mental issues along the U.S.-Mexico border. •
Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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Table 1
Key Elements of Case Studies and Case Highlights:
Resources, Technology, Strategy, Financing, Partnerships, and Community Mobilization
CASE STUDIES Key Elements Illustrated Page
Waste to Resource: Fibrous Concrete as an Alternative to Landfilling and Burning Paper
Scrap Tire Cleanup in the Border Region
Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination Plant
Brawley and Imperial Wetlands in the Imperial Valley, California
The Bahfa Grande: Achieving Multiple Environmental Benefits Through Wetland
Restoration
The Campo Kumeyaay Wind Project
Transboundary Emissions Trading in the Paso del Norte Area
Community Assist of Southern Arizona (CASA): Promotora Business Visit Program
Waste-Based Biodiesel: Altering Present Use and Disposition of Waste Vegetable Oil and Grease
Resources and Community
Mobilization
Resources and
Community Mobilization
Technology and Partnerships
Technology and Partnerships
Strategy and Financing
Strategy and Financing
Strategy and Partnerships
Partnerships and
Community Mobilization
Resources and Partnerships
11
15
20
24
28
31
35
40
45
CASE HIGHLIGHTS Key Elements Illustrated Page
Upper San Pedro Partnership
CETYS Universidad Master's Degree Program in Environment and Sustainable Development
Joint Advisory Committee (JAC) for the Improvement of Air Quality in the Paso del Norte Air Basin
New Spray Guns for Auto Paint Body Shops: The Great Border Trade Out
Resources
Strategy
Community Mobilization
Partnerships
19
34
39
44
Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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Border Context
The U.S.-Mexico border region exists in the
space where the developed and developing worlds
intersect, and is therefore characterized by marked
economic and development disparities. This
juxtaposition generates many asymmetries, both
within each country and between the two nations.
Economic development and wealth generation are
needed, but can be hindered by a lack of knowl-
edge, investment, and technology.
The environmental and social challenges of the
border are by their nature binational and trans-
boundary. Events and factors that originate on one
side have major impacts on the other. Watersheds
and airsheds as well as people and ideas cross
political boundaries, creating both challenges and
opportunities. Environmental and social problems
from U.S. border counties affect their Mexican
neighbors and vice versa.
The U.S. and Mexican structures of public
administration and governance struggle to address
the growing environmental needs of the border
region. In Mexico, power and resources are cen-
tralized in the Federal Government and although
decentralization is occurring, state and local enti-
ties on the northern Mexican border still lack the
resources and authority needed to address many
environmental issues effectively. The govern-
ment in Mexico turns over every 3 years at the
municipal level and every 6 years at the state and
federal levels. Because Mexican law does not allow
re-election and the civil service sector is not well
developed, ensuring continuity of policies is dif-
ficult, especially with respect to cooperation across
the border with U.S. governmental counterparts.
Transborder cooperation also has been difficult
for all levels of U.S. border governmental entities.
The environmental policies of U.S. border states
have been inconsistent, there often are prohibitions
on spending state funds on transborder projects,
and travel by state officials to Mexican border
communities often is complicated by requirements
of long lead times for travel authorization and
other restrictions. U.S. cities and counties often
lack the support of elected officials necessary for
effective transborder cooperation, even on issues
such as hazardous materials incident response,
transborder sewage flows, and endangered species
and habitat protection—issues that affect both
sides of the border. At the federal level, the U.S.
EPA has taken the lead in implementing the bina-
tional border environmental programs under the
umbrella of the 1983 La Paz Agreement, including
the most recent program of Border 2012. Also, the
U.S. Department of State and its Mexican coun-
terpart have fostered the use of the Border Liaison
Mechanism (BLM) to convene the governmental
and other stakeholders from both sides of the
border under the auspices of the consuls general
of border sister cities to discuss and resolve local
issues. However, EPAs efforts to address border
environmental problems have been slowed by
limited participation of other federal agencies as
well as decade-long declining federal funding in
the face of increasing border needs. Border tribal
governments, although integrated into the Border
2012 process, face significant funding challenges
and difficulties in interacting directly with tribal
members who live across the border in Mexico.
Deteriorating environmental conditions in the
border region have been exacerbated by rapid
population growth, unplanned or poorly planned
urbanization, and an impressive expansion of the
economy and trade. Border populations began
to grow rapidly in the post-World War II period
with the increase in Mexican migration to the
northern border. A boom in assembly manufactur-
ing (maquiladoras) in Mexican border cities in the
1980s, followed by the opening of the Mexican
economy and implementation of the North Ameri-
can Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994,
further stimulated border growth. By 1990, the
population of the border counties and municipali-
ties had reached 9.1 million and by 2000, that
figure was at 12.4 million people. By 2009, more
residents lived on the Mexican side of the border
than that of the United States. By 2010, the bor-
der population is projected to reach 17.1 million,
and by 2020 it is projected to reach 24.1 million.
Most of the population growth has occurred
in urban areas—sister cities along the San
Diego-Tijuana border in the west to the Browns-
ville-Matamoros border in the east. By 2005,
Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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based on U.S. and Mexican census figures, these
binational metropolitan cities were home to 4.5
million people in San Diego-Tijuana, 0.2 million
in Ambos Nogales, 1.9 million in El Paso-Ciudad
Juarez, and 0.6 million in Brownsville-Matamoros.
The Mexican sister cities have grown very rapidly,
with populations doubling every 10 to 15 years,
usually at more than twice the rate of the U.S.
city across the border. Local governments, espe-
cially on the Mexican side, have not been able to
meet fully the demand for urban services engen-
dered by such huge population increases.
Much of the urbanization in cities such as
Tijuana, Mexicali, and Ciudad Juarez has been
unplanned, with a high percentage of housing that
is self-constructed by residents who have settled
on unoccupied lands. Although electrical connec-
tions generally follow soon after the establishment
of informal settlements, water and sewage services
can be delayed up to a decade or more and
paved streets and sidewalks even longer. Adequate
systems for collection and disposal of solid waste
and hazardous waste have been lacking. Residents
of these informal settlements on both sides of
the border (in the United States they are called
"colonias") construct houses of locally available
materials, build pit privies, and dig shallow wells
or obtain water by other means, such as delivery
by tanker trucks. Heating and cooking often are
accomplished using scrap wood or other combusti-
ble materials that produce dangerous contaminants
when burned.
The shortage of basic infrastructure in
unplanned communities on both sides of the
border persists due to a lack of funding for water
and sewage systems, pavement, and other basic
urban services such as green areas and parks.
Creation of the BECC and the NADB for bor-
der environmental infrastructure investment and
considerable state, federal, and local investment on
both sides of the border have helped address the
problems. However, the dynamic population base
and urban and economic expansion have increased
infrastructure needs faster than they could be met.
Estimates made in 2000 from the analysis of nine
studies suggest a deficit of $5.8 to $10.4 billion in
water, wastewater, and solid waste infrastructure;
this could reach $20 billion by 2020.l
Conditions are not uniform from one border
community to the next. For example, Native
American tribes located along the US.-Mexico
border often face even greater challenges because
many of their communities are located in areas
with little arable land and are split by the inter-
national boundary, which hinders travel and
inter-tribal relations.
The border is largely an arid region. The
eastern part of the border has the most rainfall,
with an annual average of 27 inches per year at
Brownsville. Elsewhere, major population centers
are in very dry areas. El Paso receives less than 9
inches and San Diego less than 11 inches of rain
per year. In San Diego, long periods of drought
broken by periods of heavy and uneven rainfall are
not unusual. During heavy rainfall events in dry
regions with land cover that is disturbed by urban-
ization, overgrazing, harvesting of native brush
and trees for firewood, and other activities, the
soil is not protected and erosion often is dramatic.
Erosion degrades the soil; affects native plants,
animals, and habitats; and reduces the quality and
quantity of water in the region.
Insufficient water for growing urban popula-
tions, agriculture, industry, and maintenance of
ecosystems is a problem throughout the border
region. The water produced by the two major
river systems of the border, the Colorado River
and the Rio Grande, is over allocated. Current
usage, as well as climatological conditions, may
require that U.S. and Mexican allocations be
reduced. Border areas such as the El Paso-Ciudad
Juarez region, Ambos Nogales, and Columbus-
Palomas rely heavily on declining groundwater
resources to supplement available surface water.
All border communities, both in coastal areas and
inland regions, are attempting to extend the exist-
ing supplies, using strategies such as conservation,
reuse and groundwater recharge, and desalination.
Through conventional and innovative treatment of
sewage and contaminated water, additional water
is generated for maintenance of riparian areas,
wetlands, and other habitats.
Since the early 1960s, a number of national
and international programs have been implement-
ed in the border region to stimulate economic
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Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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growth and development, investment, and trade.
These include the Mexican Programa Nacional
Fronterizo (National Border Program, 1961) and
the Border Industrialization Program (1965),
which established the maquiladora program. The
U.S. Southwest Border Regional Commission
(1977) was a regional development effort mod-
eled on the Appalachian Regional Commission.
Finally, NAFTA was designed to stimulate trade
and investment flows among Mexico, Canada,
and the United States. All of these economic
development efforts also stimulated urbanization,
population growth, and industrialization along the
US.-Mexico border.
The Mexican border is one of the wealthiest
areas of Mexico, along with Guadalajara, Mexico
City, and Monterrey. The Mexican border region,
however, does not compare well with that of the
United States. For example, minimum wages in
Mexican border communities are about 1/1 Oth of
those just across the border in the United States.
On a per capita basis, local government budgets in
Mexican border cities are approximately 1/2Oth of
those of their U.S. counterparts. Paradoxically, the
U.S. border counties show significant asymmetries
when compared to the rest of the United States.
If the border counties were the 51st state, they
would compare quite unfavorably with the other
states. The adjacent text box provides specific
indicators.
These factors strain existing infrastructure and
exacerbate environmental (water, air, and land pol-
lution) and human (substandard housing, lack of
adequate infrastructure, and health-related) chal-
lenges. For example, unpaved roads and parking
lots generate large volumes of dust that degrade
air quality and spread contaminants. Garbage
burning is highest in areas with insufficient waste
management systems and inadequate collection,
storage, and disposal facilities. Millions of scrap
tires accumulate in border communities and pose
both environmental and health risks, serving as
a potential breeding ground for mosquitoes car-
rying diseases such as the West Nile Virus, and
as a potential source for fires with severe envi-
ronmental and health impacts. The unintended
consequences of border economic and urban
growth are many, and few efforts have been made
If the U.S. border counties were the 51st
state, they would compare with the rest of the
United States as follows:
• 1st in federal crimes, mainly immigration and
drug crimes;
• 2nd in incidence of tuberculosis;
• 5th in diabetes-related deaths;
• 5th in unemployment;
• 13th in population;
• 16th in violent crime;
• 27th in percentage of adults with a 4-year college
degree;
• 40th in per capita income;
• 50th in insurance coverage for adults and children;
• 51st in number of health care professionals.
Source: U.S.-Mexico Border Counties Coalition.
to anticipate such consequences and address them
proactively
In response to a lack of long-term planning
and management systems, especially since the
passage of NAFTA, a number of initiatives have
been established sequentially to address border
environmental problems, all under the umbrella
of the 1983 La Paz Agreement. These include:
the Integrated Border Environmental Plan (IBEP),
Border XXI, and Border 2012. Some of the proj-
ects and case studies described in this report grew
out of or received support from these programs.
The previously mentioned BECC and NADB were
created specifically to solve the problem of border
environmental infrastructure deficits.
Although efforts have been made to address
border environmental problems, and particularly
to respond to issues anticipated by the passage of
NAFTA, gaps remain. For example, insufficient
and inadequate management of non-hazardous
solid waste is a significant problem for most
U.S.-Mexico border communities. Border manu-
facturing enterprises contribute to the solid waste
problem by producing large volumes of waste
Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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paper, wood, and other materials. Although some
companies now are recycling most of their solid
waste, additional efforts are needed. Landfill
capacity frequently is inadequate, and alternative
waste management strategies, such as composting
and recycling, generally are lacking. This report
includes several examples of efforts to convert
waste products into useful resources.
The rapid population growth and industrializa-
tion of the border region also have resulted in
increased energy demands in border communities.
The eastern half of the border region has ready
access to petroleum, natural gas, and coal. Only a
few indigenous energy sources are developed in
the western part of the border, including geother-
mal energy in the Imperial and Mexicali valleys,
solar energy at many locations, and wind energy
in eastern San Diego County. Border communities
are making efforts to develop their considerable
renewable energy resources for several reasons.
First, fossil fuels are subject to significant price
instability due to global market conditions, which
not only is a burden for border citizens but also
complicates business investment in the region.
Second, the use of fossil fuels to generate electric-
ity produces substantial amounts of air pollution
in already non-compliant border air basins, and
some of the technologies use large amounts of
water for cooling generating plants. All four border
states have developed policies to encourage the
production and use of alternative energy sources
with the goal of lowering and stabilizing future
energy costs by reducing exposure to volatile
fossil fuel prices and keeping energy and invest-
ment dollars to benefit local economies. Each state
has developed a Renewable Portfolio Standard, a
flexible, market-driven policy aimed at ensuring
that the public benefits of wind, solar, biomass,
and geothermal energy continue to be recognized
as electricity markets become more competitive.
These policies ensure that a minimum amount of
renewable energy is included in the portfolio of
electricity resources serving the state.
The border region is well poised to take advan-
tage of incentives to promote alternative energy.
Except at the coasts, the region receives high
levels of solar radiation year round. Several areas
along the border have sufficient regular winds to
support wind farms.
The multicultural, binational character of the
border community promotes innovative thinking
and problem solving. In the face of diminishing
federal resources with which to address border
environmental problems, local stakeholders have
developed partnerships to create effective and
innovative solutions to a range of these problems.
This report highlights and explores a number of
case studies that provide solutions to some of the
complex problems facing border communities.
Environmental problems have tended to be
separated according to the media in which they
occur—air or water, for example—and both poli-
cies and bureaucracies have been developed along
those lines. Recent initiatives have mirrored those
divisions as well. Local Border 2012 task forces are
organized to address air, water, and waste issues.
However, innovations often occur when problems
are reframed in a manner that makes solutions
suddenly evident. For instance, two seemingly
unrelated environmental problems that plague a
number of communities along the U.S.-Mexico
border—the negative impacts to wastewater
conveyance systems caused by the improper
disposal of waste vegetable oil and grease and the
contamination of air from diesel emissions—can be
addressed through the conversion of waste oil and
grease to biodiesel. Likewise, the need for alterna-
tive energy and for economic development both
can be met through a tribal wind farm.
Most of the projects and programs highlighted
in this report grew out of single-issue efforts, but
many of the innovations have been successful
because they have crossed the artificial boundar-
ies of classification or political subdivisions that
do not coincide with the environmental realities.
The projects stem from and support durable, often
binational, partnerships. In addition, critical to
a region characterized by high rates of poverty,
many of these projects provide opportunities for
community and economic development. •
Reference
1. Southwest Consortium for Environmental Research and
Policy, Border Institute II, Economy and Environment for a
Sustainable Border Region: Now and in 2020, Executive
Summary of Recommendations, Rio Rico, AZ, April 2000.
http://scerp.org/BI-II.html.
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Technology • Strategy • Financing • Partnerships
immunity Mobilization
Waste to Resource: Fibrous
Concrete as an Alternative to
Land filling and Burning Paper
A binational effort in Ambos Nogales utilizes waste paper in the construction of housing for low-income families.
Key Points
• Fibrous concrete is a highly-insulative and fire-resistant material composed of 50 to 80 percent recycled
paper, other waste materials, sand, ash, and cement.
• This is the first known community effort to utilize fibrous concrete to divert paper from the waste stream
(mostly generated by the maquiladora industry in Nogales, Sonora) to construct housing for low-income
families.
• This initiative has brought together a diverse group of partners and has led to the construction of benches
for schoolyards in Nogales, Arizona, and low-cost housing for families in Nogales, Sonora.
• Fibrous concrete structures are similar in appearance but are more thermally efficient than standard cinder
block (cement block) buildings.
• Binational cooperation was essential for the success of this initiative.
Background
Nogales, Sonora, is home to nearly 100 moqui-
lodoros, or manufacturing and assembly plants. The
2005 Mexican census reported the population to
be 189,759, but unofficial estimates suggest that
the total is higher. Municipal government budgets
are insufficient for the size of the population, and
therefore, urban services, including waste manage-
ment, are inadequate to meet local needs. Much
of the urbanization of Mexican border cities like
Nogales is informal, and a high percentage of the
low-income housing is self-constructed by resi-
dents using low-cost, easily accessible materials.
Paper and cardboard constitute a large pro-
portion of a city's solid waste. According to city
officials, 52,000 pounds of paper are deposited
in municipal landfills each year. In addition, an
unknown amount of paper is burned and con-
tributes to air quality problems in both Nogales,
Sonora, and its sister city, Nogales, Arizona (col-
lectively known as Ambos Nogales), despite recent
efforts to reduce burning. From 2004 to 2008,
an additional 330,000 pounds of paper per year
on average was transported out of the region for
recycling. With rising fuel prices, the economic
downturn, and weaker demand for scrap paper on
the regional and global markets, shipping waste
paper for processing and management purposes
will become increasingly less attractive, and much
of this is likely to be deposited at the landfill.
At the same time, there is a significant short-
age of low-cost housing in Nogales. According to
a March 2006 report by Hipotecaria Nacional, in
2005 the demand for low-cost housing (defined
as less than 210,000 pesos—U.S. $21,000) in
Nogales, Sonora, exceeded supply by 1,800
homes.1 A successful alternative must be afford-
able, made of readily available materials, easy to
build using local knowledge and skills, amenable to
construction in phases, secure, private, and of low
fire risk. Fibrous concrete functions well under the
climatic conditions found in Nogales that include
freezing in the winter and temperatures in the 90s
(°F) in the summer, as well as periods of wind,
snow, and rain. Fibrous concrete can be used to
construct cement blocks and roof panels and to
Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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make mortar, resulting in homes that look like
the concrete block structures that are built locally.
