EPA-909-N-05-003
Cal/EPA
BORDER 2012: U.S. - MEXICO ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAM
REGIONAL WORKGROnP NEWSLETTER
California/Baja California
Fall 2005
California/Baja California Regional Workgroup
by Editing Committee
California/Baja California Regional Workgroup is committed to
informing the public about Border 2012 activities and progress
in our section of the U.S.-Mexico border. This newsletter provides rea-
ders with information regarding environmental work being done for or
near their communities. It also contains specific contacts for the seven
task forces that were created under the Workgroup. We encourage you
to become an active participant in any that interest you. We hope to
continue to serve our communities on both sides of the border with
information that is important to them, through this publication and the
Border 2012 Program website, www.epa.gov/usmexicoborder. If you have
additional questions or suggestions for future editions of this newslet-
ter, please feel free to contact us at 1-800-334-0741 (EPA San Diego
Border Off ice). •
Tijuana Estuary, Baja California, Mexico
BORDER 2012; U.S.-MEXICO ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAM
REGIONAL WORKGROUP NEWSLETTER
California/Baja California
UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
SAN DIEGO BORDER LIAISON OFFICE
610 WEST ASH STREET, SUITE 905
SAN DIEGO CA 92101
CALIFORNIA/BAJA CALIFORNIA REGIONAL WORKGROUP
BORDER PEOPLE: CO-CHAIRS OF THE CALIFORNIA/BAJA CALIFORNIA
REGIONAL WORKGROUP
CALIFORNIA/BAJA CALIFORNIA WATER TASK FORCE
SAN DIEGO-TIJUANA BORDER CLEAN DIESEL DEMONSTRATION
IMPERIAL COUNTY AIR QUALITY AND HEALTH INFORMATION
METALES Y DERIVADOS
HALF-MILLION TIRES GONE AND MORE UNDERWAY!
FARMS WORKER'S CONCERNS
IMPERIAL COUNTY-MEXICALI EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN SIGNED
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE FIELD GUIDE
TRIBAL COMMUNIQUE
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
INDICATORS
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
NATIONAL COORDINATORS MEETING
ACTING LOCALLY
\ TEN STATE ALLIANCE
CONTACT SHEET
OFFICIAL BUSINESS
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2 BAJA CALIFONIA-CALIFORNIA: Regional Workgroup Newsletter
Border People: Co-Chairs of the California/Baja California
Regional Workgroup
In this edition of the California/Baja California Regional Workgroup Newsletter (Fall 2005) we are highlighting the work and prespective of
two co-chairs that administer the workgroup within Border 2012. This will give readers a personal look at two individiuals that are working
to solve environmental challenges that border communities face in the California/Baja California region. We plan to continue these profiles
with stories on the other two Regional Workgroup co-chairs as well as the members and leardersof the workgroup's task forces. •
Enrique Villegas Ibarra
General Directorate of Ecology of the State of Baja California
ry_— in Mexicali, the capital of Baja
ULl I California Norte, he began his work
within the environmental government sec-
tor with an invitation to participate in the
Mexicali City Council, as Coordinator of the
Municipal Ecology Office.
During his time as head of the Municipal
Ecology Office, aside from strengthening this
area of the municipal government, he worked
on improving the environmental protection
rules for the Municipality of Mexicali and
initiated a project for the Municipal Ecological Ordinance. Within environ-
mental education programs, he initiated recycling programs in schools,
where students were urged to recycle paper, plastics and aluminum to
obtain materials that would improve the physical conditions of their school.
In 1998, he became the delegate for Mexican's General Directorate of
Ecology for Baja California, where he maintained his position until he was
promoted as the General Director of the same office in October 2003.
Under this title, he has promoted the modernization of the administrative
office, obtaining the ISO-9001 certification for the services it offers; in
addition to the ecological ordinance of priority regions of the state, progra-
ms and efforts for environmental education; as well as the administration
and sustainable management of natural resources and wildlife of the state
of Baja California.
In terms of environmental border issues, he has promoted and accomplis-
hed efforts to clean up the tire pile sites in Baja California, together with
members of the California-Baja California Regional group of the Border
2012 program. He also facilitated the stabilization efforts of the abando-
ned Metales y Derivados hazardous waste site in the city of Tijuana. He
has worked on transferring the administration of the Baja California air
quality monitoring Network from the United States to Mexico; and streng-
thened the capacity for inspection and surveillance of wastewater dischar-
ges to the drainage systems of Tijuana and Mexicali. •
Laura Yoshii
Deputy Regional Administrator (DRA), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Pacific Southwest Region
laa
Yoshii is the Deputy Regional
Administrator (DRA), U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, Pacific
Southwest Region. As the DRA, Laura has
responsibilities that cover California, Arizona,
Nevada, Hawaii, the Pacific Island Trusts
Territories, Tribal lands, and the U.S.-Mexico
Border area. Laura has been with EPA since
1978. She has carried out various manage-
rial assignments including Director, Waste
Management Division; with responsibility for
RCRA Hazardous Waste, Solid Waste and
Underground Tank programs; Director, Cross Media Division with respon-
sibility for Pesticides and Toxics, Tribal, Outer Pacific Islands, Federal
Facilities, Community-Based and Environmental Justice programs; and
a two-year intergovernmental assignment as a Division Director with the
California Department of Toxic Substances Control. Prior to joining the
U.S. EPA, Ms. Yoshii worked in local government implementing vario-
us social service programs. Laura is one of the four Co-Chairs of the
California/Baja California Regional Workgroup. Within Border 2012, she
has stressed the importance of three principal themes of the program:
• Adopting a Bottom-up Approach - Identifying environmental priorities and
creating environmental solutions to environmental challenges must come
through partnerships with all sectors of society along the border.
• Environmental Results - Creating projects that lead to solid improve-
ments in the environment and public health.
• Leveraging of Resources-No agency can do it alone. The solutions to
environmental challenges are not only in the hands of the environmental
agencies, but must be shared and combined with other entities to support
and expand the work being done in the border region.