Currently, enough paper is going to the Nogales,
Sonora, landfill to construct one home every 3
weeks.
Approach
The Nogales Fibrous Concrete Initiative has
attracted support from a diverse group of individ-
uals and organizations because project proponents
have successfully demonstrated that both the
need for low-cost housing and the excess of waste
paper can be addressed through the develop-
ment of processes and prototypes for producing
fibrous concrete (also known as papercrete). This
initiative represents a binational, multisectoral
effort involving U.S. and Mexican businesses,
maquiladoras, local and state government agencies,
non-governmental and neighborhood organizations,
and academic institutions. The partnership has
been facilitated by binational organizations such as
the Arizona-Mexico International Green Organiza-
tion (AMIGO), the Arizona-Mexico Commission,
and the Border 2012 Ambos Nogales Air Quality
Task Force, all of which bring together individuals
and organizations to find creative solutions to the
unique problems of border communities.
An affordable alternative for constructing
comfortable, dignified housing is needed in regions
with significant climate extremes like the Arizona-
Sonora border. The technology for constructing
homes in Nogales was adapted from the approach
developed at the Center for Alternative Building
Studies in Tempe, Arizona. Although numerous
individuals and groups from the United States
and elsewhere in the world have built structures
of fibrous concrete, the Nogales initiative is
among the first to develop and utilize the mate-
rial to divert paper from the waste stream and
to construct housing for low-income families at
the community level. As of December 2008, two
homes had been completed, a third was under
construction, and another was being planned. The
two completed houses diverted more than 2,600
pounds of paper from the waste stream. Despite
delays in construction, the time to complete each
was similar to that of other custom homes being
built by individuals in Nogales.
Efficient Use of Material Resources
The production of fibrous concrete begins with
a paper and water slurry created by hand by tear-
ing and mashing the paper, or by using a mixer
with a large, slowly rotating blade.2 Almost any
type of paper can be used, including cardboard,
glossy paper, and catalogs. Waterproofed paper
requires more processing time because it does not
break down readily in water. Publications with a
spine, such as student workbooks, require that the
spines be removed from the mix by hand.
After the paper is pulped, sand and Portland
cement are added to the mixture to increase its
strength. The cement adheres to the paper fiber
and renders it resistant to insects, mold, and fire.
The Nogales builders used a 1:1 ratio of cement
to paper. The mixture is poured into molds, either
by hand or machine, and allowed to dry. The
standard-sized blocks are 1 by 2 feet and can be
connected using mortar made of the same fibrous
concrete material. The resulting structures are high
in thermal mass and remain cool in summer and
warm in winter.
Teamwork by Nogales, Sonora, maquiladora workers produces
hundreds of fibrous concrete blocks in a day.
Because of the time needed to acquire land,
design the houses, lay the foundations, make
all of the blocks and roof panels, and build the
structures, the three initial Nogales structures were
under construction for more than a year. During
this period, the blocks and partial structures were
exposed to the elements, and the fibrous concrete
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Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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material was observed to function well under the
local climatic conditions. Construction engineers
in Nogales, Sonora, and Tempe, Arizona, have
conducted tests for fire, water, strength, and break-
age. Plans to scale up the production and use of
fibrous concrete are underway.
Community Mobilization
The first explorations into fibrous concrete in
Ambos Nogales occurred with separate efforts
by Borderlinks Mexico, Inc., in 2001 and the
Institute Tecnologico de Nogales (ITN) in 2004.
In 2005 and 2006, a team of researchers from the
University of Arizona (UA) worked with vari-
ous community partners, with support from the
Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
(ADEOJ, to conduct a project titled "Thermal
Construction and Alternative Heating and Cooking
Technologies." The team assessed various technolo-
gies with the potential to improve the air quality
in Ambos Nogales by reducing garbage and wood
burning.
Of the possible alternative building materials
studied and presented to civic leaders and commu-
nity members in several Nogales neighborhoods,
fibrous concrete was identified as the most likely
to succeed as a locally appropriate alternative. Its
principal advantage for this border region is that
it can be used to construct homes that: resemble
standard cinder block homes and are secure from
theft; are made of readily available materials using
local expertise with masonry; and are inexpensive,
thermally efficient, and both fire- and insect-
resistant. In addition to the initial groups, four
schools, a neighborhood leader, and a professional
association expressed interest in further experi-
mentation with fibrous concrete and worked with
university faculty and students to hold workshops
and develop projects for their sites.
The two high schools in Nogales, Sonora, both
held workshops on fibrous concrete. Students
from one school's ecology club began experiment-
ing with the material, and the second school
utilized its metal shop to construct a mixer for
use throughout Nogales. Two schools in Nogales,
Arizona, helped test the fibrous concrete by con-
structing schoolyard benches from the material.
After the first workshop, the neighborhood
leader began to produce fibrous concrete blocks
by hand. He built a wall near his house to test
the material and demonstrate its potential to his
neighbors. After completing the wall and observing
how well it held up in Nogales' climate, but still
facing much skepticism, he constructed a small
apartment of fibrous concrete near his house.
Shortly thereafter, a neighbor began constructing
a room on his own property. In the fall of 2007,
the leader organized Grupo ConFib, a grassroots
organization dedicated to promoting and produc-
ing fibrous concrete blocks. Despite delays caused
by acquiring and transporting materials, working
around other jobs and responsibilities, and halting
construction through the summer monsoon season,
by summer of 2008, both structures were nearly
complete. The neighborhood leader stayed in his
two-room apartment during the summer because
it was much cooler than his own house. The
apartment is attached to a bathroom with running
water and a flush toilet, and received a coat of
stucco, electricity, and glass windows by late fall.
Meanwhile, members of the Asociacion de Pro-
fesionales en Seguridad y Ambiente A.C.3 (APSA),
a professional association dedicated to improving
health and safety within businesses and industries
operating in Nogales and the larger community,
had attended some of the workshops and meetings
about fibrous concrete and discussed various proj-
ects, including constructing their office building
out of fibrous concrete. In April 2007, the group
Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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held a contest among its maquiladora members
who made more than 800 blocks. One maquila-
dora, Alcatel-Lucent S.A. de C.V. 4, donated land
for the contest and used the blocks to construct a
home for one of its employees to demonstrate the
material's potential. The company solicited and
received assistance from a local construction com-
pany and manufacturer. Construction was slowed
by the need to obtain materials, make more blocks
and roof panels, and recruit volunteers to help
with various tasks such as painting. Connection to
water, sewer, and electricity was delayed until the
city completed main trunk lines to the neighbor-
hood. Finally, the house was completed in August
2008, and the new tenants, a mother and her
three children, moved in.
The next step is to scale up production and
monitor carefully the economic and environmen-
tal characteristics of construction with fibrous
concrete. Schools on both sides of the border
will continue to participate in educational and
outreach activities on fibrous concrete and related
topics such as air quality, solid waste and recycling,
and climate and the use of thermally efficient
construction materials.
Conclusions
This initiative demonstrates that fibrous
concrete is a potentially viable alternative for
addressing two problems common in border
communities: large volumes of waste paper and
insufficient housing for low-income residents.
The material produces structures that are more
thermally efficient than standard cinder block
buildings. Especially in regions with significant
climate extremes like the U.S.-Mexico border, an
affordable alternative for constructing comfortable,
dignified housing is much needed. This initiative
also demonstrates the benefits of multisectoral
partnerships and binational collaboration, both of
which are needed urgently today. •
Refere
1. Hipotecaria Nacional, Estudio del Mercado de Vivienda en
Sonora, http://www.hipnal.com.mx/not_sonora.html
2. Living in Paper, Introduction to Papercrete, www.livinginpa-
per.com.
3. Asociacion Civil, a non-for-profit civic organization.
4. Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable, a private business
enterprise.
POINTS TO CONSIDER
Successful efforts to use fibrous concrete to address
both waste and low-income housing issues involve
many segments of the community and international
collaboration. Developing partnerships and introducing
alternative technologies takes time.
Creating a system to meet local needs minimizes energy
and transportation requirements and increases the
environmental benefits of the program.
Fibrous concrete construction will never replace other
forms of construction for the mass market but instead
can fill an important niche market for self-constructed
housing in Mexican border towns.
Fibrous concrete construction can be accomplished
through small-scale, low technology approaches or by a
large-scale commercial operation. Evaluating the size and
stability of the resource stream is critical for determining
the size of the operation that can be sustained at any
location and for attracting financing. Federal government
support could be used to develop a binational source
for scrap paper as well as a regional market to facilitate
economies of scale.
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Technology • Strategy • Financing • Partnerships
ommunity Mobilization
Scrap Tire Cleanup in the
Border Region
Community projects remove illegally dumped scrap tires and look for reuse options.
Key Points
• Millions of scrap tires accumulate in border communities, especially in Mexico.
• Scrap tires pose a health risk because tire fires adversely affect air quality, and inadequately managed tire
piles provide a habitat for disease-carrying vectors such as mosquitoes that transmit West Nile Virus.
• Scrap tire pile cleanup is a major goal and success of the U.S.-Mexico Border 2012 border environmental
program.
• Community participation has been critical for cleanup efforts in urban and rural areas across all border
states, including coordinated binational efforts such as those in Luna County, New Mexico, and the Palomas
and Ascension areas in Chihuahua, Mexico.
• Developing markets and productive end uses for scrap tires continues to be a challenge for the entire
border region.
• Cross-agency and cross-border cooperation on market development is needed to find productive end uses
for scrap tires.
Background
Discarded tires have become a growing threat
to the environment and public health in both
rural and urban areas along the border. The accu-
mulation of millions of scrap tires is particularly
severe in Mexican border communities, where
approximately 6.4 million scrap tires are present
in large and small piles, according to a May 2007
Border 2012 scrap tire inventory.1 These piles
present environmental and public health threats
to border residents, contribute to urban and rural
blight, and are breeding grounds for mosquitoes
and other disease vectors. Scrap tire pile fires are
extremely difficult to extinguish, contaminate soils
and watercourses, and produce dangerous emis-
sions that affect both sides of the border. Scrap
collectors often burn tires to retrieve scrap metal,
releasing toxic fumes into the air. Tires are burned
as fuel in brick kilns and adjacent to agricultural
fields to protect sensitive crops during periods
when freezing temperatures are expected. Emis-
sions from these burning practices generate dense
smoke that can be seen for miles and result in
harmful levels of particulates and other contami-
nants that affect surrounding communities.
In some border communities such as Tijuana,
homeowners use thousands of scrap tires to build
structures such as residential retaining walls,
stairways, and foundations. Companies that build
retaining walls and embankments for highways
also use scrap tires. Civil engineering applications
are one of the most productive uses of scrap tires
in both the United States and Mexico. However,
poorly engineered residential structures and retain-
ing walls are commonplace in border communities.
In Tijuana, heavy rains that saturate highly cred-
ible soils can produce structural failures, causing
some scrap tires to flow into local watersheds.
Although EPA and Mexico's federal environ-
mental agency, Secretaria de Medio Ambiente y
Recursos Naturales (SEMARNAT), in coopera-
tion with state and local authorities, have made
Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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Scrap tires used as foundations for informal housing, Los
Laureles Canyon, Tijuana.
progress in cleaning up a number of large scrap
tire piles, the mechanisms that led to the initial
creation of these piles remain intact. One bina-
tional factor considered to significantly increase
the rate at which tire piles are generated in the
border region is the fact that consumers in the
U.S. border region tend to replace automobile tires
when the tires are still serviceable. These tires are
exported to Mexico, both formally and informally,
where they find a market based on their relatively
low cost. As a result, U.S. border communities
export part of the problem of scrap tire disposal
to Mexico, and Mexican border communities
rapidly accumulate scrap tires. Scrap tires are left
curbside, stored in backyards, placed in municipal
landfills, or illegally dumped in vacant areas.
Approach
Both the United States and Mexico, through
the Border 2012 Program, have worked to pro-
mote stronger binational cooperation to address
scrap tire issues. The U.S. and Mexican govern-
ments signed a letter of commitment to support
a more integrated binational approach to scrap
tire management as a result of a 2003 U.S. and
Mexico Binational Commission conference. Most
recently, all 10 border governors signed the Bina-
tional Integrated Scrap Tire Initiative (Strategy) at
a 2008 meeting of the Border Governors Confer-
ence. The Strategy offers guidelines and promotes
actions such as strengthening laws, regulations, and
policies; developing innovative technologies and
markets through economic or regulatory incen-
tives; and educating and mobilizing stakeholders
through local and community-based programs. The
Border 2012 Program's most significant success
can be attributed to a public-private partnership
that has resulted in the cleanup of almost 4 mil-
lion tires border-wide and the use of these scrap
tires as tire-derived fuel in Mexican cement plants
engineered with appropriate air pollution controls.
However, a key message from Border 2012 and
state and local government efforts is the need to
promote diverse reuse practices and markets based
on regional considerations.
Mexico, through SEMARNAT, also has worked
with state and local authorities on coordinated
campaigns to clean up legacy tire piles and has
developed preliminary guidelines for safe storage
of scrap tires. In addition, Mexican border states
have begun to develop specific legislation to deal
with scrap tires in response to the 2003 federal
law on Prevention and Integrated Waste Manage-
ment that makes states responsible for the solid
waste and special waste category that includes
tires.
U.S. border states have participated in address-
ing the problem through cooperation in the
Border 2012 projects and through state-specific
initiatives. Arizona has pursued the use of scrap
tires for rubberized asphalt paving, Texas has sup-
ported alternate uses for scrap tires, and California
has invested heavily in market development for
scrap tires and tire-derived products, as well as
a tire-hauler registry and tire manifest program,
and has cooperated with Mexican authorities on
information exchange regarding all aspects of scrap
tires, particularly illegal cross-border flows. In addi-
tion to its close work with Chihuahua on cleanup
activities, New Mexico is continuing its efforts on
the use of ground rubber and rubberized asphalt,
use of scrap tires for safeguarding abandoned
mines, and research on civil engineering applica-
tions using tire bales.
Community Mobilization
The Border 2012 New Mexico-Chihuahua
Rural Task Force (Task Force) has conducted
several activities to address scrap tire issues. Rural
communities in Luna County, New Mexico, and
the Mexican municipalities of Ascension and
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Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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Palomas mobilized to address scrap tires in their
communities. The project included a technical
workshop on scrap tire management and disposal
options, a scrap tire inventory, and education and
outreach about the proper disposal of scrap tires.
Field data were gathered in the spring of 2007
to inventory scrap tires from tire shops, clandestine
dumps, and municipal dumps. Roughly 2,100 tires
were located in Ascension and approximately 600
in Palomas. Utilizing global positioning system
(GPS) data, students from secondary schools
with training from the Autonomous University of
Ciudad Juarez and New Mexico State University
(NMSU) created maps of tire locations using geo-
graphic information systems (GIS) software. The
maps assisted cleanup efforts and were included in
the US.-Mexico Border Tire Inventory Summary
Report (May 2007), the first inventory of scrap
tires for the entire US.-Mexico border region.
A technical workshop on scrap tire manage-
ment and disposal options for rural communities
was held in Palomas in April 2007. Fifty-two
participants attended presentations on scrap tire
management and disposal options by experts from
the United States and Mexico. The Municipality
of Ascension and the Task Force also developed
an educational brochure on the project explaining
the problems scrap tires pose to public health and
their communities. The brochures were distrib-
uted throughout the communities of Ascension,
Palomas, Modelo, 6 de Enero, and Guadalupe
Victoria, during the cleanup. Students used the
brochure as a vehicle to discuss the scrap tire
problem and proper disposal with community
members. In November 2007, the project removed
approximately 5,000 to 6,000 tires from Palomas
and other small villages—more than double the
number of tires expected to be removed based on
the results of the tire inventory.
The Luna County Project, funded by the New
Mexico Environment Department (NMED) and
EPA, removed approximately 100,000 scrap tires
from the Deming and Columbus, New Mexico,
area. The illegal tire dump was estimated to
hold approximately 67,000 tires and had no fire
prevention plans. The scrap tire pile was removed
with the assistance of the Luna County Road
Department and NMSU students and faculty. The
project also developed outreach materials in Eng-
lish and Spanish to educate Luna County residents
about the proper disposal of scrap tires.
Efficient Use of Material Resources
The New Mexico-Chihuahua Scrap Tire Initia-
tive focused both on cleanup of the scrap tires
and their ultimate reuse. Two reuse options that
matched regional needs were proposed, but both
required funding to transport tires. The Task Force
covered part of the transportation costs from
Ascension and Palomas and the municipalities
covered the remaining costs themselves. Scrap tires
from Ascension and Palomas were taken to the
Grupo de Cementos de Chihuahua plant at Sama-
layuca. The plant's emissions control equipment
allowed the tires to be used safely as fuel. For the
Luna County Project, the scrap tires were taken
to the Luna County Road Department where they
were baled into 1-ton bales. The New Mexico
Department of Transportation used some of the
tires for erosion control along a rural highway. In
addition, Luna County used some of the bales in
closure of its old landfill.
The Municipality of Juarez, Chihuahua, along
with the State of Chihuahua, the Grupo de
Cementos de Chihuahua, EPA, and SEMARNAT
signed an agreement (referred to as an Annex)
that covers economic contributions and mandated
legal procedures for the disposal of scrap tires at
the largest tire pile site (approximately 6 million
at that time) along the U.S.-Mexico border, located
south of Ciudad Juarez. Every year the Annex
is updated, and to date more than 2 million
tires have been processed as fuel at the Samala-
yuca facility. The 2009 Annex goal is to process
approximately 1.8 million tires annually. This
would eliminate the three largest scrap tire piles
in the border region by the year 2012, a Border
2012 goal.