Laura fully supports Border 2012 and hopes to continue to foster com-
munication with border stakeholders as well as to develop environmental
indicators to measure progress toward a safer and healthier environment
for this region. •
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Taskforce/Media Updates
CA-BC Water Task Force
By Katherine Comer, IRSC
Tijuana River Watershed, formed in 2004,
helps to devise strategies and options for the
Binational Vision for the watershed approved
by stakeholders in 2005 to meet Border 2012
goals and objectives. Because the Vision uses
a holistic approach to watershed sustainability,
the Task Force recognizes that improving water
quality cannot be achieved without simul-
taneously addressing other issues, such as
water quantity, ecosystems and natural resour-
ces, waste, air, and socioeconomic issues.
Therefore, the Task Force has decided to
subdivide into local subgroups to better tackle
specific topics. The Ecology Subgroup has met
twice and is forming
tional network of sci
Two projects from th
Task Force have bee
by Border 2012: the
Canyon sedimentati
project, and water q
ting on indigenous I
co-chairs are Elsa Sa
Laura Silvan. The Tas
looks forward to sup
more on-the-ground
initiated by the Subg
Tijuana Estuary with Goat Canyon and Spooners Mesa in the Background.
SAN DIEGO/TIJUANA BORDER CLEAN
DIESEL DEMONSTRATION PROJECT
By Domingo Vigil, APCD
PROJECT OVERVIEW
The U.S.-Mexico Border Clean Diesel
Demonstration Project is a U.S. EPA-funded
scoping study initiated in 2005 to evaluate the
costs and effectiveness of emission control
retrofit technologies on Mexican heavy-duty
diesel vehicles operating in the San Diego
County-Tijuana border region. Upon completion
of the scoping study, up to 30 Mexico-domiciled
heavy-duty diesel trucks operating in the border
region will be retrofitted with appropriate emis-
sion controls—such as diesel oxidation catalysts
or diesel particulate filters in conjunction with
ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel—to demonstrate their
viability under Mexican operating conditions.
Demonstrating successful, cost-effective appro-
aches to reducing air pollution from Mexican
heavy-duty diesel vehicles will help build a
market for cleaner diesel engines in the border
region and provide an important tool for Mexico
as it begins similar cleaner diesel projects.
The project is administered by the San Diego
County Air Pollution Control District (APCD)
and modeled after similar projects elsewhere in
California. Because of the international structure
of the project, it is first necessary to develop a
scoping study (Phase 1 of the project) to draw
together U.S. and Mexican stakeholders, evalua-
te potential fleets, and tailor appropriate retrofit
technologies, fuel sources, and emission testing
protocols. APCD will work in close collaboration
with U.S. and Mexican partners to identify ways
to overcome any structural, organizational, or
technical challenges that may arise in imple-
menting a project to reduce emissions from
Mexican fleets operating in the border region.
The Border 2012 San Diego-Tijuana Air Quality
Task Force serves as an Advisory Committee for
the project.
The project is consistent with the West Coast
Diesel Emissions Reductions Collaborative, an
international partnership among government
agencies, the private sector, and environmental
groups in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada to redu-
ce diesel emissions along the Pacific coast. The
project will also help achieve the U.S.-Mexico
Border 2012 Program Goal #2, "Reduce Air
Pollution."
AIR QUALITY BENEFITS
Diesel emissions contribute to unhealthy levels
of fine particles, ozone ("smog") and air toxics.
Fine particles have been associated with an
increased risk of premature death, hospital
admissions for heart and lung disease, increased
respiratory symptoms such as asthma episodes,
and other adverse health effects. Diesel exhaust
disproportionately impacts children, the elder-
ly, and low-income and minority communities,
including those along the U.S.-Mexico Border.
Because older diesel vehicles emit significant
quantities of particulates and ozone-forming
pollutants, retrofitting them with emission con-
trol devices and using cleaner diesel fuel can
achieve immediate emission reductions and
improve air quality. Based on field experience in
the U.S., diesel oxidation catalysts can reduce
particulate matter emissions from heavy-duty
diesel trucks by at least 20 %, hydrocarbons by
50% and carbon monoxide by 40%. Moreover,
diesel particulate filters used in combination
with ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel will reduce par-
ticulate matter emissions by as much as 90%,
and hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissio-
ns by 60 to 90%.
PROGRESS TO DATE
• Research of available types of emission con-
trol retrofits technologies to determine which
are the most appropriate for this project.
It has found that diesel oxidation catalysts
in conjunction with ultra-low sulfur diesel
fuel are perhaps the most feasible to use
on Mexican trucks, since oxidation catalysts
require little maintenance compared to parti-
culate filters.
• Research on possible use of alternative diesel
fuels such as bio-diesel and emulsified fuels,
as well as potential providers in the border
region.
• Research on possible emission monitoring
processes for this project has found that one
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4 BAJA CALIFONIA-CALIFORNIA: Regional Workgroup Newsletter
of the most suitable options is
the Snap-Acceleration Test SAE
J1667, used by California's Air
Resources Board on their Heavy-
Duty Vehicle Inspection Program,
with locations in CHP Inspection
facilities/scales, fleet yards and
random roadside tests.
Participation in Border 2012's
SD/TJ Air Quality Task Force
meetings with the purpose
of presenting periodic status
reports to stakeholders on both
sides of the border. The Task
Force will serve as an Advisory
Committee for the project.
Establishing a set of criteria to
be met by a potential fleet to
participate in the project.
Work is also being done to esta-
blish communication with other
fleet owners in an effort to find
the best-qualified fleet(s) for the
project.
For more information on the
U.S.-Mexico Border Clean Diesel
Demonstration Project, please
contact Domingo Vigil at the San
Diego County APCD at (858) 650-
4627 or via e-mail at Domingo.
Vigil@sdcounty .ca.gov •
Imperial County Air Quality and
Health Information
By Gabe Ruiz
TteGfaria
Air Resources Board,
in partnership with the
Imperial County Air Pollution Control District,
has developed a Web site to provide air quality
and health information in real-time to residents
of the Imperial Valley. The objective of this
project is to provide residents of the region
with easy to understand information on local air
quality, health concerns for different levels of air
pollution, and how they can protect their health
when pollutants reach unhealthy levels.
The Web site, www.imperialvalleyair.org, provi-
des hourly air quality updates for five monitoring
sites in Imperial County. This information is
provided in the form of an air quality index (AQI)
developed by U.S. EPA. The AQI uses a nume-
rical scale from 0 to 500. AQI numbers below
100 are generally considered to be satisfactory,
and numbers above 100 represent greater levels
of pollution and health risks. To make it easier
to understand, the AQI is divided into
six color-coded categories (green,
yellow, orange, red, purple, and maro-
on), each corresponding to a different
level of health concern.
In addition to providing access to real-
time air quality data, the Web site allo-
ws area residents to sign-up to receive
email or text message notifications
when air quality in the region reaches
unhealthy levels. Efforts are underway
to develop a similar web site that
covers Baja California.
For more information, visit the
Imperial County air quality Web site
at: www.imperialvalleyair.org. •
Niland - English Road
Westmorland - W. First Street
, Bravirtey - 220 Main Street'
EVCnrlV
El Centra - 9th Street
Calexlco-
Calexico - Grant Street
j«ft
Mexico
Air monitoring sites in Imperial county
Metales y Derivados Site Cleanup Proceeds to Remedial
Planning Phase
By Ing Juan Manuel Aguilar, SEMARNAT, Larry Bowerman, EPA and Emily Pimentel, EPA
Accomplishments and
Next Steps: On June
17, 2005, the Metales y Derivados
Technical Workgroup convened a
meeting in Tijuana to review the
accomplishments over the last year
and begin planning for the next
steps to clean up this site. Among
the accomplishments reported were
actions to reduce the highest risks
posed to public health:
*Removal and disposal of nearly
2000 tons of hazardous waste (at
a U.S. Ecology facility in Nevada);
*Recycling of about 50 tons of
process equipment in Mexico;
*Restricting access by installing
fencing, better warning signs, and
community outreach on the haz-
ards posed by the site.
The accomplishments and next
steps discussed in the recent tech-
nical workgroup meeting are the
beginning of long-term cleanup pro-
cess. This also marks the first time
that a border community impacted
by a hazardous waste site, has
been formally included in a tech-
nical workgroup with responsibility
for making site cleanup decisions.
Remedial Action Process: The
Technical Workgroup was formed
in June 2004, after Mexico sig-
ned a declaration of cooperation
and commitment to remediate the
Metales site and create a transpa-
rent process to inform and involve
the community on the cleanup. As
part of the declaration, there were
specific actions identified, such
as defining roles and responsibi-
lity among the federal, state, and
local governments. The Technical
Workgroup proposed a remedial
plan consisting of four phases:
Phase 1: Removal Action: remove
waste posing highest risks to public
health
Phase 2: Cleanup Alternative
Analysis: analyze and select a pre-
ferred remedy
Phase 3: Design Remedy: prepare
-------
detailed design and award enginee-
ring contract
Phase 4: Complete Cleanup: imple-
ment remedy; restore property to
productive use
Site History: The US and Mexico
partnered on the Metales cle-
anup as a result of their mutual
commitments to meet abando-
ned site cleanup and restoration
objectives established under
Border 2012 Goal 3, "Reduce
Land Contamination." Metales is
an abandoned, former secondary
lead smelter which recovered lead
from used vehicle batteries and
other sources. It is located in an
area zoned as light industrial just
above the Colonia Chilpancingo,
a neighborhood of about 10,000
residents. In 1989, PROFEPA, the
Mexican environmental enforce-
ment agency of SEMARNAT issued
an order to shutdown the facility
because it did not have sound
management practices for the
hazardous waste generated, prima-
rily lead slag, metal-laden battery
casings, and other wastes. As a
result, the US owner abandoned
the facility.
Although the Mexican government
made efforts to address this mat-
ter, on October 23,1998, the
EHC submitted a petition to the
Commission for Environmental
Cooperation (CEC) asserting that
the government was failing to
enforce its environmental laws
effectively. The CEC prepared a
factual record for the case, but
responded that they found no
evidence to support this claim.
The factual record did, however,
increase awareness of the Metales
site and the need to improve
binational capacity to respond to
matters involving abandoned border
sites. In 2004, EPA contributed
$85,000 to help build capacity
for short-term actions to reduce
the highest risks, allowing time to
evaluate the most cost-effective
long-term cleanup actions. EPA's
efforts involved coordinating the
permits for disposal of waste,
defining the practices necessary to
minimize risks to the community
while conducting the Phase 1 clean
up action, and directly removing
200 tons of waste. In 2004/2005,
the SEMARNAT and the state of
Baja California contributed funding
to remove an additional 1800 tons
of waste.
Phase 2 Cleanup Alternative
Analysis: Since Phase 1 activities
removed the highest risk hazardous
waste, the workgroup recommen-
ded starting Phase 2. This involves
completing a site characterization
study, a baseline risk assessment,
and an evaluation of remedial alter-
natives. The site characterization
study will better define the nature
and extent of the contaminant
sources, which is important for
development of suitable alterna-
tives. The risk assessment will
be used to better understand the
sources of contaminations and the
exposure pathways (i.e. windblown
dust, human contact with soil, etc.)
that lead to potential risks at the
site. The remedial alternatives will
then be designed to consider how
to reduce risk by eliminating expo-
sure pathways. The technical com-
mittee is working ont the technical
and logistical details to accomplish
these goals. •
Before Clean up of Metales Area
After Clean up of Metales Area
Half-Million Tires Gone and More Clean-up Underway!
By Hugo Zepeda, SEMARNAT, M.C Maria de Los Angeles Alvarez, SEMARNAT, Larry Bowerman, EPA and Emily Pimentel, EPA
EbcfrZRTirecleanup
Underway:
Specific solid waste streams, such
as tires, are expected to increase
as a result of population and eco-
nomic growth in the border region.
Risks already exist as a result of
scrap tires in the region. When
scrap tires are improperly used,
they can pose an environmental
hazard if they burn. They can also
be a public health risk and lead to
mosquito-borne diseases such as
the West Nile Virus.