The New Mexico-Chihuahua cleanup was
the final event of a project funded by EPA and
SEMARNAT through the Border 2012 Program to
reduce the number of discarded tires in the border
area. Border 2012 provided funding to the New
Mexico-Chihuahua Rural Task Force to locate, col-
Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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waste disposal to civil engineering applications,
road paving, public health concerns, and air quality
issues across federal, state, and local agencies, and
across the international boundary. The U.S.-Mexico
Scrap Tire Management Initiative, under the
Border 2012 Program, is spearheading the effort to
address these issues and create long-term, sustain-
able solutions. •
Refer
1. Border 2012: U.S.-Mexico Border Scrap Tire Inventory Sum-
mary Report. May 2007. Pub. No. EPA 530-R-07-007. http://
www.epa.gov/waste/conserve/materials/tires/pubs/2012-tires.
pdf.
POINTS TO CONSIDER
Some of the approximately 4 million tires stockpiled near the
Juarez municipal landfill in Chihuahua.
The U.S. and Mexican Federal Governments can play
a critical role in facilitating the coordination of border
state governments to control the flow of used and scrap
tires in the region. They also can promote education
and community-based programs to support cleanup and
prevention efforts.
lect, and transport discarded tires for safe disposal
from the rural area. The Luna County Project
was funded through grants supported by EPA and
NMED and in conjunction with Luna County.
Conclusions
Although many scrap tire cleanup programs
have been initiated, additional efforts are needed
to reduce scrap tire piles and ensure that newly
generated scrap tires are managed properly. Con-
tinued information gathering is needed to better
understand scrap tire generation and disposal,
encourage development and implementation of
environmentally acceptable and economically
promising end-use markets, continue cleanup,
and continue outreach programs for a diverse
audience of stakeholders. Scrap tires present the
U.S. Federal Government with an opportunity
to facilitate market development by linking solid
U.S. and Mexican authorities and the private sector have
struggled with the scrap tire issue for years. Success in
scrap tire reuse and recycling has been limited by the
lack of funding, binational coordination, and cooperation
between the public sector and private sector.
Civil engineering applications for scrap tires include
the use of crumb rubber in asphalt, concrete paving,
and sports fields. Scrap tire-derived fuel has been used
successfully for 10 years in Mexico and longer in the
United States. However, cement plants are limited in the
number of scrap tires that they can utilize, so market
diversification is crucial. To date, proposals to break down
scrap tires into marketable materials such as carbon
black, steel, and oil have not proved to be economically
and environmentally feasible.
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Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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Innovation in Conserving Resources: Upper San Pedro Partnership
Management strategies reduce groundwater usage per capita per day by 10 percent.
In the Sierra Vista Subwatershed in Cochise County, Arizona, groundwater extraction exceeds groundwater
recharge. This poses a concern not only for the region's future water supply, but also for the well being of the
San Pedro River ecosystem, which is highly dependent on groundwater, and the San Pedro Riparian National
Conservation Area. The goal of the Upper San Pedro Partnership is to implement water management measures to
reach a sustainable yield of groundwater withdrawals from the regional aquifer.
The Upper San Pedro Partnership has implemented various conservation and groundwater recharge projects,
including effluent reuse, code changes, reductions in irrigated agriculture, public education campaigns, and effluent
and stormwater recharge projects. From 2002 to 2005, groundwater pumping in Sierra Vista was reduced from
174 gallons per capita per day (gcpd) to 156 gcpd. The Partnership's management strategies, coupled with other
factors, are estimated to have yielded 7,230 acre feet of water in 2005. (See http://www.usppartnership.com/docs/
Sec3212006Rept907Hill(2).pdf for more details.) These projects link activities of different agencies with stakeholder
participation to create sustainable solutions to various environmental problems.
The Upper San Pedro Partnership was formed in 1998 as a consortium of federal, state, and local agencies and
organizations. The purpose of the Partnership is to coordinate and collaborate in the identification, prioritization,
and implementation of comprehensive policies and projects that assist in meeting the long term water needs of the
Sierra Vista subwatershed.
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Community Mobilization
- T>
Strategy • Financing
£/ Paso Water Utilities and Fort Bliss partner together on a desalination plant to augment existing water supplies
and protect fresh groundwater supplies from brackish water intrusion.
Key Points
• The plant utilizes advanced reverse osmosis technology that made construction economically feasible.
• The desalination facilities increase El Paso Water Utilities' fresh water production by approximately 25
percent.
• The desalination removes salts and other pollutants from the water utilizing the most comprehensive water
treatment technology available.
• The facility serves as a model and center of learning for other inland cities facing diminishing supplies of
fresh water in both the United States and Mexico.
• The disposal of brine produced by the reverse osmosis process is accomplished by pumping the water 22
miles and injecting it into a 3,500-foot deep dolomite formation.
Background
Throughout the U.S.-Mexico border region,
the demand for water to accommodate an ever
larger population base is increasing. Many border
communities have established aggressive water
conservation measures that include water efficient
appliances and landscaping, reclaimed water for
irrigation and industrial use, and pricing structures
to encourage demand reduction. At the same time,
many communities have moved to expand supply,
and desalination is the likely choice in a number
of areas. Seawater desalination projects are moving
forward in the San Diego and Brownsville areas.
Inland areas of the border, isolated from the
ocean as both a source of water to process and a
location for disposal of brine, face many challenges
in diversifying and expanding potable water sup-
ply. The demand for water in the growing El Paso
area requires access to a greater water supply. The
city's water sources include groundwater from the
Hueco and Mesilla bolsons (aquifers) and surface
water from the Rio Grande. Water from the Rio
Grande is only available during the spring, sum-
mer, and early fall months and is further limited
in years of reduced flows. The Hueco Bolson, on
the east side of the Franklin Mountains, also is the
source of water for Ciudad Juarez in Mexico and
other communities in the area. Historically, pump-
ing from the bolsons has exceeded recharge rates
and water levels have declined.
The El Paso Water Utilities (EPWU) was facing
two significant groundwater management issues in
the Hueco Bolson: declining groundwater levels
and brackish groundwater intrusion into wells
that had historically pumped fresh groundwater.
EPWU pumping in the Hueco Bolson peaked at
about 80,000 acre-feet per year (AF/yr) in 1989,
but through conservation and an increase in use
of reclaimed and Rio Grande water, pumping
was reduced to below 40,000 AF/yr in 2002, or
approximately one-third of the total demand for
EPWU. Under these operating conditions, the 84
Hueco Bolson wells had a well capacity of about
117 million gallons per day (mgd).
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Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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Approach
EPWU long has recognized the need for
efficient use of water resources. EPWU's conser-
vation initiatives have been very successful, and
include strict controls on landscape irrigation and
incentives for the use of water-efficient appliances.
Water use per day per person was 200 gallons
in 1991, but had declined to 133 gallons by the
end of 2008, according to EPWU. Additionally,
EPWU's strategic plan calls for reclaimed water
to reach 15 percent of the annual potable water
use by 2012. However, growing water demand,
declining aquifer resources, brackish groundwater
intrusion into wellfield areas, and the risk of severe
drought led EPWU to diversify its water supply
through desalination.
In the early 1990s, EPWU began to explore
the idea of desalinating the brackish water in the
bolsons. The amount of brackish water in the
Hueco Bolson exceeds the amount of potable
water by approximately 600 percent. The brackish
water contains more salt than is allowed in drink-
ing water, but significantly less than ocean water.
In 1997, EPWU and the Ciudad Juarez water util-
ity, the Junta Municipal de Aqua y Saneamiento,
along with other agencies on both sides of the
border, commissioned the U.S. Geological Survey
to conduct a detailed analysis of the amount of
fresh water remaining in the Hueco Bolson, the
amount of brackish water available, and a deter-
mination of flow patterns. Reduced groundwater
levels from historic pumping in and around well-
fields resulted in changed flow patterns. Because
brackish groundwater is in close proximity to
fresh groundwater in many areas of the Hueco
Bolson, these altered flow patterns have caused
brackish groundwater to intrude into areas that
had contained fresh groundwater. EPWU used data
from the study to determine where to locate the
desalination plant and source wells, and obtained
critical information needed to characterize the
injection well site. The plant's wells are designed
to intercept brackish groundwater and protect
fresh groundwater.
In 2002, EPWU drilled and monitored nine
test wells to characterize a section of the Hueco
Bolson selected to provide the source water.
EPWU consultants also completed an extensive
analysis of existing wells that might be used to
supply the desalination facility. A reverse osmosis
pilot plant was constructed to test the chemicals,
filters, and membranes used in the reverse osmo-
sis process, and determine which worked best
with local water. In February 2005, U.S. Army
consultants completed environmental studies and
published a Final Environmental Impact Study.
The most complex studies, however, were directed
toward the problem of concentrate disposal.
A comprehensive initial study examined six
alternatives for disposal, with deep-well injection
selected as the preferred method. After the Uni-
versity of Texas at El Paso conducted a geophysical
study, geologic modeling, and drilling of test wells,
a site for disposal was selected 22 miles northeast
of the desalination plant. This site prevents migra-
tion of the injected brine to fresh water, provides
storage volume sufficient for 50 years of operation,
and meets all of the requirements of the Texas
Commission on Environmental Quality for injec-
tion wells.
Fort Bliss and EPWU Partnership
Because Fort Bliss, a U.S. Army post located
adjacent to El Paso and extending into New
Mexico, was considering a similar facility, a public-
public partnership was formed to meet the needs
of both Fort Bliss and EPWU. The partnership
involved the U.S. Department of Defense and a
municipality, and drew on the private, municipal,
academic, political, and regulatory sectors in El
Paso, the State of Texas, and the United States.
Fort Bliss also was facing problems of a sus-
tainable water supply. The base's future operations
were threatened because of concern about limited
fresh water supplies; therefore, the Department of
Defense decided to partner with EPWU on the
inland desalination plant. The region's new long-
term water supply served as a key factor in the
decision to increase personnel and operations at
Fort Bliss under the Base Realignment and Closure
Process. With a military and civilian population of
approximately 43,000 in 2008, Fort Bliss is slated
to grow rapidly for the next several years.
This inland plant was built following the
construction of a similar plant in the Brownsville,
Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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Texas, area. In that case, surface water supplies
were augmented by five water utilities partner-
ing to obtain potable water from desalination of
brackish groundwater.
Innovative Use of Technology
Built at a cost of $87 million, the El Paso facil-
ity contains: a state-of-the-art, two-stage reverse
osmosis treatment process; more than 30 supply
and blend wells; approximately 19 miles of collec-
tor and transmission pipelines; pumping stations;
and a concentrate disposal system consisting of 22
miles of cross-desert pipeline and three surface
injection facilities. With very few treatment plants
of this type in the United States, the design was
accomplished without the benefit of experience
and information from similar scale prototypes.
Factoring in operational expenses, the desalina-
tion project delivers water for considerably less
than other options that were evaluated by EPWU,
including indirect potable reuse of reclaimed water
or importing water from remote areas in western
Texas.
At the EPWU facility, raw water from new and
existing wells is pumped to the plant and filtered
before being sent to reverse osmosis membranes.
Through a pressurized process, raw water is forced
through fine membranes that separate salts and
other contaminants from the water. Approximately
83 percent of the water is recovered, while the
remainder is output as brine. At the conclusion
of the reverse osmosis process, the permeate, or
desalted water, is piped to a storage tank and the
Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination Plant, El Paso.
concentrate is routed to a disposal facility. The
permeate is blended with water from new wells.
Following pH adjustment and disinfection, the
finished water is sent to the distribution system.
Safe disposal of the brine is a challenge—the
concentrate is pumped across the desert to three
individual injection wells located in a remote area
of Fort Bliss. Solar-powered surface facilities at
each well site include buffer tanks, communication
equipment, and valves and controls that regulate
flow through deep wells to the brackish water
aquifer more than 3,500 feet below the ground
surface in a fractured dolomite formation.
The facility incorporates two innovative uses of
technology: an inland application of reverse osmo-
sis membranes and a unique industrial application
of deep-well injection. EPWU operates North
America's largest inland application of reverse
osmosis. Although it commonly is used in the
petroleum industry, deep-well injection of con-
centrate from groundwater desalination plants had
seldom been conducted in the United States, and
never at this scale. Surface injection facilities were
designed for each well site. The facility's design
garnered an award for excellence in environmental
engineering.
Conclusions
The regional impact of the EPWU desalination
project is considerable. The desalination plant can
produce 27.5 mgd of fresh water, making it a criti-
cal component of the region's water portfolio. By
developing an untapped resource and diversifying
its water supply, the desalination plant contributes
to more sustainable use of water resources in the
three-state international Paso del Norte region:
New Mexico, Texas, and Chihuahua, Mexico. •
Referet
1. EPWU Public Service Board, Desalination Plant: Setting the
Stage for the Future, http://www.epwu.org/water/desal_info.
html.
2. American Academy of Environmental Engineers, 2008 E3
Competition Winners, Superior Achievement: Kay Bailey
Hutchison Desalination Facilities, http://www.aaee.net/Web-
site/E3SA.htm.
3. William R. Hutchison, P.G., EPWU Hydrogeology Report
04-01, Hueco Bolson Groundwater Conditions and Manage-
ment in the El Paso Area, March 2004, http://www.epwu.org/
water/hueco bolson.html.
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Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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POINTS TO CONSIDER
The availability of fresh water is a serious challenge facing not only the desert Southwest but also the world. The demand for
a reliable and secure supply of water for a growing region must be met by the carefully selected and economically efficient
development of new water sources.
The extensive research involved in the design and construction of the facilities—studies, pilot plants, research, and the state/
federal permitting processes—provides a wealth of information and a model for other inland cities facing diminishing supplies
of fresh water and with access to brackish groundwater.
The project illustrates the importance of linking water conservation measures with efforts to generate new sources of water in
desert border communities.
The desalination project demonstrates the necessity of partnering among agencies and with other entities.
24" Blend Water
distribution system for delivery to customers. \ Distribution
30" Finished Water * SyS'em
Sand Static Cartridge Booster
Strainer Mixer Filter Pump
Injection
Wells (3)
Schematic for desalination process, Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination Plant, El Paso.
Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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Resources
Strategy • Financing
Community Mobilization
The Brawley and Imperial
Wetlands in the Imperial Valley,
California
Constructed wetlands, utilizing low-cost technology, provide an effective solution to treat polluted surface water.
Key Points
• The New River, which flows northward from the Mexican Valley into the Imperial Valley and terminates in the
Salton Sea, is heavily polluted. The New River carries untreated sewage, industrial waste, and agricultural
chemicals.
• Two constructed wetlands, the Brawley and Imperial, treat polluted water and provide a habitat for migra-
tory bird species traveling within the Pacific Flyway.
• The wetlands remove more than 90 percent of suspended sediments and pathogens in the water. However,
accumulation of selenium in the wetlands and food chain remains a problem.
• The project demonstrates how grassroots efforts and effective partnerships, often employing low-cost
technologies, can provide effective solutions to environmental problems. The project also illustrates the
importance of federal start-up assistance in mobilizing local support and participation.
Background
Much of the U.S.-Mexico border region is arid
with low annual rainfall. As the region's popula-
tion has grown, especially in the years following
NAFTA, new demands have been placed on
limited water supplies. In border communities in
both countries, but especially in Mexico where
funding constraints are greater, population growth
may outpace efforts to build water and wastewater
infrastructure. All too often, communities struggle
to secure a reliable long-term water supply. As
the urban footprint grows and new water sources
are tapped, wetlands and green spaces have dis-
appeared. In some communities, the deficit in
wastewater treatment and collection poses a threat
to public and environmental health.
To address these challenges, border communi-
ties have implemented innovative strategies to
reduce water pollution, restore or create new
wetlands and green space, and reduce the strain on
limited water supplies. Often, they have done so
by viewing wastewater as a resource rather than as
a problem. A partnership led by a local organiza-
tion, the Citizens Congressional Task Force on
the New River, is reducing water pollution in the
New River in Imperial Valley, California, by creat-
ing new wetlands. Although wetlands traditionally
have been nature's filters, more than 90 percent
of natural wetlands have been lost in California,
leading to loss of wildlife habitat and degradation
of water quality. Although wetlands have been
constructed in the border region with the intent of
restoring habitat, the use of constructed wetlands
primarily for the improvement of water quality
is less common. Typically, wetlands developed to
improve water quality have urban wastewater,
which has different characteristics than river water,
as their source. For example, selenium levels in
urban wastewater may not be as high as in the
New River, which also is fed by agricultural drain
waters. Therefore, special considerations are needed
in the design and monitoring of wetlands used to
treat river water.
The New River originates in Mexico, flows
through Mexicali, Mexico, into Calexico, Califor-
nia, and through Imperial County before emptying
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Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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into the Salton Sea, a saline lake in the Sonoran
desert located 40 miles north of the international
boundary. The New River at the international
border is considered one of the most polluted
streams in the United States due to sewage arriv-
ing from Mexico. The river carries urban runoff,
agricultural drainage, and domestic and industrial
waste from both countries. According to the
California Regional Water Quality Control Board,
New River flow at the border is about 150 to 200
cubic feet per second (cfs), increasing to 600 cfs
where it enters the Salton Sea. The Alamo River,
which also flows into the Salton Sea, originates in
Mexico approximately 2 miles south of the border
and eventually will be the site of wetlands similar
to those developed for the New River. The Alamo
River is dominated by agricultural return flows
from the Imperial Valley. The Regional Water
Quality Control Board calculates flow at the
border at 3 to 5 cfs, increasing up to 1,000 cfs at
the Salton Sea Delta.
Water quality is impaired by the presence
of high levels of suspended sediments, nutrients
(nitrogen and phosphorus), selenium, coliform bac-
teria, and various pathogens. Sediments, suspended
solids, and turbidity of the New and Alamo riv-
ers exceed the limits established by the State of
California Regional Water Quality Control Board.