Fortunately, Border 2012
Program Goal 3 (Reduce Land
Contamination) includes a specific
objective to clean up three of the
largest tire piles in the US-Mexico
border region. As part of this
effort, the Border 2012 CA/Baja
CA Waste & Enforcement Task
Force reported collecting 420,000
tires from the INNOR tire pile near
Mexicali. The tires were trans-
ported to CEMEX-Ensenada and
used as fuel in their cement plant.
Cleanup of Centinela tire pile (also
near Mexicali) began in mid-2005.
The INNOR and Centinela tire piles
are among the largest tire piles in
the border region. These two cle-
anups move the program closer to
meeting Goal 3.
Binantional Tire Management
Strategy: In June 2004, the US
and Mexico went even further by
signing a letter of intent to develop
a scrap tire management strategy.
This commitment resulted becau-
se of the growing awareness and
concern among border region resi-
dents. It was apparent that even
if legacy tires piles are cleaned
up, new tire piles could be crea-
ted if scrap tire are not properly
managed. Development of the tire
management strategy is a work in
progress, but the basic elements of
the strategy are well accepted:
*Better understand the problems
contributing to waste tire genera-
tion;
*Cleanup legacy tire piles using
cost-effective solutions;
*Prevent new tire piles, and;
involve communities in creating
solutions;
In the first two years of the pro-
gram, Border 2012 partners have
begun to address the waste tire
problem. A few of their efforts are
discussed below.
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6 BAJA CALIFONIA-CALIFORNIA: Regional Workgroup Newsletter
Better understand the problems
contributing to waste tire genera-
tion: There are a variety of factors
contributing to the generation of
waste tires, such as inadequate
solid waste management, and
limited resources and information
to address the problems. Border
governments such as the State of
Baja California require tire haulers
operating in Mexico to have a
permit. The California Integrated
Waste Management Board
(CIWMB) requires tire haulers to
operate under a permit and mani-
fest all tire loads. In the past two
years the CIWMB has conducted
outreach to US and Mexican hau-
lers on these requirements. Local
governments such as the City
of San Diego Solid Waste Local
Enforcement Agency (LEA) have
run successful cleanup programs,
such as the Tijuana River Valley
cleanup of tires and trash, using
funds provided by the CIWMB.
All governments acknowledge the
importance of having adequate
enforcement, as well as, addres-
sing compliance and enforcement
gaps.
Cleanup legacy tire piles using
cost-effective solutions: In the US
and Mexico, the most cost-effecti-
ve and readily available option for
disposing of scrap tires has been
to use them as fuel. Some cement
plants and power plants use
shredded tires as an alternative
fuel to replace some of their regu-
lar fuel (typically coal or petroleum
coke). Use of legacy waste tires as
fuel has been a particularly effecti-
ve in Mexico for two main reasons:
Legacy tires have fewer alternative
use options because their quality
deteriorates over time.
CEMEX, a cement kiln opera-
tor, signed an agreement with
SEMARNAT to receive scrap tires
for use as fuel at no cost.
Border 2012 partners made direct
contributions both in money and
other resources to cleanup border
legacy tire piles. Between June
2004 and June 2005, EPA con-
tributed $200,000 to the clean
up of the INNOR tire pile, to help
help understand the challenges
of cleaning up legacy tire piles
in Mexico, while achieving real
results. SEMARNAT contributed to
cleanup of 40,000 tires in Tijuana.
SEMARNAT also committed to
cleanup all of the Centinela tire
pile during 2005 by transporting
tires by rail to Hermosillo and by
truck to Ensenada, where the tires
will be used as fuel by two CEMEX
cement plants.
Prevent new tire piles: The bor-
derwide challenge is preventing
new tire piles by developing alter-
native scrap tire markets,
such as fuel, civil engineering
applications, crumb rubber,
etc. The good news is that
there are many viable scrap
tire markets, though long-term
planning and investments
will be required to use these
markets effectively. One of the
most exciting recent develop-
ments being considered world
wide is the concept of produc
stewardship. This means
placing the responsibility on
tire manufactures to address
life cycle issues, such as using
less oil and energy resources
in the production of tires;
ensuring consumers know the
best ways to maximize the
useful life of tires; and facilita-
ting tire recycling.
Involve communities in creating
solutions: Unless communities
know about scrap tire manage-
ment problems and risks, and
are given an opportunity to
contribute to the solutions, the
road to resolving the problem
will be slow. The Border 2012
Program Waste Policy Forum is
developing the binational tire
management strategy and will
be seeking input from stake-
holders. •
Tires collected from Mexicali were transported by rail to
Hermosillo as part of a pilot exercise to determine feasi-
bility of using rail
Cleanup of Centinela in process
Farm Workers' Health Concerns
By Norman Calero, EPA Region 9
U is the leading
dl agricultural state
in the U.S., with an estimated 1.6
million agricultural workers and
their families. Agricultural workers
are at risk of exposure to pesticide
products. But many farm workers
and their families lack awareness
of the hazards and proper handling
of pesticides, and there is limited
training of health care providers to
recognize and treat pesticide-rela-
ted illnesses.
Furthermore, Imperial County has
the state's highest rate of asthma
hospitalizations for all ages and
among children aged 1 - 14. In
1992 - 2002,88% of childhood
lead poisonings reported in San
Diego County involved Latino
children. It is believed that these
numbers are the result of the use
of homemade remedies and cera-
mic cookware, and consumption of
Mexican candies that contain lead.
To address these and other envi-
ronmental health issues, the pro-
gram partner have begun efforts to
scope out an environmental health
taskforce in the California/Baja
California border region. The task
force will bring together represen-
tatives from federal, state and local
agencies, tribes, and non-govern-
mental and community people from
both the U.S. and Mexico. At a pre-
liminary meeting, taskforce mem-
bers identified pesticide issues
and asthma triggers as issues of
particular concern in the CA/BC
border region.
Task force members have already
worked with Mexican agencies to
determine how pesticide exposures
are being reported and tracked.
Training the current California
reporting program will also be
scheduled. U.S agencies will work
with Mexico to develop a binational
reporting system. Also, Train-the-
Trainer courses will be held in both
the U.S. and Mexico on pesticide
risks and safe handling, including
ways to minimize exposure for fami-
lies and children.
Future border environmental health
efforts will focus on reducing the
risk to border families, especially
children, that may result from expo-
sure to air pollution, drinking water
contaminants, pesticides, and other
toxic chemicals for more informa-
tion, please contact Norman Calero
at calero.norman@epa.gov.com. •
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Imperial County — Mexicali Emergency Response Plan Signed
by Lauren Volpini, EPA Region 9
QMay 24,2005, representa-
tives from the governments
of Imperial County, Calif., and
Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico,
met to celebrate the signing of the
first Binational Imperial County-
Mexicali Emergency Prevention
and Response plan.
The Imperial County-Mexicali
Emergency Response Plan, along
with streamlining emergency res-
ponse, notification and commu-
nication efforts, also guarantees
cooperation among all levels of
emergency responders. Along with
Imperial County-Mexicali Emergency
Response Plan celebration cake
reducing the risks associated with
hazardous materials, the plan
calls for necessary training, a
crucial element in emergency res-
ponse. Responders will conduct
"real life" emergency exercises to
ensure comprehensive and cohe-
sive responses on both sides of
the border.
"With the Imperial County-
Mexicali Emergency Response
Plan in place, communities on
both sides of the border will now
be safer and better equipped to
handle potential chemical relea-
ses," said Wayne Nastri, Regional
Administrator, U.S. EPA.
Attending the event were high-
ranking representatives from the
US and Mexico, including: Wally
Leimgruber, Board of Supervisors,
Imperial County, Calif; Mayor
Samuel Ramos Flores of the City
of Mexicali; Maria de Lourdes
Cordero Zamora, Civil Protection
of Mexico; Raymundo Noriega,
Baja California Civil Protection;
Fred Nippins, Fire Chief/OES
Coordinator, Imperial County and
representing the EPA, Lauren
Volpini. •
Representatives at the celebration, from left
to right: Wally Leimgruber, Chairman, County
of Imperial, Board of Supervisors; Lauren
Volpini, US Mexico Border Program Manager;
Maria de Lourdes Cordero Zamora, repre-
senting the federal government of Mexico
published and distributed a bilingual
4(English/Spanish) Field Guide for
Emergency Response Communication in March
2005 in cooperation with the Arizona/Sonora
Emergency Preparedness and Response
Task Force of the Border 2012 U.S./Mexico
Environmental Program.
The Guide will help facilitate communication
among bilingual emergency responders in the
border communities. It will be useful in con-
ducting training, exercises and in actual emer-
gencies. It contains commonly used terms and
phrases, as well as valuable reference informa-
tion and useful phone numbers.
Copies of the Guide can be downloaded from
the Web at: www.epa.gov/Border2012. •
2005
English/Spanish Field Guide for
Emergency Response Communication
Guia de Campo para Comunicacion de
Respuesta a Emergencias Espanol/lngles
Emergency Num
Incident Notification
Substance Identffi
Container Types
Httffltt
Medical
Numeros de Emeigenda
Notfflcadon del Inddente
Identification de Sustanclai
Tipos de Contenedores
Protective
Response Action*
Reference/Notes
Acetones de Rejpverta
Fteferenciav'Notas
-------
BAJA CALIFONIA-CALIFORNIA: Regional Workgroup Newsletter
US Tribes and Mexican Indigenous Communities Issue Joint
Communique
Contact: Nina Hapner, NAEPC
26 U.S. tribes and various Mexican indi-
genous communities in the border region
issued a joint communique to express their
environmental issues, accomplishments and
priorities (see highlights below). Following is a
summary of the communique, for the full text is
available at www.naepc.com/downloads.
Both U.S. tribes and Mexican indigenous com-
munities are working to improve air quality on
their reservations and in their communities. U.S.
tribes and Mexican indigenous communities are
faced with air pollution problems due to agri-
cultural and metropolitan areas near or on their
reservations and communities. The Cocopah
Tribe, in Arizona, is conducting a demonstration
project to study improved tilling of farmlands
on the tribe's reservations,to decrease the expo-
sure of tribe members to dust emissions. The
Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Tribe in Texas, located
in an urban environment along the border, is
sampling ambient air for volatile organic com-
pounds and hazardous air pollutants, in partner-
ship with EPA Region 6 and the University of
Texas School of Public Health. This will provide
baseline assessment of exposure and identify
potential health risks to the tribal community.
The Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla Indians is
paving dirt roads on its reservation to reduce air
pollution. U.S. Tribes with monitoring stations
will continue air sampling for ozone and parti-
culate matter (which are largely produced by
off-reservation activities) to further define con-
cerns of their communities. They will continue to
seek funds to reduce emissions that affect their
communities.
The ability to provide access to safe drinking
water and basic wastewater sanitation is another
high priority for tribal and indigenous commu-
nities in the U.S. and Mexico. Quitovac, a small
O'odham indigenous community in Mexico,
received funding for a potable water system for
the community and boarding school for 100
children (with funding coordinated through
the Tohono O'odham Nation). Nearly all the
indigenous communities in the Mexico border
region lack access to safe drinking water and
basic sanitation, and these communities will be
severely impacted by the proposed new water
usage fees. EPA's tribal border infrastructure
program has funded 39 projects for 15 Tribes
in the California and Arizona Border Region,
providing access to safe drinking water and
basic sanitation for over 8,000 homes. Despite
these successes, there is still an estimated $60
million shortfall in funding needed for tribal
infrastructure. Tribes are also concerned about
protecting shared aquifers which are threatened
by overdraft and contamination from off-reserva-
tion activities.
Tribal communities are greatly affected by ille-
gal dumping. On the Tohono O'odham Nation
in Arizona and the Campo Indian Reservation
in California, there is an ongoing struggle to
remove waste left behind due to undocumented
immigration. In other areas near the border, tri-
bes and indigenous communities are struggling
to halt the illegal burning of trash, dumping of
cars, and the increase of illegal drug labs. With
the increase in traffic across tribal lands and
communities, it is imperative that we be prepa-
red for environmental accidents and strive to put
preventative measures in place.