The New and Alamo rivers account for 80 percent
of the flow into the Salton Sea, and the pollutants
they carry are degrading its waters.
The Salton Sea has important ecological con-
nections with the Colorado River Delta in Mexico.
Both are key stops on the Pacific Flyway for
migrating birds, linked by the riparian corridors
along the Colorado, Hardy, New, and Alamo rivers.
More than 400 bird species are found in this
region, and the Salton Sea is considered to be the
Nation's most productive fishery. Yet, the Salton
Sea's survival is at risk due to increasing salinity,
pollution, and decreased inflow. Selenium, a natu-
rally occurring element in the region, is leached
from agricultural fields and deposited in the Salton
Sea, accumulating in the food chain and threaten-
ing wildlife and human health.
Approach
Two treatment wetlands, the Brawley and
Imperial, were constructed in 1999 adjacent to
the New River in the Imperial Valley with the
goal of providing wetland habitat while remov-
ing sediment, nutrients, and contaminants that
were degrading the New and Alamo rivers and
the Salton Sea. A key element of the project has
been a multi-year monitoring effort that began in
2001. The monitoring was designed to evaluate
the effectiveness of the constructed wetlands in
treating pollutants in the water column and the
sediments and to evaluate the outcomes for living
organisms.
An important feature of the project is the use
of surface water, which requires sediment removal
as a key aspect of treatment. Although research
has documented the effectiveness of wetlands in
improving water quality in other parts of North
America, the Salton Sea region has a unique
climate, with extreme heat (an annual average
daily maximum temperature of 88 °F) and little
precipitation (less than 3 inches per year). Local-
ized testing was needed to evaluate the use of
wetlands to improve water quality in this region.
Other important aspects of the project are cre-
ation of habitat for fish and birds, and educational
outreach that has involved hundreds of students in
classroom activities, field trips, and work days.
Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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Monitoring has been conducted for several
years for the following parameters at wetland
inlets and outlets: water temperature, dissolved
oxygen (DO), specific conductance, pH, baromet-
ric pressure, dissolved and total concentrations of
organic carbon, phosphorus species (orthophos-
phate and total phosphorus), nitrogen species
(nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, total Kjeldahl nitrogen,
and total nitrogen), total suspended solids (TSS),
dissolved selenium, bacteria (total and fecal
coliforms and E. coli), biological oxygen demand
(BOD), calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium,
total alkalinity, hydroxide, carbonate, bicarbonate,
sulfate, chloride, fluoride, total silica, and perchlo-
rate. Monitoring and analysis were conducted to
characterize the removal of pollutants from the
two pilot wetlands to assist in development of
designs for other wetlands in the region. Results
for key parameters are shown in Table 2, page 27.
Both the Brawley and Imperial wetlands
significantly reduced the amount of selenium,
nitrogen, and phosphorus, and removed more
than 90 percent of suspended sediments and
pathogens (measured as fecal coliform) in the
water. Researchers from San Diego State Univer-
sity, supported by the Southwest Consortium for
Environmental Research and Policy (SCERP)1 have
been evaluating the fate and removal of selenium
in these constructed wetlands. Their findings deter-
mined that constructed wetlands are an efficient
method for removing selenium from agricultural
drainwater; however, after 6 years of operation
of these wetlands, concentrations of selenium in
fish and invertebrates were at or above threshold
ranges for reproductive effects in birds and fish.2
Partnership
In early 1997, a local organization, Desert
Wildlife Unlimited, sought a solution to the pol-
lution problem of the Alamo and New rivers. This
group worked with local, state, and federal agen-
cies to obtain grant funds. Under the auspices of
Desert Wildlife Unlimited, the Citizen's Congres-
sional Task Force on the New River was formed to
develop the project. Congressman Duncan Hunter
was key in the effort to obtain federal funding
for the project. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation,
the lead federal agency on the project, acquired
permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
and completed the National Environmental Policy
Act requirements. The California Department of
Fish and Game was the lead agency in completing
the requirements for the California Environmental
Quality Act. The partners in the project hope
eventually to establish 4,000 acres of constructed
wetlands to improve the quality of the New River
and Alamo River water flowing into the Salton
Sea and provide wildlife habitat.
Novel Use of Technology
The two wetlands were constructed using a
combination of sedimentation basins and wetland
cells. The Imperial Wetland, located approximately
13 miles north of the international boundary near
Imperial, California, contains 22.7 wet acres. The
source water is entirely agricultural drainage, and
the treated water flows into the New River. The
site has two sedimentation basins and four wet-
land cells in series, a capacity of 127 acre-feet, a
flow rate of 6 cfs, and retention time of 18 days.
The Brawley Wetland, near Brawley, California,
approximately 20 miles north of the border, con-
tains 6 wet acres with a capacity of 21 acre-feet.
It treats water from the New River. The wetland
has one sedimentation basin and two wetland cells
in series with a flow rate of 1 cfs and retention
time of 9 days.
Flowing water enters the wetlands in areas
where contaminants settle into bottom sediments
or are subject to microbial-mediated reactions
that may transform contaminants into volatile (or
bioavailable) forms that may be incorporated into
algae and plants. Fish and invertebrates may eat
these plants, causing the contaminant to move
up the food chain (or bioaccumulate). As plants
and animals die, they also settle into the bottom
sediments. With long-term sediment build-up, a
permanent sequestration of contaminants in the
sediment occurs.
Conclusions
The project demonstrated that wetlands with
sedimentation basins can provide highly effective
reduction of total suspended solids. This suggests
that wetlands can be used effectively to treat
sediment-laden streams. Differences in perfor-
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Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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mance of the Brawley and Imperial sites provide
guidance for the design of future wetlands in the
region. These differences relate to the effective-
ness of treatment and operation and maintenance
issues. Pumps rather than gravity were used at the
Brawley site; because of the extra operation and
maintenance associated with pumping, designs and
sites with gravity flow are preferred. •
References
1. SCERP is a consortium of U.S. and Mexican universities
that was created by Congress in 1991 and funded through a
cooperative agreement with EPA. It supports applied research
and outreach on environmental problems of the U.S.-Mexico
border region. All projects include researchers from U.S.
and Mexican SCERP universities as well as community and
agency partners. For more information, see: www.scerp.org.
2. Johnson, P.I., Gersberg, R.M., Rigby, M. and S. Roy. The fate
of selenium in the Imperial and Brawley constructed wetlands
in Imperial Valley, California. Ecological Engineering. In Press.
For sources of information and data on the wetlands, see:
• New River Wetlands Project Brochure and Web Site, www.
newriverwetlands.com.
• Performance Evaluation of the New River Demonstration
Wetlands, March 24, 2006. Prepared for Citizen's Congres-
sional Task Force on New River. Prepared by Tetra Tech, Inc.,
in association with Wetlands Management Services. Available
at: www.newriverwetlands.com.
• Colorado River Basin Regional Water Quality Control Board,
Salton Sea, http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/rwqcb7/water_issues/
programs/salton_sea/index.shtml.
• Salton Sea Authority, http://www.saltonsea.ca.gov/.
POINTS TO CONSIDER
Table 2
Imperial Site Water Quality Monitoring Summary
(Averages) January 2001 to April 2007
Parameter
DO
Total Nitrogen (mg/L)
Total Phosphorus
(mg/L)
Selenium (ug/L)
BOD (mg/L)
Fecal Coliform
(MPN/100 mL)
TSS (mg/L)
Inlet
8.2
6.8
1.39
7.9
12.0
91,441
192
Outlet
6.9
3.6
0.85
6.2
11.2
518
11
% Change
-16.2
-48.5
-38.1
-21.5
-6.7
-99.4
-94.3
Brawley Site Water Quality Monitoring Summary
(Averages) January 2001 - April 2007
Parameter
DO
Total Nitrogen (mg/L)
Total Phosphorous
(mg/L)
Selenium (ug/L)
BOD (mg/L)
Fecal Coliform
(MPN/100 mL)
TSS (mg/L)
Inlet
3.43
7.9
1.45
10.3
11.6
1.3 million
185
Outlet
7.73
2.2
0.74
10.2
10.8
547
14
% Change
+125
-72.2
-49.0
-1.0
-6.9
-99.9
-92.4
Source: The New River Wetlands Project, International Boundary and Water
Commission, http://ponce.sdsu.edu/brawley_imperial_wetlands_doc.html.
The research and monitoring efforts associated with
the constructed wetlands provide valuable information
that can be used to address problems and design new
projects for other areas along the border, including the
threatened Colorado River Delta region.
The effects of filtration into groundwater at the wetland
sites are not understood. Groundwater concentration data
are needed to help understand these effects.
Long-term monitoring is critical for assessing the
ongoing functioning of the wetlands and potential risks
from bioaccumulation of contaminants such as selenium.
Flow through the wetlands must be carefully controlled.
Attempts to increase flow through the Imperial site
beyond the design flow caused the wetland cell levees
to be overtopped.
Constructed wetlands are an efficient method for
removing many contaminants from polluted water, but
challenges that need further study include:
• Continued accumulation of selenium in the sediments
of the wetlands.
• Organochlorine pesticides that have been detected in
tissue samples from fish and invertebrates.
• The decrease in the rate of removal of phosphorus
over time.
Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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Resources • Technology
trategy Financv
Partnerships • Community Mobilization
The Bahia Grande: Achieving
Multiple Environmental Benefits
Through Wetland Restoration
The coordinated efforts of dozens of partners bring an estuary back to life and lead to significant air quality
improvements in south Texas,
Key Points
• Returning water to the Bahia Grande was advanced to reduce dust clouds from dried wetlands, and has led
to a major ecological restoration project.
• Securing monetary and human resources to undertake a large, multi-year effort has required extensive
partnering and creative problem solving across media and across agencies and stakeholder groups.
• Within the first few months after the Bahia Grande was flooded, marine organisms resumed their historic
migration patterns.
Background
The Bahia Grande Unit is located in Cameron
County west of Port Isabel, Texas, and adjacent
to the Gulf of Mexico. It lies within the Laguna
Madre, a large lagoon covering 609 square miles
of estuarine and coastal marine systems, which
separates South Padre Island from the south
Texas mainland. It consists of wind tidal flats and
high ground, including clay dunes that can reach
heights of up to 30 feet. At present, it covers
about 34 square miles, including a bay, basins,
lomas (hillocks), low-lying flats, resacas (depres-
sions or lakes left by meandering rivers), and
native brush. The Bahia Grande, historically a
shallow bay, covers approximately 6,500 acres.
Between the 1930s and 1950s, construction of
the Brownsville Ship Channel and State Highway
48 gradually isolated the Bahia Grande basin
from the marine waters it needed to flourish.
The wetland receded, and the newly arid and
exposed region became vulnerable to erosion. The
constant winds created clouds of dust as they
accumulated salt-encrusted sand and blew it into
the surrounding communities. The sand caused
continual problems for residents, affecting both the
environment and the economy. Specific negative
impacts included clogged air conditioning systems
that led to power outages because of electrical
line build-up, and piles of sand that destroyed
vegetation and created safety hazards on major
roads. The dust also exacerbated respiratory health
problems for many area residents.
Approach
The Bahia Grande restoration initiative was
designed to restore a natural tidal hydrological pat-
tern in the Bahia Grande to achieve the level of
biodiversity currently present at nearby San Martin
Lake. The effort is aimed at providing needed
habitat for waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds, and
other wildlife; creating new recreational fishing
opportunities; and contributing to the commercial
shellfish and finfish industries. Another important
goal, already achieved, was to reduce the blow-
ing sediment problem that affected air quality in
nearby communities.
In 2000, the Conservation Fund, the Natural
Resources Conservation Service, and the USFWS
came together to buy the Bahia Grande basin.
The basin became part of the Laguna Atascosa
National Wildlife Refuge. Scientists studied the
28
Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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area and devised a plan to re-flood and re-vegetate
three large, dry basins covering 11,000 acres of the
basin, and re-establish tidal exchange. In 2001, an
ad hoc committee formed to examine dust abate-
ment alternatives, and project proponents realized
the value of collaborating with a wide range of
stakeholders who shared an interest in the Bahia
Grande. The partnership grew and diversified
into the Bahia Grande Restoration Partnership, a
community-based collaborative effort of more than
70 groups, including local, state, and federal agen-
cies; municipalities; educational institutions; fishery
organizations; corporations; foundations; private
citizens; and landowners.
Innovative Strategy
In 2003, using funds from the National Oce-
anic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
scientists built greenhouses to propagate native
plants that could be used to stabilize soil and
re-establish ecological functions of the estuary.
They recruited local biology teachers from the
neighboring school systems of Brownsville, Los
Fresnos, and Port Isabel, Texas, to participate in
classroom mangrove restoration projects. Repre-
sentatives of the Ocean Trust and the USFWS
gave presentations to 925 students who then grew
1,425 mangrove propagules into seedlings during
the school year. In May 2003, the school children
transplanted their seedlings to the banks of Bahia
Grande. To augment school plantings and support
transplanting efforts, project leaders and volunteers
constructed a mangrove nursery in the Laguna
Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge near the shores
'l
\n
•>•*> • »• "*.»»•' :,•«,:
Wildlife has returned to the formerly dry and barren Bahia
Grande.
of Bahia Grande. They planted 3,000 black man-
grove seedlings that are valued for their help in
protecting and stabilizing low-lying coastal lands.
They also planted Gulf cord grass, salt grass, and
other native wetland species.
Lack of regular water flow into the basin
continued to create problems. In July 2005, the
Brownsville Navigation District and Cameron
County opened a pilot channel connecting the
Bahia Grande basin to the Brownsville Ship Chan-
nel and the Gulf of Mexico. The constructed pilot
channel began refilling 6,500 acres of the Bahia
Grande tidal basin. The benefits of a reduction
in airborne particulate matter (PM) immediately
were visible with the reduction of wind-blown
salts. At the same time, this action initiated one
of the largest wetland restoration projects in the
United States.
Within the first few months after the Bahia
Grande was flooded, marine organisms resumed
their historic migration patterns. Still, the chal-
lenges of creating a fully functioning ecosystem are
many, and attention now is focused on critically
important monitoring to ensure that the system
functions well. The region is subject to significant
climate variation. The basin received sufficient
rainfall during 2008 to reduce salinity to estuarine
levels, and the numbers of shrimp and fish rose.
However, scientists are concerned that the current
channel is not sufficiently wide, and that during
a drought the salinity levels will become elevated
enough to cause massive fish kills. Even under
optimal climatic conditions, re-vegetation at the
perimeter of the flooded areas is expected to take
another 8 years.
Funds now are being secured to dig a much
wider and deeper primary channel that will fill
the basin to its maximum capacity, increasing
tidal flow for ongoing habitat restoration, research
and monitoring, and future public recreational
opportunities. Project partners plan to continue
experiments with propagating native sea grasses.
In addition to research being conducted by faculty
and students from Texas A&M University-Corpus
Christi and the University of Texas at Brownsville
and Texas Southmost College, a student from the
Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon in Monter-
Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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rey Mexico, is using the basin as a research site to
study changes in sedimentation.
Financing
More than $14.6 million has been spent to
date on the Bahia Grande restoration. Initial funds
for purchasing the property were secured by the
Conservation Fund, the Natural Resources Conser-
vation Service, and the USFWS, and the property
was transferred to the USFWS as part of the
Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge.
Restoring the property required resources
from numerous additional partners. In 2003, the
Gulf of Mexico Foundation awarded Ocean Trust
a NOAA Community-based Restoration Program
(NOAA-CRP) grant. The money was used to build
greenhouses and begin plant propagation. NOAA-
CRP-funded projects are selected based on their
technical merit, level of community involvement,
ecological benefits to marine and fish habitat, and
partnership opportunities. Projects must show
significant leveraging of non-federal dollars.
Reintroducing water in the Bahia Grande
required opening a channel, which required major
funding. Cameron County secured a Coastal
Impact Assistance Program (CLAP) grant to create
the initial channel. The CIAP was authorized by
the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to be distributed
to oil- and gas-producing states on the Outer
Continental Shelf to mitigate the impacts of their
production.
Conclusions
The Bahia Grande restoration initiative
restored a natural tidal hydrological pattern in
the Bahia Grande and provided needed wildlife
habitat while meeting the goal of a reduction in
the blowing sediment that affected air quality in
nearby communities. The partners still are working
on increasing the tidal exchange of the estuary
and stabilizing water salinity to ensure recovery of
marine and avian species. One of the challenges
of undertaking a large restoration project was to
bring together multiple parties from different pub-
lic and private sectors. Another major challenge,
obtaining funding, was solved by a collaborative
effort from the partners, who sought funds from
diversified sources. •
POINTS TO CONSIDER
The Bahia Grande restoration has offered scientists
valuable insights on wetland restoration and native-plant
propagation and involved a diverse partnership.
Refilling the Bahia Grande caused an immediate
reduction in blowing dust and airborne particulates.
Long-term monitoring and adaptive response by project
managers are critical if the Bahia Grande is to become a
fully functioning ecosystem. However, preliminary results
have shown important ecosystem restoration, and the
project already has garnered awards.
Matamoros
Bahia Grande location.
Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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Resources • Technology
Strategy Financint
Partnerships • Community Mobilization
The Campo Kumeyaay
Wind Project
The Campo Kumeyaay Nation, a small community of 350, becomes a major player in providing solutions to
some of our Nation's critical energy needs.
Key Points
• The Campo Kumeyaay Nation created successful partnerships to complete the wind project, the first of its
kind on an American Indian reservation. It provides a template for other Indian nations as well as other
border communities on how to become equity stakeholders in energy projects.
• The project provides enough electricity for up to 30,000 homes, offsets the generation of 110,000 tons of
C02 in the border region, and provides more than $300,000 per year in income to the Campo Kumeyaay
Nation.
• The Kumeyaay Wind Project is an excellent example of matching existing resources to a proposed project.