Indigenous communities in the border area also
lack solid waste disposal programs. In 2004,
the Pala Band of Mission Indians removed
34,000 tires from its reservation, and started
a recycling program for waste oil and consumer
recyclable items. The Tohono O'odham Nation
has estimated that there are over 300 wildcat
dumps on its reservation, and that 1,500 undo-
cumented migrants dump six tons of trash on
the reservation every day.
As we move forward into this next year, our
immediate tribal priorities are:
• Improve the air quality on reservations and in
indigenous communities
• Increase access to and improve infrastructure
for safe drinking water and wastewater by
seeking continued funding of the Tribal Border
Infrastructure Program, including tribal allo-
cations and funding for Mexican indigenous
communities
• Reduce the amount of contamination left
behind due to undocumented immigration
• Promote emergency preparedness along the
border region
• Establish a Lower Colorado River Task Force
under the Border 2012 program. •
-------
Furthering the Goals of Border 2012 through
Environmental Education
by Kama Dean, Pro Peninsula
l_ "THrp the Environmental Education
riXi.ll Council for the Californias (EECC)
took on the role of the California/Baja California
Environmental Education Task Force for Border
2012. In this role, it is our goal to use envi-
ronmental education strategically to integrate
educational components into the overall goals
and objectives of the Border 2012 effort for
the California-Baja California border region.
Project Objectives:
To foster understanding and inspire responsi-
bility for the state of the environment and its
relation to quality of life in the border region of
the Californias.
To provide a forum for public dialogue and par-
ticipation concerning environmental education
(EE) in the Californias and to mobilize coopera-
tion to address critical environmental issues in
the region.
To fuel EE projects on the ground that serve as
catalysts to improve EE practices and policies
throughout the Californias and of specific con-
cern to the region's Border 2012 Task Forces.
To achieve these objectives, the EECC deve-
loped a set of environmental education prio-
rities for the region. The council then funded,
through a mini-grant process, regional projects
that address these priorities, supporting envi-
ronmental education projects and organizations
in the region.
In late 2004 we initiated the Border 2012
mini-grants project, and requested proposals
for trainings and research projects, as well as
the production and distribution of educational
materials, public awareness campaigns, and
field trip-based programs that addressed criti-
cal environmental issues that are relevant and
significant to the border region. Most importan-
tly, these new mini-grants focused on furthe-
ring the goals and objectives of Border 2012:
reduce water pollution, reduce air pollution,
reduce land contamination, improve environ-
mental health, reduce exposure to chemicals,
and improve environmental performance.
Mini-grants have been awarded for three pro-
jects:
Hazardous Substances in the Home,
Proyecto Bioregional de Educacion Ambiental
(PROBEA), Tijuana
Contact: Doretta Winkleman, San Diego
Natural History Museum, dwinkelman@sdnhm.
org, (619)232-3821
Monitoring of Subterranean Bodies of Water
in the Municipality of Tijuana, Universidad
Technologica de Tijuana (UTT), Tijuana
Contact: Ricardo Toledo Merediz, UTT,
ambiental@uttijuana.edu.mx, (664) 971-7036
Design of a mechanism for communication
and diffusion of air quality environmental and
health affects for the Baja California-California
community, Centre Industrial de Gestion
Ambiental, A.C. (CIGA)
Contact: Jose Carmelo Zavala Alvarez, CIGA,
jczavalascc@telnor.net, (664)900-7334 or
(664) 634-6875
For more information on the EE Task Force
or any of our mini-grant recipients, please
contact Kama Dean, binational coordinator,
kama@propeninsula.org, 619-574-6643, or
contact the grantee directly. •
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10 BAJACALIFONIA-CALIFORNIA: Regional Workgroup Newsletter
Highlights on the US — Mexico Border Indicators Effort
By Steven Young, EPA Washington DC.
keeps track of
blood pressure
readfngs'and other vital information
(e.g., cholesterol levels) in order to
observe a patients' cardiovascular
health. Similarly, one can rely on
multiple indicators to take a pulse
on the environment and environ-
mental health conditions along
the US-Mexico border. Indicators
can also create a basis for trac-
king changes in environmental
and public health conditions, and
hopefully improvements over time,
as a result of the collective environ-
mental effort at the border. Thus,
indicators can be used as a tool to
inform the public and border stake-
holders about Border 2012 progre-
ss and current environmental and
health conditions. Ultimately, the
public and stakeholders will benefit
from developing and maintaining
sound binational indicators. The
U.S. and Mexico, like many other
countries, use indicators to moni-
tor their programs, plan their next
actions, and track trends.
A sample border indicator, currently
under consideration is percent of
population connected to potable
water supply. As more water supply
infrastructure is built to provide
safe drinking water to more border
communities, this indicator would
show a positive upward trend.
Development of indicators to mea-
sure progress in achieving all six
goals of the Border 2012 program
is currently underway. The six goals
cover environmental media (water,
air, and land) as well as environ-
mental health, emergency prepare-
dness and response, and coopera-
tive enforcement and compliance.
Both environmental and program
indicators are necessary to simulta-
neously report on the effectiveness
of the Border 2012 program and
changing conditions at the border.
Environmental indicators measure
actual border conditions and trends
over time, as well as the progress
toward meeting specific environ-
mental and health targets. Program
indicators measure environmental
management activities and progre-
ss toward meeting Border 2012
goals and objectives.
The Border Indicators Task Force
(BITF) was created in December
2003 to coordinate with all the
Border 2012 stakeholders to defi-
ne a set of indicators as well as
prepare protocols for the collection
and analysis of the data necessary
to report environmental and health
results. The goal of the Task Force
is to publish the initial set of bina-
tional indicators by the end of this
year, and then to develop a sustai-
nable mechanism to update indica-
tors periodically. Various stakehol-
ders are participating in developing
and using indicators. In addition to
the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) and Mexico's
Secretariat for the Environment and
Natural Resources (SEMARNAT),
agencies such as the U.S. Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), and the Mexican Secretariat
of Health (Secretaria de Salud) are
contributing. The state and local
health and environmental depart-
ments on both sides of the border
are also key players in this process,
as well as international organiza-
tions such as the Pan American
Health Organization (PAHO) and
the Southwest Consortium for
Environmental Research and Policy
(SCERP).