The project makes use of two resources in plentiful supply on the reservation: wind and open space.
• The project provides a secure and clean source of local renewable energy in an area of the border that is
heavily dependent on imports of fossil fuel-based energy.
• The project underscores the key role the Federal Government has in providing incentives and removing
barriers for environmentally friendly energy projects on the border and elsewhere.
Background
The traditional lands of the Kumeyaay extend
from northern San Diego County to 60 miles
south of the Mexican border, and range from the
Pacific Coast to the deserts of Imperial County.
In 1893, 25 square miles of land situated at the
crest of the Laguna Mountains about 60 miles
east of San Diego were set aside as the Campo
Indian Reservation, one of 12 reservations for the
Kumeyaay people. With very little arable land and
localized sand deposits as the primary mineral
resource on the reservation, the Campo people
historically have struggled to survive. Therefore,
tribal leaders have explored the potential use of
wind as a resource to help meet the needs of the
tribal members and residents of surrounding areas.
Concerns about energy shortages, energy
security, and excessive reliance on fossil fuels
have led both the State of California and the U.S.
Federal Government to initiate programs and offer
incentives to increase the use of renewable energy
sources. Established in 2002, California's Renew-
ables Portfolio Standard Program requires electric
corporations to increase procurement from eligible
renewable energy resources by at least 1 percent
of their retail sales annually, until they reach 20
percent by 2010. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
has set a state goal of 33 percent by 2020. Public-
ly owned utilities are responsible for implementing
and enforcing a Renewables Portfolio Standard
that recognizes the intent of the state legislature
to encourage renewable resources, while taking
into consideration the effect of the standard on
rates, reliability, financial resources, and the goal of
environmental improvement. The Kumeyaay Wind
Project provides income and diversification for the
Campo Kumeyaay Nation, while helping to supply
a renewable energy resource to the San Diego Gas
& Electric Company.
Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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Approach
The Campo Kumeyaay Nation began nego-
tiations with Kenetech Windpower in the early
1990s to evaluate the wind potential on the
reservation. Unfortunately at that time, insufficient
wind energy incentives, technology, and demand
prevented the development of a project. Still,
the support for a wind energy project remained,
and as the technology for large-scale wind energy
production improved, the Nation again began to
consider its options. In 2000, the tribal govern-
ment entered into a partnership with Superior
Renewables, LLC, and signed a lease agreement
in 2005. In 2006, Superior Renewables, LLC,
was bought by Babcock and Brown Renewable
Holdings, Inc. Energy sales were negotiated with
Sempra Energy, the parent company of San Diego
Gas & Electric, for a 20-year power purchase
agreement. The U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs
(BIA) acted on behalf of the Federal Government
in its role as trustee in approving the Environ-
mental Assessment and the lease. The Campo
Environmental Protection Agency acted as a
cooperating agency in the preparation of the lease
and the environmental assessment.
By situating the wind farm on a north-south
facing ridge, project proponents took advantage
of the abundance of wind and naturally occur-
ring features. In 2008, the Wind Project included
25 two-megawatt turbines occupying approxi-
mately 45 acres of tribal land in a 2.5 square mile
restricted-use lease area. The project provides
enough electricity for up to 30,000 homes and
offsets the generation of 110,000 tons of CO2
[based on an average mix of sources). In addi-
tion, it provides more than $300,000 per year in
income to the Nation and job opportunities for
tribal members.
Strategy
The U.S. Supreme Court and Congress man-
age the unique constitutional status of Native
American tribes through the doctrine of trust that
specifies the responsibility of the Federal Govern-
ment to protect tribes' property, treaty rights, and
way of life.
State governments and their political subdivi-
sions cannot tax tribes and their members on
Indian trust land within a reservation. However,
the Courts have increasingly allowed the states to
tax non-Indians and non-Indian property located
on Indian reservations regardless of the level of
governmental services provided by the Nation
to the non-Indian property owner. Consequently,
tribes often are forced into difficult decisions of
having to decide between assessing a duplicative
tax on reservation property or forgoing the tax to
make development feasible.
More than 50 percent of the profitability of
a wind energy project can be directly tied to
federal tax incentives. Because tribal governments
(and all governments) are neither tax-paying nor
taxable entities, tribally owned projects do not
receive federal incentives. To overcome this gap,
the Kumeyaay tribal government took the role
of lessor, enabling its business partner, Superior
Renewables, to qualify for the tax incentives.
County taxes are assessed on the facility, however,
and San Diego County receives more revenue
than the Nation receives from its lease payments,
even though the county provides virtually no
governmental services within the Campo Reserva-
tion. In addition to $300,000 resulting from an
assessed value of $30 million, the County receives
additional revenues through its possessory interest
tax, under which the lease itself is considered a
form of property eligible for county assessment.
Despite the absence of tribal tax revenues, the
lease for the Kumeyaay Wind Project was deter-
mined to be a valuable economic investment for
the Campo Kumeyaay Nation. Because of the tribal
trust relationship, a lease is not federally enforce-
able unless it is approved by the BIA. Because
the Kumeyaay was the first commercial lease for
wind energy production in Indian country, it took
several months for the realty personnel at the BIA
to determine that the Nation was receiving fair
value in the deal. Under the terms of the lease, the
Campo Kumeyaay Nation continues to enjoy the
full utilization of the leased lands, provided there is
no interference with the wind energy production.
The primary implication of this restriction is that
building height is limited to two stories.
32
Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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Financing
Completion of the Kumeyaay Wind Project
required the successful capture and use of federal
financial incentives. Superior Renewables, LLC,
entered into a partnership with General Electric
Energy Financial Services for the Campo project.
A renewable energy Production Tax Credit was
created under the Energy Policy Act of 1992,
providing an allowable income tax credit of 2.1
cents/kilowatt-hour for the production of electric-
ity from utility-scale wind turbines. This incentive
initially was created at the value of 1.5 cents/
kilowatt-hour, which has since been adjusted
annually for inflation. By utilizing the tax credit,
Superior Renewables, LLC, was able to make the
project profitable.
In October 2008, the Production Tax Credit
was renewed until December 31, 2009. Since it
was first established in 1992, the tax credit has
undergone a series of short-term extensions, and
was allowed to lapse in 1999, 2001, and 2003.
The uncertainty associated with the tax credit has
created instability in the wind energy industry.
In the year following each expiration of the tax
credit, wind energy installations dropped by 73 to
93 percent.
Another potential federal incentive being
explored by the Campo Kumeyaay Nation that
targets investors in low-income communities is the
New Markets Tax Credit Program. The program
permits taxpayers to receive a federal income tax
credit of 39 percent of the cost of the investment,
claimed during a 7-year period, for making quali-
fied equity investments in designated Community
Development Entities. These entities must use the
qualified equity investment in low-income com-
munities.
Conclusions
The Kumeyaay Wind Project demonstrates the
potential of alternative energy projects for tribal
communities across the United States. By sharing
the details of their project, the Campo Kumeyaay
Nation provides a baseline for other communities
to evaluate the terms of agreements they are nego-
tiating. With this project, the Campo Kumeyaay
Nation substantiates the need for legislative fixes
to the incentive problems, and demonstrates that
a small community of 350 persons can play an
important role in providing solutions to some of
our critical national energy needs. •
POINTS TO CONSIDER
Initial research into both wind energy potential and financing mechanisms was critical for the success of this project.
Changes in the federal tax policies related to alternative energy, which would allow owners without the ability to use tax
incentives to transfer their tax credits and/or depreciation to their partnering companies, could encourage greater investment
in alternative energy technologies such as wind and solar energy and address both energy and economic development needs
of tribal border communities.
Increased stability in the federal incentives programs and market prices is needed to encourage further investment.
Cross-border sustainable energy projects provide opportunities in the region, yet face many legal, administrative, and other
barriers.
Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
33
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Innovation in Strategy: CETYS Universidad Master's Degree Program
in Environment and Sustainable Development I
A new approach to educating environmental professionals in Mexican, Mexico
CETYS Universidad, Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico, has developed a Master's Degree Program in Environment
and Sustainable Development in partnership with the Latin American Scholarship Program of American Universities
(LASPAU), a nonprofit organization affiliated with Harvard University and governed by an independent, inter American
board of trustees. The Master's Program was developed to address the need for professionals in Mexicali to understand
and appreciate border environmental issues and sustainable development. It primarily targets professionals in the
maquiladora industry in hopes that they will develop an understanding that profits and sustainable development are
not mutually exclusive.
The Master's Program specializes in applied research and generates knowledge, networks, and collaborations
focused on environmental issues along the U.S. Mexico border. Projects recognize the relationship between society
and the environment while addressing needs and priority problems. Students develop information technology skills to
implement and track business processes, gain strategic skills to use computational tools applied in models of their
own area of expertise, and apply leadership skills in resolving problems through applied research projects.
The Program is attempting to change the way border environmental issues are viewed, particularly in industry,
through education. Although open to all students, by focusing on students who are already professionals and who
choose and implement projects in their area of expertise, the Program can make a direct impact on environmental
conditions in Mexicali. If the Program continues to draw students from the maquiladora industry, it can contribute
to a shift in the industry's thinking toward sustainable development as a good business practice and could result in
improved environmental and health conditions.
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Resources • Technology
Stratet
Financing
}artnerships
Community Mobilization
Transboundary Emissions
Trading in the Paso del Norte
Area
Change in legislation allows a new strategy to improve air quality in the shared airshed of El Paso, Texas;
Sunland Park, New Mexico: and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua.
Key Points
• El Paso and other border cities face distinctive air quality challenges because of shared airsheds. Binational
cooperation is required for success.
• Transboundary emissions trading under Texas state law allows for efficient reduction of pollutant emissions
in the binational Paso del Norte airshed.
• El Paso Electric Company (EPE) replaced high-polluting brick kilns used in Ciudad Juarez with new cleaner
burning brick kilns to receive air pollution credits.
• According to studies by EPE and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), the new kilns
significantly reduced emissions.
• Barriers still exist for efficient and rational cooperation across the border for emissions trading and bina-
tional airshed management.
Background
The area where Texas, New Mexico, and
Chihuahua converge is known as the Paso del
Norte, receiving its name from a pass created
by the Rio Grande in the Franklin Mountains.
The river marks the border between the United
States and Mexico, and the area includes Ciudad
Juarez in Chihuahua, Mexico; El Paso, Texas; and
Sunland Park, New Mexico. Although these cities
are separated by an international boundary, they
form a single metropolitan area. Like many com-
munities along the U.S.-Mexico border, the Paso
del Norte region has experienced rapid population
growth and increased economic activity during the
last few decades. In combination with the persis-
tence of poverty along the border, poor air quality
has taken a toll on the region's environment and
public health. In the early 1990s, El Paso was the
only city in Texas designated as a nonattainment
area for three federal criteria pollutants: carbon
monoxide, ozone, and particulate matter (PM10).
Texas statutory requirements enacted in 1999
required El Paso Electric Company (EPE) to
reduce its nitrogen oxide (NOX) emissions from its
previously grandfathered electric power generat-
ing facilities in the El Paso area by 50 percent or
submit an alternative compliance plan. NOX is a
generic term for a group of highly reactive gases,
all of which contain nitrogen and oxygen in vary-
ing amounts. In the presence of sunlight, NOX
reacts with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to
form smog.
Although other utilities in Texas (such as
Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston) facing a similar
situation could use cap and trade to reduce NOX
emissions, EPE was unable to do so because of
the limited number of industrial facilities in the
area. A cap and trade program sets a cap, or
maximum limit, on emissions by source in an area.
Sources receive authorization to emit in the form
of emissions allowances, with the total amount
Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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of allowances limited by the cap. Each source
can design its own compliance strategy to meet
the overall reduction requirement, including sale
or purchase of allowances from other industrial
sources, installation of pollution controls, and/or
implementation of efficiency measures.
Approach
In 2000, EPE submitted an alternative
compliance plan to the Texas Commission on
Environmental Quality (TCEOJ to use a trans-
boundary and cross-pollutant emissions trading
program to meet its regulatory requirements;
however, new legislation was needed for such
a program. In 2001, with the support of local
elected officials, the Texas Legislature enacted
legislation creating an alternative means by which
grandfathered electric utilities in border areas
could meet their emission allowance obligations.
Facilities can substitute emissions reductions
achieved in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, or in Sun-
land Park, New Mexico, as long as the substitution
results in an overall improvement in air quality in
the Paso del Norte airshed. It should be noted that
the emissions reductions were acceptable only for
credit under the state permit requirements. Credit
was never sought to meet requirements of the
U.S. Federal Clean Air Act. International emis-
sion reduction credits for Clean Air Act purposes
have never been tested. EPE employed this novel
transboundary and cross-pollutant emissions trad-
ing program to replace high-polluting brick kilns
located in Ciudad Juarez with new, cleaner-burn-
ing brick kilns. The project substituted reductions
in VOCs, PM, and carbon monoxide (CO) for the
NOX allowances. EPE could receive air pollution
credits for these reductions in the Paso del Norte
airshed and a higher pollution allowance for its
older power facilities that otherwise would have
needed significant overhauls.
More than 250 brick kilns exist in Ciudad
Juarez, although far fewer operate at any one time.
They are a major source of particulate pollution
Traditional brick kiln burning scrap materials near homes and businesses in Ciudad Juarez. The domed brick kiln in the photo
graph on page 35 is the cleaner burning design introduced by EPE.
36
Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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and carbon monoxide, and depending on the fuels
used, may produce VOCs. The brick industry is
important to the city as it provides the primary
construction material for many buildings. In a
growing city like Ciudad Juarez, demand for bricks
is high. The industry's impact on employment is
significant, with individuals employed in the direct
production of bricks as well as in transportation
and construction.
A typical kiln can hold 6,000 bricks, although
some hold as many as 16,000. Most kilns operate
uncovered and fire bricks for 16 to 24 hours. The
most common fuel used for firing is scrap wood or
sawdust, but any waste fuel that can be obtained
at virtually no cost to the owners is used, includ-
ing tires, battery cases, plastics, particle board, and
used motor oil.
Strategy
In 2000, Dr. Robert Marquez, then a New
Mexico State University (NMSU) researcher,
through an EPA-funded grant from the Southwest
Consortium for Environmental Research and
Policy (SCERP) and in conjunction with TCEQ
and EPE, developed kilns that are smaller and
burn cleaner than the conventional brick kilns.
The new kiln design includes a dome covering the
kiln and a channel connecting the kiln to a second
identical kiln. Simply covering the kiln provides a
significant reduction in emissions because the kiln
is more thermally efficient and burns cleaner; the
old kiln design basically allows an open burn. To
further reduce emissions, the kiln is connected to a
second kiln filled with unfired bricks, which serve
as a passive filter to capture the effluent. While
one kiln is fired, the other traps the pollutants.
The role of each kiln is reversed at the next firing
and the original pollutants are then efficiently
combusted.1
To implement the project, new kilns were
built in each of the brick-making areas through-
out the city as old ones were destroyed. EPE
also entered into an agreement with the Juarez
municipal administration to construct a brick-
making community on property adjacent to the
city landfill that opened in 2004. Compared to
the conventional brick kilns, the new kilns reduced
PM emissions by 83 percent, NOx by 63 percent,
CO by 46 percent, and VOCs by 69 percent.2
Tests conducted by EPE found that the new kilns
produced a total of 397 pounds of emissions per
burn, a reduction of 466 pounds of total pollut-
ants per burn compared to the old unmodified
kilns, which emitted 863 pounds of total emissions
per burn.
Originally EPE had intended to replace
roughly 32 conventional kilns; however, because of
delays in working with kiln owners and a dead-
line for compliance with Texas law, the company
decided to replace fewer kilns and retrofitted one
of its conventional generation facilities to meet its
goal in a timely manner. EPE filed a report with
the TCEQ demonstrating that a combination of
five kilns and the retrofit would fulfill its attain-
ment obligations. The company later funded the
replacement of 27 more kilns, for a total of 32.
The cost to replace each kiln was approximately
$8,000.
The new kilns offer many benefits to the brick
makers. The kilns are more productive and less
expensive to operate. Reduced operating cycles
and decreased fuel consumption offset the smaller
size of the new kilns and actually increase pro-
duction. Previously, most brick makers could not
prepare bricks in the rain or wind, because the old
kilns were exposed to the elements. The new kilns
also are cleaner and easier to load.
Although significant emissions reductions were
achieved with the prototype system, a connec-
tion problem with the more recent kiln pairs has
limited the degree of operational success. A num-
ber of the new systems have failed to obtain an
adequate flow rate between the two kilns, causing
emissions to escape through the first kiln. Recent
tests have demonstrated that significant emissions
reductions still are achieved, justifying the change-
out of kilns.3 The average reduction is a factor of
at least 5 and for some burns is a factor of 10.
Proper flow to the second kiln reduces emissions
further by a factor of two. Because communities
have a strong desire to build more kilns, further
research is needed to address the design faults and
to institute changes.
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Partnerships
The project required a strong partnership
among EPE, TCEQ, NMSU, the brick makers, the
Municipality of Juarez, SEMARNAT, UACJ (Uni-
versidad Autonoma de Ciudad Juarez), FEMAP
(Federacion Mexicana de Asociaciones Privadas),
and NGOs. For more than 2 years before construc-
tion of the new kilns, the partners collaborated
on developing and garnering support for the
program, kiln design, model kiln construction, and
controlled studies of kiln emissions. In 2002, EPE
formally submitted a full-scale proposal for creat-
ing NOx allowances. TCEQ approved the proposal,
and kiln construction began.
Along with the participation of the institu-
tional partners, greater participation by the kiln
owners would have improved the effectiveness
of the project. Delays that arose in working with
the kiln owners were caused by a number of
social factors. The homes of the brick makers are
extremely modest and often erected on land next
to the kilns. Although some brick makers were
supportive of moving the kilns south of town,
many were concerned about being forced to
uproot family businesses that they had established
near their homes. The project also was hindered
by kiln owners' lack of trust of the other partners
and disbelief that the new kilns would achieve
production levels similar to those of the conven-
tional kilns. Production concerns were addressed
once the new kilns were operating; however, some
of the new kilns are not in use because families
have not been willing to relocate. The brick kiln
construction project was dealt a serious blow
when torrential rains flooded the municipal brick-
making facility in 2006 and eight kilns collapsed.
To date, EPE-constructed kilns continue to operate
in the three communities of Mexico-68, Estrella del
Poniente, and Kilometro-20.
Conclusions
This project has generated improvements in air
quality in the binational Paso del Norte airshed.
It also has helped EPE to meet its NOx reduc-
tion obligations. The success of the construction
of alternative brick kilns has led to pilot projects
focused on the reduction of particulate emissions
and research of alternative fuel sources in Baja
California, Queretaro, and Sonora. The State of
Chihuahua also is working to replace similar kilns
outside of Ciudad Juarez. Transboundary emissions
trading can be explored in border areas that are
in nonattainment as a possible way to improve air
pollution. However, it should be noted that trans-
border trading currently is not allowed under the
Federal Clean Air Act or under state law in New
Mexico, Arizona, or California. •
References
1. Border Environment Research Reports (Number 2, June
1996), "Reducing Emissions from Brick Kilns in Ciudad
Juarez: Three Approaches", www.scerp.org/docs/berr2.html.
2. Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. A study of
brick-making processes along the Texas Portion of the U.S.-
Mexico border: Senate Bill 749. SFR-081. December 2002.
3. Bruce, C.W., Corral, A.Y. and A.S. Lara. Development of
Cleaner-Burning Brick Kilns in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua,
Mexico. Journal of the Air &£ Waste Management Association
2007 ;57-.444-456.
POINTS TO CONSIDER
Transboundary emissions trading offers a potential solution for border communities. Legal, technical, and policy issues should
be considered fully before implementing cross-border trading in other areas of the border.
Alternative brick kilns can reduce levels of airborne pollutants. However, attempts to reduce pollution must take into
consideration the quality of life of workers and their dependents and gain the support of those who will be directly affected
by the new technologies.
Sufficient testing of brick kiln prototypes and monitoring of their use are required for long-term project success. Lessons
learned from the initial pilot project must be incorporated into the kiln design for other communities.
38
Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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Joint Advisory Committee (JAG) for the Improvement of Air Quality
in the Paso del Norte Air Basin
A binational committee collaborates with all stakeholders to improve air quality.
One innovative strategy for the improvement of air quality along the border was the creation and continued
operation of the JAC (the full name is the Joint Advisory Committee for the Improvement of Air Quality in the
Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua/El Paso, Texas/Dona Ana County, New Mexico Air Basin). The JAC is a binational committee
established in May 1996, under the framework of the 1983 U.S. Mexico La Paz Agreement. The Paso del Norte
Air Quality Task Force, a grassroots organization composed of business and civic leaders, government officials,
scientists, health and environmental professionals, and concerned citizens, was instrumental in the formation of the
JAC. The JAC consists of 20 members (10 U.S. and 10 Mexican) that represent federal, state, and local governments;
universities; the private sector; NGOs; and public health organizations. The innovative structure of the JAC allows for
participation by all stakeholders from community residents to federal officials. This attribute has been a major factor
in its success. Also key is that it includes federal co-chairs from both countries who can take recommendations
directly to EPA and SEMARNAT. This is important because in Mexico the Federal Government is still very centralized,
and even though the State of Texas may have authority from EPA to address certain issues, federal to federal level
communication is necessary.
The JAC has led and supported numerous projects in the Paso del Norte airshed and yielded excellent results.
Shortly after its inception, the JAC spearheaded the use of oxygenated gasoline during winter months in Ciudad
Juarez, Mexico, to reduce carbon monoxide emissions. Since then, the number of carbon monoxide exceedances in
the area has dropped from 25 to 50 annually to one to two occurrences in the past 3 years. The JAC participated
in the development of Texas state law allowing for transboundary emissions trading and led the Great Border Trade
Out (both highlighted in this report).
Because the JAC works on a consensus basis, some matters require great effort to arrive at a conclusion that
is satisfactory to all stakeholders. The JAC emphasizes community participation in its projects but discovered that
the public needed more information on air quality improvement strategies to provide meaningful input. The JAC
works to ensure that all stakeholders are included in the decision making process and has extensive public outreach
programs.
Among the most informative of outreach mechanisms is the JAC Web Site, www.jac ccc.org. The Web site
provides an extensive record of activities, meetings, and recommendations undertaken by the JAC since its 1996
establishment. The Web site also includes a page on the West Texas Visibility Monitoring Network, which tracks
regional transport of air pollutants and records the effects of high wind events. The JAC currently serves as one of
the air task forces of the Border 2012 Program established by EPA, SEMARNAT, U.S. and Mexican border states, and
U.S. border tribes.
The strategies that the JAC has applied successfully could be translated into other areas with state and/or
federal borders, especially other border sister cities with air quality issues. It provides an excellent example of how
border cities and counties that share and contribute to a common airshed can collaborate to achieve emissions
reductions that positively affect both sides of the border.
The JAC model also can transfer to other transboundary environmental problems. Although not formally
established, the Mimbres Basin Dialogue in Columbus, New Mexico, and Palomas, Chihuahua, is applying the JAC
model to address transboundary water issues in the Mimbres Basin Aquifer. The JAC also demonstrates the key
federal role, building on local initiatives, of facilitating transborder cooperation on environmental issues.
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Resources • Technology • Strategy • Financing
wtnerships Community Mobilization
Community Assist of Southern
Arizona (CASA): Promotora
Business Visit Program
iff
Trained community members work with businesses to improve their community's environmental health.
Key Points
• Onsite technical assistance is provided to businesses by trained promotoras (community outreach special-
ists) from the target area and focuses on pollution source reduction.
• Researchers from Arizona and Mexico provide technical expertise and training to the promotoras on innova-
tive approaches and measures.
• The promotoras are well received, and the owners/operators of the businesses are receptive to information
and training on pollution prevention (P2).
• The program is community-run and has formed strong partnerships with local agencies.
Background
The promotora idea, developed in Mexico,
slowly is being adopted in the U.S. Southwest.
Promotora, the Spanish word meaning "expert"
or "advocate," is used to describe a lay health
advisor within the Latino community. Although
"promotora/promotor/promotores" are the correct
terms in Spanish, because most of these advisors
are women, "promotora" is used in this document
to describe the advisors. Public and environmental
health scientists are beginning to appreciate the
promotora as a health professional who is perfectly
poised to reduce environmental health disparities
within underserved Latino communities. Projects
along the U.S.-Mexico border have included
information campaigns regarding environmental
exposures to agricultural pesticides, household
chemicals, and air toxics and have increased
awareness of the importance of preventive health
care and community participation. The promotora
is a member of the community and generally is
accepted and trusted when many times agency
personnel are not. Community Assist of South-
ern Arizona (CASA) uses the promotora model
to provide environmental health information to
families and pollution prevention (P2) strategies to
businesses.
CASA is a program of Sonora Environmental
Research Institute, Inc. (SERF), an NGO founded
in 1994 to fulfill the need for research and tech-
nical assistance on environmental issues. CASA
partners with neighborhoods that are under eco-
nomic, environmental, and health stress, and helps
to determine the neighborhoods' environmental
risks and actions to be taken to reduce those risks.
CASAs primary focus has been home visits, but
since 2006, promotoras have visited businesses to
discuss P2 measures. In 2006 and 2007, promo-
toras conducted business surveys that identified
the top barriers to implementing P2 programs.
These included a lack of culturally appropriate
information, a distrust of government agencies, and
a perceived high cost of implementation. CASA
addresses those barriers by providing information
in a culturally appropriate manner and language,
and by providing information on potential cost
savings.
The business visit program is funded by SERI,
grants from EPA, and donations and in-kind con-
tributions from the CASA advisory board. The
CASA program previously received funding from
Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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the EPA Community Action for a Renewed Envi-
ronment (CARE) program. CARE is a competitive
grant program that offers an innovative way for a
community to organize and take action to reduce
toxic pollution in its local environment. Through
CARE, a community creates a partnership that
implements solutions to reduce releases of toxic
pollutants and minimize people's exposure to
them. By providing financial and technical assis-
tance, EPA helps CARE communities get on the
path to a renewed environment.
Approach
The project targets portions of six ZIP codes
in metropolitan Tucson, Arizona. This area was
chosen because it was identified by the team's
previous research as a potential air toxics hot
spot and by the Arizona Department of Health
Services as an area at high risk for childhood
lead poisoning. Most of the industries and waste
management facilities in Tucson are located in
the area, as are the main traffic corridors, and the
childhood asthma rates, at 13 to 25 percent, are
higher than the national average of 8 percent. For
the three ZIP codes with the highest concentration
of businesses, approximately 35 percent of the
families live below the poverty level, almost 80
percent of the population is Hispanic, more than
60 percent speak Spanish at home, and less than
60 percent have high school diplomas (Source:
2000 census and SERI data).
Trained promotoras from the target area pro-
vide onsite technical assistance that focuses on
source reduction methods rather than recycling,
treatment, or disposal. The promotoras work with
businesses to implement P2 plans and to track
progress. In addition to methods to reduce the
use of hazardous substances, onsite visits include
discussions about water and energy conservation
at the facilities and ways to reduce hazards to
public health and the environment from releases.
Businesses are referred to the Tucson Fire Depart-
ment (TFD) Business Assistance Program for
assistance with fire code requirements and the
Tucson/Pima County Household Hazardous Waste
Program-Small Business Waste Assistance Program
(SBWAP) for assistance with hazardous waste
management.
Researchers from five colleges at the Uni-
versity of Arizona (UA) and 11 universities in
Mexico provide technical expertise and training
on innovative approaches and measures. Onsite
visits are supplemented by industry-specific work-
shops. Additional workshops for promotoras, their
families, and community members help to create
community leaders in P2 and strengthen the com-
munity's ability to make informed environmental
health-related decisions and to participate in long-
term solutions.
The business visits have been very successful.
The promotoras are well-received, the owners/
operators are interested in the subject, and the
overall procedures work well. The promotoras
reach businesses that are not usually successfully
reached by other outreach programs.
In 2008, the promotoras completed more than
500 business visits to auto repair shops, auto paint
and body shops, print shops, and nail salons. Sixty
percent of the businesses participated in some P2
activity within 3 months of the initial promotora
visit. Eighty-six people attended a P2 workshop
for auto paint and body shops. Nail shops switch-
ing to nail polish removers without acetone
reduced acetone emissions by an estimated 10,560
Ibs/yr. By covering and/or replacing their solvent
degreasers, auto repair shops reduced emissions of
VOCs by an estimated 129,100 Ibs/yr.
Lourdes Vera, SERI environmental health promotora, review
ing the packet of pollution prevention information with Dago
Enriquez, owner ofMcElroy's Automotive, Tucson.
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Community Mobilization
SERFs promotora program is a proven method
of disseminating information about environmental
health issues, receiving feedback, assessing commu-
nity needs, and promoting decision-making in the
communities in which SERI works. Many residents
obtain their health and environmental informa-
tion by word-of-mouth rather than through a visit
to the doctor, from a computer, through training
classes, or via general announcements. In-home
and business visits are culturally acceptable meth-
ods and provide the one-on-one contact that best
serves the community. SERI has trained promotoras
in the target area who have conducted more than
3,500 home visits since 2005.
Promotoras are mothers, students, grandmoth-
ers, or anyone who has identified him or herself
as a community leader and is seeking to increase
his or her knowledge on environmental and health
issues. Promotoras visit families and businesses and
provide skills, information, training, and connec-
tions that result in true improvements in their
neighborhoods. They build the capacity of neigh-
borhoods one by one as they knock on doors.
Promotoras visit businesses as neighbors, not
as agency personnel. Their approach is "This is
our neighborhood. What can we all do to work
together to improve its environmental health?"
Armed with technical training, business packets,
and a team of technical experts for support, the
promotoras can work effectively with businesses to
develop and implement P2 plans and collect P2
outcome measures.
Partnerships
The CASA advisory board has a diversified
membership, including health and environmental
agencies, school districts, community members,
UA, government officials, medical centers, and
businesses. The U.S.-Mexico Binational Center for
Environmental Sciences and Toxicology (Binational
Center) and Superfund Basic Research Program
(SBRP) at UA develop many of the promotora
P2 strategy training classes. The promotoras work
closely with researchers to gather accurate sci-
entific information and "translate" it into a more
digestible and accessible format. This methodology
is used to develop industry-specific promotora P2
training classes. These classes exemplify the Bina-
Results of Survey of Preferred Incentives in Tucson for Implementing Pollution Prevention Measures
(Print, Automotive Repair, and Auto Body Shops, N=535)
I % Businesses Choosing
^
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IT .<
42
Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving border Environmental Problems
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tional Center and SBRP efforts to decrease the
gap between academia and the community and
are proving to be an effective, empowering tool
for communities.
The biggest challenge in implementing the
program was preparing the promotoras for the
business visits. Because it was a new program,
they were worried about their ability to complete
the task and whether they would be respected by
business owners. After the first series of technical
trainings, no promotoras conducted business visits.
Consequently, the CASA partners helped build
the confidence of the promotoras by revamping
the training modules, including additional classes
with business owners, conducting onsite training
classes, and offering leadership training. After the
new training, the promotoras felt comfortable with
conducting visits. The partnership recognized that
the promotoras needed not only technical training
but also ongoing leadership training. For many of
the promotoras, this is their first experience work-
ing outside of their homes. SERI and its partners
are developing a promotora leadership development
program in coordination with other promotora
programs in Arizona.
Conclusions
The CASA Promotora Business Visit Pro-
gram has demonstrated that trained community
members can be effective in conducting outreach
to businesses not usually reached by traditional
measures. The community benefits not only from
the information disseminated, but also from the
manner in which the program is implemented.
CASA mobilizes local resources and utilizes volun-
tary programs to carry out risk reduction activities.
CASA creates a positive environment that encour-
ages all members of the community to join a
collaborative partnership to promote community
wellness and environmental stewardship. •
POINTS TO CONSIDER
The promotora model for business visits and implementation of P2 strategies can be used throughout the Southwest. The
CASA program already is working with other communities in California and Arizona to implement similar business programs.
Although rooted in the Latino culture, the model can be modified for other communities. The key element for success in any
community is involving community members who are respected, well-trained, and devoted to improving their community's
environmental health.
The CASA model is suitable for adaptation to Mexican border communities where small business P2 needs are great.
Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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Innovation in Partnerships: New Spray Guns for Auto Paint Body Shops:
The Great Border Trade Out
A public and private-sector partnership on both sides of the Texas border reduces air pollution.
The El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Ciudad Juarez Direccion General de Ecologia, Home Depot,
SEMARNAT, the TCEQ Border Quality Campaign, and Campbell Hausfeld partnered on a spray gun trade out project to
provide outreach to small businesses, primarily automotive body shops that conduct painting operations, in the Paso
del Norte airshed on both sides of the Texas border. The goal of the project was to encourage the voluntary reduction
of PM and VOC emissions through education and equipment exchange. The approach of exchanging high polluting
equipment for free, more efficient, and less polluting equipment previously had not been attempted in the area.
Through an EPA Border 2012 grant to the El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, supplemented by matching
resources from local participants, nine workshops were conducted in both El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.
Workshop participants received regulatory compliance training, and Campbell Hausfeld, the manufacturer of the
High Volume Low Pressure (HVLP) spray guns, sent technicians to provide auto body shop employees with hands on
training. At the conclusion of each workshop, participants were given free HVLP spray guns in exchange for their
older air atomization spray guns. In addition to the workshops, free HVLP spray guns were exchanged with small
painting operations in rural areas of El Paso County by going door to door. In total, 250 HVLP spray guns were
exchanged. This project targeted air quality issues in a region that has a binational airshed. By focusing on small
businesses in both countries, greater reductions were possible in the airshed as a whole. The project has achieved
annual measurable reductions in pollution of 7.5 tons of VOCs and 11 tons of PM, and 320 pounds of aluminum have
been recycled through the air atomization gun exchange.
This project highlights how border cities that share a common airshed can work together to achieve emissions
reductions that positively affect both sides of the border. It also demonstrates how the Border 2012 process can link
with different partners and the private sector to address environmental issues on both sides of the border.
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Resource
Technology • Strategy • Financing
'artnershi-i
Waste-Based Biodiesel: Altering
Present Use and Disposition of
Waste Vegetable Oil and Grease
Community Mobilization
yl community project removes cooking oil and grease from the waste stream to produce a cleaner fuel and a
cleansing soap.
Key Points
• Waste vegetable oil and grease can be used to produce biodiesel and soap.
• Biodiesel is an EPA-approved alternative fuel, which carries an ASTM International standard and may be
blended with petroleum-based diesels and used directly in diesel engines with little or no retrofitting.
• The use of biodiesel, either alone or in a mixture with petroleum diesel, reduces negative emissions such as
particulate matter and carbon monoxide by at least 10 percent.
• Sufficient waste vegetable oil and grease is generated in cafeterias and restaurants on both sides of the
Arizona-Sonora border and in maquiladoras in Sonora to produce at least 1,300 gallons of finished biodiesel
per month.
• This project provides a model for municipalities on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border for how a waste/
regulatory problem can be turned into an economically viable industry with positive environmental benefits.
• The project demonstrates the importance of involving a range of partners—community organizations, higher
education, the private sector, local government, Border 2012, and others—to address local transborder
environmental issues.