For more information, please con-
tact the following officials or visit
us online at http://www.epa.gov/
border2012/indicators.htm.
Steve Young
EPA
(202) 566-0608
young.steve@epa.gov
Sandra Duque
EPA
(202) 566-1810
duque.sandra@epa.gov.
Salvador Sanchez
SEMARNAT
(52-55) 5628-0854
ssanchez@semarnat.gob.mx
Iris Jimenez Castillo
SEMARNAT
(52-55) 5628-0854
iris.jimenez@semarnat.gob.mx •
Strategic Communications:
Essential to the Border 2012
Program Success
By Albes Gaona, EPA Washington DC
communication is
critical to a success-
ful Borde~012 Program. Ensuring
effective and timely communi-
cations with the public, program
partners, and other stakeholders,
is a program priority. To that end,
the Borderwide Communications
Task Force (BCTF) was created
at the first National Coordinators
Meeting in Matamoros, Tamaulipas,
on December 2003 with partici-
pants from state, regional, U.S.
and Mexican federal offices. Since
then, the task force has expanded
to include additional stakeholders
from the border region.
The goal of the BCTF is to promote
the Border 2012 Program through
timely and efficient internal and
external communications. In addi-
tion, the task force develops com-
munication tools (see below), and
coordinates communications for all
events and outreach activities.
Over the past few months, the
taskforce has been working on the
development of the Border 2012
Communications Strategies in addi-
tion to other projects, as reported
at the 2005 National Coordinators
Meeting in Tucson last March. The
strategy, a guideline for timely
and efficient communications,
has been finalized and is now in
effect. Other accomplishments
included the completed redesign of
the official Border 2012 web site,
aimed at improving information
sharing online; the completion of
the Border 2012 Program Directory
(Yellow Pages) listing most program
participants; and the Border 2012
Information Kit, a basic outreach
package containing program fact
sheets and other information.
The BCTF's main goal for 2006-
07 is to successfully carry out
the Border 2012 Communications
Strategies along with other activi-
ties intended to enhance program
communications at all levels. For
additional information on the BCTF
please visit the website at http://
www.epa.gov/border2012/com-
munications.htm, or contact the
taskforce leaders at:
U.S.: Albes Gaona
EPA's Office of International Affairs
Phone:202564-6253
E-mail: gaona.albes@epa.gov
Mexico: Iris Jimenez
SEMARNAT's Office of Statistics
and Environmental Information
Phone: (55) 5628-0854
E-mail: iris.jimenez@semarnat.gob.
"Strategic
communication
is critical to a
successful Border
2012 Program"
-------
U.S. and Mexican Representatives Report on Border
Environmental Accomplishments and Priorities
By Albes Gaona, EPA Washington DC
National
Coordinators
Meeting (NCM) took place in
Tucson, AZ and was successfully
hosted by the Arizona Department
of Environmental Quality and the
U.S. EPA's Region 9. The meeting
was chaired by Jerry Clifford, the
U.S. National Coordinator and
Maria Teresa Bandala, Mexico's
National Coordinator, and attended
by representatives from U.S. and
Mexico federal, state and local
governments, as well as border
tribes and indigenous communities,
non-profits and the public sector.
During the two-day event, the
National Coordinators and partici-
pants renewed their commitment
to the Border 2012 goals, reviewed
progress, and set directions for
2006. The public had the oppor-
tunity to attend the open meetings
and the public session on the
second day, and for the first time,
representatives from the U.S.
border tribes and Mexico's indige-
nous communities presented their
accomplishments and priorities. In
the end, the meeting resulted in a
shared understanding of environ-
mental accomplishments, and prio-
rity actions needed in upcoming
years to address environmental and
health concerns across the U.S.-
Mexico Border.
Among the many accomplishments
reported by program partners:
A reaffirmed commitment to pro-
vide safe drinking water and sani-
tation to protect public health in
border communities. In 2003 and
2004, the U.S.EPA provided $95
million in grant funds through the
Border Environment Cooperation
Commission and North American
Development Bank for critical
safe drinking water and sanitation
projects benefiting over a million
border residents.
Efforts made by El Paso, Ciudad
Juarez, and Dona Ana County in
moving towards meeting air quality
standards for all pollutants were
recognized. Also acknowledged
were the joint efforts of Federal
and State authorities in California
and Baja California for beginning,
in 2004, to transfer management
of 13 monitoring stations from U.S.
agencies to Mexican authorities
in Mexicali, Tijuana and Playas de
Rosarito.
Over 281,000 scrap tires have
been removed from abandoned
tire pile sites in Mexicali, Tijuana,
Tecate and Ciudad Juarez, the tires
were used as fuel in cement plants.
(See article on Pg.5)
A continuing effort to remove and
dispose of 1,500 tons of hazardous
waste from the Metales y Derivados
site, an abandoned secondary lead
smelter and battery recycling facili-
ty in Tijuana. (See article on Pg. 4)
The Border 2012 Environmental
Health Workgroup is forming an
alliance with the U.S.-Mexico
Border Health Commission to tar-
get resources and improve collabo-
ration among environmental health
agencies at all levels of government
in both countries.
Efforts to expand the Border
Compliance Assistance Center will
strengthen compliance at U.S.-
Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano welcomes the Border 2012 National
Meeting to Tucson.
Mexico Ports-of-Entry, improve
compliance by expanding pollution
prevention and environmental
management systems, and use data
to identify areas where regulated
facilities' toxic substances emis-
sions pose the greatest potential to
harm surrounding communities.
A commitment was made to pre-
vent environmental accidents, and
where accidents do happen, to
prevent the worst consequences. In
the last year, first responders have
received training and conducted
exercises to prepare for and mana-
ge chemical accidents and respond
to terrorism.
As the Border 2012 Program
moves forward, program partners
agreed to the following immediate
priorities for 2005-06:
Continue to increase access to, and
improve, safe drinking water and
wastewater infrastructure.
Retrofit diesel buses and trucks,
and improve availability of low sul-
fur diesel fuel along the border.
Carry out a demonstration project
for the binational clean-up and res-
toration of abandoned sites conta-
minated with hazardous waste.