Background
The Municipality of Nogales, Sonora, is served
by a binational wastewater conveyance system that
forwards waste to the Nogales International Waste-
water Treatment Plant in Rio Rico, Arizona. Water
quality sampling at both the primary binational
outfall as well as within the Nogales (Sonora]
collection system indicated that waste vegetable oil
and grease was a problem for plant maintenance
and was leading to sewer clogs and overflows.
Ambos Nogales also is negatively affected
by poor air quality. Both Nogales, Arizona, and
Nogales, Sonora, regularly violate the national
ambient air quality standards of their respective
countries. Particulate matter (PM) is the primary
cause of those violations and has been identified as
a key factor in respiratory illness and as an asthma
trigger in both communities.
Diesel fuel, which consists of a complex
mixture of engine oils and organic and inorganic
materials, is a major contributor to PM emissions.
Diesel emissions adversely affect respiratory func-
tion. According to EPA, a 20 percent blend of
biodiesel to petroleum diesel (referred to as B20]
can reduce PM by 10.1 percent, hydrocarbons
by 21.1 percent, and carbon monoxide by 11.0
percent while also reducing sulfate emissions.
Through a relatively simple transesterification
production process, waste vegetable oil and grease
can be converted to biodiesel and glycerin. Glycerin,
which is a byproduct of the production process,
is a non-hazardous substance that can be made
into soap or composted. The harvesting of waste
vegetable oil feedstock for biodiesel production
does not contribute significantly to greenhouse gas
emissions and does not compete with food crops.
In addition, the production of biodiesel from waste
Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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materials is economically competitive relative to
its production from agricultural feedstocks, and
the byproducts of biodiesel production are non-
hazardous and have economic value.
Approach
The Biodiesel Capacity Building and Demon-
stration Project in Ambos Nogales was designed
and implemented to address both air and water
quality concerns in Ambos Nogales (Nogales,
Sonora, and Nogales and Rio Rico, Arizona) by
developing the capacity for the production and
use of biodiesel in these border communities. The
goal of the project was to establish and oper-
ate facilities for small-scale biodiesel production
and testing on both sides of the Arizona-Sonora
border. It was initiated in the fall of 2004 when
the Arizona Department of Environmental
Quality (ADEQ) Air Outreach Coordinator
recruited a group of students from a graduate
course in applied environmental anthropology at
the University of Arizona (UA) to carry out an
initial investigation of the feasibility of biodiesel
production in Nogales, Sonora. As part of their
study, the students established relationships with
other ADEQ staff members and a professor and
students from Institute Tecnologico de Nogales
(ITN). As part of their semester project, the
UA students worked with the ITN professor to
conduct surveys at restaurants in Nogales, Sonora,
and organized a workshop on biodiesel production
for the ITN students. The following semester, two
students from the ITN class continued the investi-
gation of biodiesel as their student project and, for
their thesis, demonstrated that they could produce
biodiesel in small quantities. A third ITN student
expanded the study and began laying the ground-
work for a campus biodiesel laboratory.
The success of the initial efforts led the faculty
and students to work with members of the Ambos
Nogales Air Quality Task Force to develop a pro-
posal to advance the biodiesel project in Ambos
Nogales for the Border 2012 program. A parallel
effort had been initiated by the ADEQ Border
Program hydrologist to work with the Rio Rico
Fire Chief to develop a project that would remove
waste vegetable oil and grease from the Nogales
wastewater conveyance system. The two groups
were encouraged to work together to develop a
more comprehensive initiative for Ambos Nogales.
Thus began a multi-year effort to address both air
and water quality issues through the conversion of
waste vegetable oil and grease to biodiesel.
Developing and Maintaining Partnerships
The effort to bring the diverse group of
organizations and individuals together to develop
the Biodiesel Project began with a series of
face-to-face meetings, phone calls, and electronic
exchanges of documents and information, all of
which took place during a period of 11 months.
The project team grew to include high school
students working through the Southeast Arizona
Area Health Education Center (SEAHEC) Health
Career Clubs in Arizona, fire fighters in Sonora,
and a private company that operated on both sides
of the border. The Asociacion de Profesionales
en Seguridad y Ambiente (APSA) assisted by
recruiting maquiladoras and managing the grant
funds for the Sonoran partners. The Public Safety
Association of Santa Cruz County and the Pima
County Association of Governments Clean Cities
Coalition were included to help with education
and outreach efforts.
The Biodiesel Project team was awarded a
Border 2012 grant during the first quarter of 2006.
Due to challenges in contracting and subcontract-
ing, learning to work with a new international
bureaucracy, and changes in stakeholder partici-
pation, project funding was delayed. Regardless,
participants from educational institutions contin-
ued to pursue at least some of the project goals
without external funding. By incorporating the
project in their courses, internships, and clubs,
students were able to coordinate workshops on
the process of converting cooking oil and grease to
biodiesel. They also developed a survey of restau-
rants, institutional cafeterias, and maquiladoras to
characterize waste vegetable oil sources and infor-
mation regarding the final disposition of this waste
material. Through the participation of 50 students,
surveys were completed by the winter of 2007
and results were presented at schools and universi-
ties and in local, regional, and national conferences.
During this time, ADEQ developed a manual
outlining equipment needs and steps required
for producing biodiesel from waste vegetable oil.
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ADEQ engaged the BECC for translation of the
manual to Spanish so that it could be shared
with stakeholders in Sonora. In addition, ADEQ
engaged commercial and nonprofit entities in
Arizona to coordinate donations of laboratory and
biodiesel-rendering equipment in support of the
project objectives. With ADEQ's support and gen-
erous donations from Turner Laboratories, Friends
of the Santa Cruz River, and Alcoa Fastening
Systems, a biodiesel rendering facility and labora-
tory was established at ITN prior to the release of
any Border 2012 funding.
ITN Biodiesel Rendering Facility.
By the fall of 2007, Border 2012 funds had
been released. In response, ITN hired a chemist
to serve as the laboratory manager responsible
for implementing additional renovations to the
ITN laboratory and biodiesel rendering facility.
Faculty and students began producing soap from
the residual glycerin generated by the process. The
Rio Rico Fire District (RRFD) also initiated con-
struction of its own biodiesel rendering facility in
Arizona. The project partners completed maps of
local producers of waste vegetable oil and grease,
and continued to compile data about the quality
and quantity of the waste.
By the fall of 2008, the project participants
from the RRFD had completed construction of
a facility to produce biodiesel. Through training
provided by ADEQ, RRFD produced its first
test batch in November 2008. The ITN faculty
and students produced sufficient quantities of
biodiesel to use in the school's bus in a 20 percent
blend and also conducted training sessions for
the Nogales, Sonora, fire fighters in anticipation
of future construction of an additional biodiesel
rendering facility in Sonora.
The partners are working on a strategy to
expand the production and use of biodiesel within
the broader Ambos Nogales region. The project
may be further sustained through the marketing
and sale of products such as bearing grease and
glycerin soap produced from the residual glycerin.
In addition, in response to requests from others,
both in Nogales and in other border communities,
representatives from ADEQ and ITN are seeking
support to develop outreach materials such as
manuals, a bibliography, and a training program.
Efficient Use of Material Resources
University and high school students from both
sides of the Arizona-Sonora border surveyed res-
taurants and cafeterias. The Sonoran students also
surveyed maquiladoras. Their findings reflected
differences based on the size of the respective
communities, the presence of large numbers of
maquiladoras, and the existing infrastructure for
collecting waste cooking oil and grease. In addi-
tion, the amount of waste oil reported to be
disposed of per week varied considerably from one
entity to the next.
Still, the results indicated that sufficient waste
vegetable oil and grease exist on both sides of the
border to produce biodiesel. In both communities,
the local restaurants and maquiladoras overwhelm-
ingly supported the project, especially those in
Sonora that had limited options for waste disposal.
Although the Biodiesel Project has yet to
develop a formal mechanism for collecting waste
oil and grease, several maquiladoras, restaurants,
and a cafeteria have donated their waste to the
ITN laboratory. ITN students fulfilling their social
service requirements are responsible for collect-
ing and transporting waste oil and grease to the
school's laboratory. Currently, they use a faculty
member's personal vehicle, but are seeking a small
diesel pickup for this purpose. ITN is scheduled
to receive additional EPA funding to develop an
industrial-scale biodiesel rendering facility on its
campus and has donated a 1,000 square foot area
in-kind for this purpose.
Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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Maquiladora donations of used oil and grease in 5 gallon
carboys for biodiesel production.
Conclusions
In addition to the benefits of converting waste
vegetable oil and grease to biodiesel to help
protect infrastructure and water quality resources
from the impacts of improper waste disposal and
reduce negative diesel emissions, the process also
can help offset CO2 emissions. ITN students found
that Sonoran maquiladoras generate approximately
400 gallons of waste oil and grease per week. This
waste stream alone can generate at least 1,300
gallons of finished biodiesel per month for use
in municipal diesel vehicles and industrial diesel
equipment. Assuming 1 gallon of petroleum diesel
generates 22.2 Ibs of CO2 emissions1, ITN's facility
could potentially offset 175 tons of CO2 emissions
per year that would otherwise be released through
fossil fuel sources. Similar benefits could result
when the RRFD in Arizona brings its biodiesel
program fully on line. •
Refen
1. U.S. EPA Overview: Pollutants and Programs, "Emis-
sion Facts: Average Carbon Dioxide Emissions Resulting
from Gasoline and Diesel Fuel," http://www.epa.gov/otaq/
climate/4 20fO 5001 .htm.
POINTS TO CONSIDER
The Biodiesel Project was particularly successful in capturing and utilizing resources to achieve results. Academic partners,
especially students, were key to keeping the project moving forward in the absence of financial resources. By linking
the project to specific academic goals of the participating institutions, the leaders were able to extend its reach into the
community.
The production of biodiesel from waste oil and grease can be distinguished from other alternatives because it is a process of
recycling rather than producing new oil from plants or algae. Using recycled oils offers environmental benefits over using raw
crops for biodiesel because it does not involve clearing of forests, use of pesticides, irrigation, or long-distance shipping.
The Biodiesel Project illustrates how border communities have successfully applied existing technologies in innovative
ways to improve the border environment and, in doing so, have developed a valuable, local institutional knowledge base. To
ensure that these innovative technologies are adopted and extended throughout the region, successful project stakeholders
should be supported in development of formal training and outreach capabilities, and linked to a mechanism for information
dissemination and capacity building.
Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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Appendices
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GLOSSARY OF ACRONYMS
ADEQ Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
AMIGO Arizona-Mexico International Green Organization
APSA Asociacion de Profesionales en Seguridad y Ambiente
BECC Border Environment Cooperation Commission
BIA Bureau of Indian Affairs
BLM Border Liaison Mechanism
BN Bomberos de Nogales
BOD Biological Oxygen Demand
CARE Community Action for a Renewed Environment
CASA Community Assist of Southern Arizona
CCDS Consejos Consultivos para el Desarrollo Sustenable
CIAP Coastal Impact Assistance Program
CO Carbon Monoxide
CRP Community-based Restoration Program
DO Dissolved Oxygen
EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
EPE El Paso Electric Company
EPWU El Paso Water Utilities
FACA Federal Advisory Committee Act
FEMAP Federacion Mexicana de Asociaciones Privadas
FOSCR Friends of the Santa Cruz River
GIS Geographic Information System
GPS Global Positioning System
HVLP High Volume Low Pressure
IBEP Integrated Border Environmental Plan
IBWC International Boundary and Water Commission
ITN Institute Tecnologico de Nogales
JAC Joint Advisory Committee for the Improvement of Air Quality in the Paso del Norte
Air Basin
LASPAU Latin American Scholarship Program of American Universities
NADB North American Development Bank
NAFTA North American Free Trade Agreement
NGO Non-Governmental Organization
NMED New Mexico Environment Department
NMSU New Mexico State University
NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
OCEM Office of Cooperative Environmental Management
P2 Pollution Prevention
PM Particulate Matter
RRFD Rio Rico Fire District
SBRP Superfund Basic Research Program
SBWAP Tucson/Pima County Household Hazardous Waste Program-Small Business Waste
Assistance Program
SCERP Southwest Consortium for Environmental Research and Policy
SEAHEC Southeast Arizona Area Health Education Center
SEMARNAT Secretaria de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales
SERI Sonora Environmental Research Institute, Inc.
TCEQ Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
TFD Tucson Fire Department
TL Turner Laboratories
TSS Total Suspended Solids
UA University of Arizona
UACJ Universidad Autonoma de Ciudad Juarez
USFWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
VOC Volatile Organic Compound
Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
51
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NEB
Environmental Advisors Across Borders
GOOD NEIGHBOR
ENVIRONMENTAL BOARD
Presidential advisory committee on
environmental and infrastructure issues
along the U.S. border with Mexico
Chair
Paul Ganster, Ph.D.
Telephone: (619) 594-5423
E-mail: ganster@mail.sdsu.edu
Acting Designated Federal Officer
Lorena Cedeno-Zambrano
Telephone: (202) 566-0978
www.epa.gov/ocem/gneb
E-mail: cedeno-zambrano.lorena@epa.gov
August 12, 2008
President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20006
Dear Mr. President:
As your federal advisory committee on environmental and infrastructure issues along the U.S. border with
Mexico, we write to express our continued concern over the inability of emergency responders to cross the
border quickly to provide assistance. This issue has been complicated by the new Western Hemisphere Travel
Initiative (WHTI) requirements that U.S. citizens provide proof of citizenship upon re-entry into the United
States.
Although we are as concerned as you over the physical and economic security of the nation, we are all too
aware that many emergency situations on the border require immediate response and/or assistance from
one side of the border to the other. While this situation presents many challenges, some of which we have
communicated to you previously in our Tenth and Eleventh reports, we believe documentation requirements
merit review to ensure that this does not hinder emergency responders from assisting their neighbors on the
other side of the border.
We are aware that the Environmental Protection Agency is currently working with other federal agencies
in the United States and Mexico to find ways to address various issues, such as liability, that are related to
the crossing of equipment into Mexico. We also understand, as it was communicated to us earlier this year
by Chairman James Connaughton of the Council on Environmental Quality, that through the Security and
Prosperity Partnership there is a commitment to better manage the movements of emergency responders
across shared borders during and following an emergency.
In spite of these efforts, we see the need for prompt action and thus request that the administration find
ways to help local and state responders on the border comply with WHTI without creating undue crossing
delays or financial burdens for their members. In many instances, such as in Presidio, Texas, the fire depart-
ment is comprised totally of volunteer firefighters and their participation in assisting binational communities
is to be encouraged.
Some recommendations that we present in our advisory capacity include:
• That the Departments of Homeland Security and State work with local authorities and emergency
responders in the counties bordering Mexico to expedite processing of their Passport or PASS card
applications.
52
Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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• That the PASS card application fee be waived for members of emergency responder units in all U.S.
counties bordering Mexico.
• That Customs and Border Protection work with local responders at each border Port of Entry to cre-
ate a registry of the members of any responder team that might cross the border. The registry would
allow registered emergency responders to return to the United States without their passports. The
focus should be on ensuring responders have their equipment and can cross expeditiously not on their
documents.
• That in communities with SENTRI lanes, such as San Diego, Nogales, El Paso, Laredo, and Brownsville,
emergency vehicles that cross the border be permitted to use these lanes to allow the fastest possible
re-entry into the United States and return to their point of origin.
We know that in some cases local border leaders have taken the initiative to establish arrangements similar
to those we recommend above. However, as stated in our Eleventh report, emergency response should not
be left to ad hoc needs evaluations but should have integrated response management systems so that we are
better prepared for the next disaster. Public health, lives, property, and natural resources are at stake.
We appreciate the opportunity to provide you with advice on this very important policy issue and thank
you for the consideration that you give it. We would be happy to meet with your advisors and discuss the
Board's views in more detail.
Respectfully,
Paul Ganster
NOTE: Good Neighbor Environmental Board representatives from Federal Departments and Agencies have
recused their organizations from this Comment Letter.
cc: The Honorable Dick Cheney The Honorable Stephen L. Johnson
The Vice President of the United States Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi The Honorable Condoleezza Rice
Speaker, House of Representatives Secretary, Department of State
The Honorable James Connaughton The Honorable Michael Chertoff
Chairman, Council on Environmental Quality Secretary, Department of Homeland Security
Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems 53
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Key Partners and Contact Information for Case Studies
Waste to Resource: Fibrous Concrete as an
Alternative to LandfiUing and Burning Paper
Key Partners
• A.J. Mitchell Elementary School, Nogales, Arizona
• Alcatel-Lucent, S.A. de C.V., Nogales, Sonora
• Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, Office
of Border Environment Protection, Tucson, Arizona
• Asociacion de Profesionales en Seguridad y Ambiente,
A.C., Nogales, Sonora
• Center for Alternative Building Studies, Tempe, Arizona
• Centro de Estudios Tecnologicos Industrial y de Servi-
cios N. 128, Nogales, Sonora
• Colegio Nacional de Educacion Profesional Tecnica,
Nogales, Sonora
• Desert Shadows Middle School, Nogales, Arizona
• Edinosa (Edificacion Integral del Noroeste, S.A. de C.V.),
Nogales, Sonora
• Grupo ConFib de Flores Magon, Nogales, Sonora
• Institute Tecnologico de Nogales
• Kyrco, S.A. de C.V., Nogales, Sonora
• Maquiladora Association of Sonora, A.C., Nogales
• Municipality of Nogales, Sonora
• University of Arizona, Bureau of Applied Research in
Anthropology, Tucson, Arizona
Contact Information
Diane Austin
Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Telephone: 520-626-3879
E-mail: daustin@u.arizona.edu
Les Harris
Alcatel-Lucent, S.A. de C.V.
Nogales, Sonora
Telephone: 520-281-1101
E-mail: les.harris@alcat el-lucent .com
Francisco Trujillo
Frente Civico Nogalense
Nogales, Sonora
Telephone: 631-313-2076 (Mexico); 520-303-4360 (U.S.)
E-mail: kikol022@prodigynet.mx
Scrap Tire Cleanup in the Border Region
Key Partners
• New Mexico-Chihuahua Rural Task Force
• ProNatura NE
• Municipality of Ascension, Chihuahua
• Presidencia Seccional de Palomas, Chihuahua
• Luna County Road Department
• City of Deming
• Municipality of Ciudad Juarez
• Secondary schools in Palomas and Ascension
• New Mexico Department of Transportation
New Mexico Environment Department
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
SEMARNAT- Chihuahua
EPA El Paso Border Office
New Mexico State University
Universidad Autonoma de Ciudad Juarez, Centro de
Information Geografica
Cementos de Chihuahua Samalayuca Plant
Rubber Manufacturers Association
TAG Associates
U.S.-Mexico Scrap Tire Management Initiative
Contact Information
Allyson Siwik, U.S. Co-Leader
Border 2012 New Mexico-Chihuahua Rural Task Force
Telephone: 575-388-4350
E-mail: asiwik@zianet.com
Celso Jaquez, Mexican Co-Leader
Border 2012 New Mexico-Chihuahua Rural Task Force
Telephone: 636-693-5180
E-mail: cesdejanos@yahoo.com
Toni Duggan
New Mexico Environment Department
Solid Waste Bureau
Telephone: 505-827-0559
E-mail: toni.duggan@state.nm.us
Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination Plant
Key Partners
• El Paso Water Utilities (EPWU)
• Fort Bliss, U.S. Army
• Ciudad Juarez Junta Municipal de Agua y Saneamiento
• University of Texas at El Paso
Contact Information
Art Ruiz
Desalination Plant Superintendent
Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination Plant
El Paso, Texas
Telephone: 915-621-2051
Fax: 915-621-2056
E-mail: aruiz@epwu.org
Christina Montoya
Vice President, Communications & Marketing
EPWU
El Paso, Texas
Telephone: 915-594-5596
E-mail: cmontoya@EPWU.org
54
Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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Key Partners and Contact Information for Case Studies (continued)
The Brawley and Imperial Wetlands in the Imperial
Valley California
Key Partners
• Citizen's Congressional Task Force on the New River
• Desert Wildlife Unlimited
• Imperial Irrigation District
• U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
• Imperial County
• California Regional Water Quality Control Board
• California Department of Fish and Game
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• U.S. Geological Survey
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Salton Sea Authority
• San Diego State University
Contact Information
Leon Lesicka
Water Resource Coordinator
Desert Wildlife Unlimited
Brawley California
Telephone: 760-344-2793
Becky J. Blasius-Wert
Lower Colorado Region
Bureau of Reclamation
Boulder City Nevada
Telephone: 702-293-8109
Fax: 702-293-8146
E-mail: bblasius@lc.usbr.gov
Steve Charlton
Imperial Irrigation District
Telephone: 760-339-9143
E-mail: scharlton@iid.com
Web site: www.newriverwetlands.com
The Bahia Grande: Achieving Multiple Environ-
mental Benefits Through Wetland Restoration
Key Partners
• NOAA Restoration Center
• Gulf of Mexico Foundation
• Ocean Trust
• Texas A&M Kingsville Kika de la Garza Plant Material
Center
• U.S. Fish & Wildlife South Texas Refuge Complex
• Laguna Atascosa Nacional Wildlife Refuge
• Marco Sales
• Episcopal Day School
• University of Brownsville/Texas Southmost College
• JASON Project
• Coastal Conservation Association Texas
• Brownsville/Port Isabel Shrimp Association
• AEP Texas
• Coastal Navigation Districts
Contact Information
John Wood, Commissioner Pet. 2
Cameron County
Brownsville, Texas
Telephone: 956-983-5091
Fax: 956-983-5090
E-mail: jwood@co.cameron.tx.us
The Campo Kumeyaay Wind Project
Key Partners
• Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of Interior
• Campo Kumeyaay Nation
• General Electric Energy Financial Services
• Sempra Energy
• Superior Renewable Energy LLC, which was purchased
by Babcock and Brown Renewable Holdings, Inc., in
2006
Contact Information
Mike L. Connolly
Campo Kumeyaay Nation
Campo, California
Telephone: 619-478-2177/619-478-2367
E-mail: tipaay@aol.com
Transboundary Emissions Trading in the Paso del
None Area
Key Partners
State of Texas, TCEQ
El Paso Electric Company (EPE)
New Mexico State University
Southwest Consortium for Environmental Research and
Policy (SCERP)
Brick kiln owners
FEMAP
SEMARNAT
Municipality of Ciudad Juarez
Contact Information
Victor Valenzuela
Border Affairs
TCEQ El Paso Regional Office
Telephone: 915-834-4977
E-mail: vvalenzu@tceq.state.tx.us
Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
55
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Key Partners and Contact Information for Case Studies (continued)
Community Assist of Southern Arizona (CASA):
Promotora Business Visit Program
Key Partners
• Sonora Environmental Research Institute, Inc. (SERI)
• University of Arizona - Department of Atmospheric
Sciences, U.S.-Mexico Binational Center for Environ-
mental Sciences and Toxicology and Superfund Basic
Research Program
• Tucson Fire Department Business Assistance Program
• Tucson/Pima County Household Hazardous Waste
Program - Small Business Assistance Program
Contact Information
Ann Marie Wolf
SERI
Telephone: 520-321-9488
E-mail: aawolf@seriaz.org
Deputy Chief Dan Uthe
Tucson Fire Department
Telephone: 520-791-5630
E-mail: Dan.Uthe@tucsonaz.gov
Dr. Eric Betterton
University of Arizona
Department of Atmospheric Sciences
Telephone: 520-621-6831
E-mail: betterton@atmo.arizona.edu
Frank Bonillas
Small Business Waste Assistance Program
Telephone: 520-791-4503
E-mail: frank.bonillas@tucsonaz.gov
Waste-Based BiodieseL- Altering Present Use and
Disposition of Waste Vegetable Oil and Grease
Key Partners
• Rio Rico Fire District (RRFD)
• Institute Tecnologico de Nogales (ITN)
• Bomberos de Nogales (BN)
• Southeast Arizona Area Health Education Center
(SEAHEC)
• University of Arizona (UA)
• Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
(ADEQ)
• Asociacion de Profesionales en Seguridad y Ambiente
(APSA)
• Border Environment Cooperation Commission
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region IX (EPA)
Additional thanks to: Friends of the Santa Cruz River
(FOSCR), Turner Laboratories (TL), Alcoa Fastening
Systems, and Pima Association of Governments-Clean
Cities Coalition.
Contact Information
Mike Foster
Public Safety Association of Santa Cruz County
Telephone: 520-281-8421
Fax: 520-281-7670
E-mail: mfoster@rioricofire.org
Irma Fragoso
Institute Tecnologico de Nogales
Telephone (dialed from the U.S.):
E-mail: irmafrag@hotmail.com
011-52-631-311-1870
Diane Austin
Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology
University of Arizona
Telephone: 520-626-3879
Telephone: 520-621-6282
Fax: 520-621-9608
E-mail: daustin@u.arizona.edu
Hans Huth
Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
Office of Border Environmental Protection
Telephone: 520-628-6711
E-mail: huth.hans@azdeq.gov
56
Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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Membership Roster and Resource Specialists - 2008 Membership Roster
Note: Following listing includes all those who served on the Board during the calendar year 2008. Asterisk (*) indicates deceased.
NONGOVERNMENTAL, STATE, LOCAL,
TRIBAL MEMBERS
Paul Ganster, Ph.D., Chair
Director
Institute for Regional Studies of the Californias
Associate Director, International Programs
San Diego State University
5500 Campanile Drive, A&L 377
San Diego, CA 92182-4403
E-mail: fganster@mail.sdsu.edu
Jerry C. Agan
Presidio County Judge
P.O. Box 606
Marfa, TX 79843
E-mail: eljue2@sbcglobal.net
Diane Austin, Ph.D.
Associate Research Anthropologist
University of Arizona
Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology
316 Anthropology Building
P.O. Box 210030
Tucson, AZ 85721-0030
E-mail: daustin@email.arizona.edu
Christopher P. Brown, Ph.D
Associate Professor of Geography
Director of the Spatial Applications Research Center
Department of Geography, MSC MAP
New Mexico State University
P.O. Box 30001
Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001
E-mail: brownchr@nmsu.edu
Mike L. Connolly
Campo Kumeyaay Nation
1600 Buckman Springs Road
Campo, CA 91908
E-mail: tifaay@aol.com
Michael P. Dorsey
Chief
Community Health Division
County of San Diego
San Diego Department of Environmental Health
9325 Hazard Way
San Diego, CA 92123-1217
E-mail: michael. dorsey@sdcounty. ca.gov
Edward Elbrock
Malpai Borderlands Group
P.O. Box 25
Animas, NM 88020
E-mail: elbrock@vtc.net
Gary Gillen
President
Gillen Pest Control
1012 Morton Street
Richmond, TX 77469
E-mail: gary@gillenfestcontrol.com
Susan Keith
Director
Southern Regional Operations
Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
400 W Congress, Suite 433
Tucson, AZ 85701
E-mail: sjk@azdeq.gov
Patti Krebs
Executive Director
Industrial Environmental Association
701 B Street, Suite 1040
San Diego, CA 92101
E-mail: iea@iea.sdcoxmail.com
Rosario Marin
Secretary
California State Consumer Services Agency
915 Capitol Mall, Suite 200
Sacramento, CA 95814
E-mail: rosario.marin@scsa.ca.gov
Stephen M. Niemeyer, P.E.
Border Affairs Manager
Intergovernmental Relations
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
MC-121, P.O. Box 13087
Austin, TX 78711-3087
E-mail: sniemeye@tceq.state.tx.us
Luis E. Ramirez Thomas, M.S.F.S.
President
Ramirez Advisors Inter-National
20118 N 67th Avenue, Suite 300-171
Glendale, AZ 85308
E-mail: ramirezadvisors@cox.net
Allyson Siwik
Executive Director
Gila Resources Information Project
305A N Cooper Street
Silver City, NM 88061
E-mail: asiurik@zianet.com
Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
57
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Membership Roster and Resource Specialists - 2008 Membership Roster (continued)
Marissa Stone
Communications Director
New Mexico Environment Department
1190 St. Francis Drive, Suite N4050
Santa Fe; NM 87505
E-mail: marissa.stone@state.nm.us
Ann Marie A. Wolf
President
Sonora Environmental Research Institute, Inc.
3202 E Grant Road
Tucson, AZ 85716
E-mail: aawolf@seriaz.org
John Wood
County Commissioner, Precinct 2
Cameron County
City of Brownsville
1100 E Monroe
Brownsville, TX 78520
E-mail: jwood@co.cameron.tt.us
FEDERAL MEMBERS
Department of Agriculture
Rosendo Trevino III
Special Assistant to the Chief
U.S. Department of Agriculture
5563 De Zavala, Suite 290
San Antonio, TX 78249
E-mail: rosendo.trevino@tx.usda.gov
Department of Health and Human Services
Marilyn DiSirio
Associate Director for Global Health
National Center for Environmental Health
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Road, NE, MS-E97
Atlanta, GA 30333
E-mail: mdisirio@cdc.gov
Department of Homeland Security
Gary Robison
Acting Associate Chief
Office of Border Patrol/Headquarters
Customs and Border Protection
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW,
Suite 6.5 E
Washington, DC 20229
E-mail: gary.robison@dhs.gov
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Shannon H. Sorzano
Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Affairs
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
451 Seventh Street, SW, Room 8112
Washington, DC 20410
E-mail: shannon_h._sorzano@hud.gov
Department of the Interior
Rick Schultz
National Borderland Coordinator
Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20240
E-mail: rick_schultz@ios.doi.gov
Department of State
Daniel D. Darrach
Coordinator
U.S.-Mexico Border Affairs
U.S. Department of State, WHA/MEX
2201 C Street, NW, Room 4258
Washington, DC 20520
E-mail: darrachdd@state.gov
Department of Transportation
Linda L. Lawson
Director
Safety, Energy and the Environment
U.S. Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Room W84310
Washington, DC 20590
E-mail: linda. lawson@dot.gov
Environmental Protection Agency
Laura Yoshii
Deputy Regional Administrator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Region 9, ORA-1
75 Hawthorne Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
E-mail: yoshii.laura@epa.gov
International Boundary and Water Commission
Carlos Marin n
Commissioner
U.S. Section
International Boundary and Water Commission
4171 NMesa, Suite C-100
El Paso, TX 79902
E-mail: carlosmarin@ibwc.state.gov
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Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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Membership Roster and Resource Specialists - 2008 Membership Roster (continued)
DESIGNATED FEDERAL OFFICER
Mark Joyce
Designated Federal Officer
Good Neighbor Environmental Board
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Cooperative Environmental Management
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Mail Code: 1601-M
Washington, DC 20460
E-mail: joyce.mark@epa.gov
RESOURCE SPECIALISTS
[non-Board members who work closely with the Board)
Federal Agency Alternates
Andrew R. Slaten
Deputy Director
Office of International Affairs
Federal Emergency Management Agency
500 C Street, SW
Washington, DC 20472
E-mail: andrew.slaten@dhs.gov
Tina Forrester, Ph.D.
Division of Regional Operations
National Center for Environmental Health
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Road, NE, MS-E97
Atlanta, GA 30333
E-mail: txf5@cdc.gov
Sylvia Grijalva
U.S.-Mexico Border Planning Coordinator
Federal Highway Administration
U.S. Department of Transportation
4000 N Central Avenue, Suite 1500
Phoenix, AZ 85012
E-mail: sylvia.grijalva@dot.gov
Rafael Guerrero
Natural Resource Manager
Natural Resources Conservation Service
U.S. Department of Agriculture
501 W Felix
Building 23
Fort Worth, TX 76115
E-mail: rafael.guerrero@ftw.usda.gov
Christina Machion Quilaqueo
Program Analyst
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
451 Seventh Street, SW, Room 8112
Washington, DC 20410
E-mail: christina.machionquilaqueo@hud.gov
Enrique Manzanilla
Director
Communities and Ecosystems Division
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Region 9
75 Hawthorne Street (CED-1)
San Francisco, CA 94105
E-mail: manzanilla. enrique@efa.gov
Sally Spener
Public Affairs Officer
International Boundary and Water Commission
4171 NMesa, Suite C-100
El Paso, TX 79902
E-mail: sallysfener@ibwc.gov
Elizabeth "Liz" Wolfson
Office of Mexican Affairs
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW, Room 3909-HST
Washington, DC 20520
E-mail: wolfsonem2@state.gov
EPA Regional Office Contacts
REGION 9
Alhell Banos-Keener
U.S.-Mexico Border Specialist
Region 9
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
610 W Ash Street, Suite 905
San Diego, CA 92101
E-mail: banos.alheli@epa.gov
REGION 9 BORDER OFFICE
Jose Francisco Garcia
U.S.-Mexico Border Program Coordinator
Region 9
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
75 Hawthorne Street, CED-1
San Francisco, CA 94105
E-mail: garcia.jose@efa.gov
REGION 6
Gina Weber
U.S.-Mexico Border Program Coordinator
Region 6
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1445 Ross Avenue, 12th Floor
Dallas, TX 75202-2733
E-mail: weber.gina@efa.gov
REGION 6 BORDER OFFICE
Carlos Rincon, Ph.D.
Border Office Director
Region 6
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
4050 Rio Bravo, Suite 100
El Paso, TX 79902
E-mail: rincon.carlos@efa.gov
Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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Note of Thanks
In addition to those listed in the 2008 Membership Roster—which includes Board Members, Federal Agency Alternates,
and EPA Regional Office Contacts—the following individuals also provided valuable contributions to the preparation of
the Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report:
Alcatel-Lucent - Cesar Contreras, Les Harris; Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, Office of Border Envi-
ronmental Protection - Hans Huth, Edna Mendoza; CETYS University, Ensenada - Isaac Azuz; CETYS University,
Mexicali - Marco Antonio Carrillo, Martin Martinez Gastelum; Citizen's Congressional Task Force, New River Wetlands
Project - Marie Barrett; County of Imperial, California - Victor Carrillo, Brad Poiriez; Instituto Tecnologico de Nogales
- Irma Fragoso, Veronica Gil Delgado; Palo. Band of Mission Indians - Lenore Volturno; San Diego State University
- Kimberly Collins, Alan Sweedler; San Diego State University Imperial Valley Campus - Steven Roeder; Southwest
Center for Environmental Research and Policy - Devon Howard; Texas A&M Cooperative Extension - Tony Riesinger;
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality - Pamela Aguirre, Camielle Compton, Shannon Herriott, Melinda Torres,
Victor Valenzuela; U.S. Department of Transportation - Paul Moinester; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Lisa
Almodovar; U.S. Geological Survey - Christopher Brown; University of Texas at Brownsville - Elizabeth Heise; Univer-
sity of Texas at El Paso - Bob Currey
Photograph Credits
The following individuals and organizations provided photographs and other graphics for the Twelfth Report. We thank
them for their assistance and generosity.
Alcatel-Lucent - Les Harris and Cesar Contreras;
Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, Office of Border Environmental Protection - Hans J. Huth;
Cameron County, Texas - Commissioner John Wood;
CETYS Universidad - Elba Santaella;
El Paso Water Utilities Department - Gretchen K. Byram;
International Boundary and Water Commission;
New Mexico Environment Department - Marissa Stone and George W Akeley, Jr.;
New River Wetlands Project - Marie Barrett;
San Diego State University - Paul Ganster;
Sonora Environmental Research Institute, Inc. - Ann Marie Wolf;
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality - Pamela Aguirre and Camielle Compton;
University of Arizona - Diane Austin and Carolyn Lipnick;
U.S.-Mexico Border 2012 Program, New Mexico-Chihuahua Rural Task Force - Allyson Siwik.
60 Good Neighbor Environmental Board Twelfth Report Innovative and Practical Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems
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