Clean up additional tire piles.
Promote financing mechanisms
for landfill projects involved in the
Methane to Markets initiative
As progress continues to be made
this year, program partners ack-
nowledge that there is important
work yet to be done. But they are
confident that with continued colla-
boration, and proper transparency
and accountability, a substantial
contribution towards a cleaner,
healthier and more sustainable
border environment for future gene-
rations will be made. •
Program partners at the National
Coordinators meeting
The National Coordinators Ma. Teresa
Bandala and Jerry Clifford
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12 BAJACALIFONIA-CALIFORNIA: Regional Workgroup Newsletter
Acting Locallyi What the border-wide Environmental Health Workgroup is and how
it works with the states of California, Baja California, Arizona, and Sonora
By Kirstin Crowder, Association of Schools of Public Health Fellow at the USEPA
The border-wide Environmental Health Workgroup (EHWG), is charged
with addressing environmental health problems that are binational and
have border-wide applicability.
The bulk of the Workgroup's efforts have been in funding studies of air
and pesticide pollution epidemiology, and in environmental health educa-
tion and professional capacity-building. Currently, the EHWG is completing
a project that began in Imperial Valley, CA, on pesticide exposure and
illness in children. Researchers used samples of urine - and occasionally
blood - along with medical records to estimate the prevalence of pestici-
de-related illness in children, and assess the feasibility of using children's
health clinics to identify high-risk children. The EHWG is also completing
another pesticide study that investigated exposure measurement techni-
ques in Arizona; since pesticides break down in the environment, resear-
chers wanted to find out whether urine samples reveal exposure to the
original pesticide compound as well as the degraded compound, and how
widespread this potentially confusing phenomenon is.
A new project is just beginning in Calexico, CA and Mexicali, Baja
California, that will assess what surveillance mechanisms are in place to
track two types of environmental exposures and their related diseases:
air quality and asthma, and pesticide prevalence and its symptoms or
measured levels in the body. Finally, through its partnership with the Pan
American Health Organization, the EHWG funded an Environmental Health
Indicators workshop in San Diego, CA, last December. Indicators are mea-
sures that demonstrate change over time and yield particular meaning to
their users. The purpose of this workshop was to talk to local stakeholders
involved in environmental health research or projects, to find out what
indicators they would most highly recommend.
In keeping with Border 2012's bottom-up approach, the EHWG frequently
relies on the regional environmental health taskforces for information on
environmental health needs. At the annual EHWG meeting in February, the
leaders of the environmental health taskforces were invited to give presen-
tations on the problems identified as priorities to their local constituents.
The Workgroup was interested to see whether these priorities overlapped.
Common priorities cited by the presenters were air pollution (or asthma-
triggers), water pollution and scarcity, and pesticide poisoning.
The meeting participants also voiced a need for indicators for environmen-
tally-mediated diseases. Accordingly, the EHWG has turned its attention
to developing air and water indicators. It is about to hire two contractors
to assess the completeness of data in air and water monitoring and their
anticipated health effects. Additionally, the work group is creating two
teams of experts in air quality research or management, water quality, and
associated illnesses. These teams will make recommendations on which
indicators will best serve the stakeholders of Border 2012 and how to
develop them, based partly on the results of the contractors' work. The
Workgroup hopes that these recommendations will be available by late fall
2005.
In a program as large and multi-themed as Border 2012, partnering can
be difficult, especially when the scope of work differs. The partnership of
the EHWG and its regional counterparts in California/Baja California and
Arizona/Sonora is an example of how some of those gaps in communica-
tion and resources can be bridged. For more information on the EHWG
and its projects go to http://www.epa.gov/ehwg. For a full description of
Border 2012 and the relationships between its member groups, please
see the Border 2012 Framework document, at: www.epa.gov/Border2012/
intro.htm.
Current projects the EHWG funds in California, Baja California, Arizona,
and Sonora
• Inventory/Assessment of Environmentally-related Disease and
Environmental Databases in the California/Baja California Border Region
(Calexico and Mexicali)
• Pilot Study Evaluating Symptomatic Children for Organophosphate
Pesticide Exposure (Imperial Valley, California)
• Urinary Metabolites in Environmental Media: A Scoping and Feasibility
Study (Yuma, Arizona)
Past projects the EHWG has funded in California, Baja California, Arizona
and Sonora
• U.S.-Mexico Asthma Surveillance Demonstration Projects (Calexico and
Mexicali.)
• Project Clean Environment for Healthy Kids II (San Diego County, Calif;
Tijuana, Baja California; and Somerton, Arizona)
• Pesticide Exposure in Women of Reproductive Age: A U.S.-Mexico
Border Study (Imperial County, Calif.)
• Household Pesticide Use Survey (Douglas, Arizona)
• Pilot Study of Methods to Assess Infants' Pesticide Exposure and
Response to Vaccination (Imperial County, Calif.)
• Pesticide Exposure and Potential Health Effects in Young Children
Along the U.S. - Mexico Border: Pesticide Exposure in Children Living in
Agricultural Areas (Yuma County, Ariz.)
• U.S.-Mexico Border 2012 Initiative for Pediatric Lead Exposure
Identification and Risk Reduction (Tijuana, Baja California; and Arizona/
Sonora border region)
• National Human Exposure Assessment Survey (NHEXAS) Border Project
1996-2002 (Arizona border region)
• Investigation of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (Nogales, Arizona) •
-------
Ten States Alliance
By Ricardo Martinez and Claudia Villacorta, RE.
efforts to address environmental issues along the
U.S.-Mexico border region were usually made on a
project-by-project basis. But approximately ten years ago, these efforts
became more coordinated as a result of the fourteenth U.S.- Mexico
Border Governors Conference in May 1996 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and
the ten U.S. - Mexico Border States' Retreat in Austin, Texas in November
1996. During these meetings, an official framework was created for the
U.S.-Mexico Border States' Environmental Program.
The framework formed an alliance, known as the Ten States Alliance
(a.k.a. Ten States Retreat), to develop a mechanism for ongoing communi-
cation, cooperation, and exchange of information among the environmental
agencies of the U.S.-Mexico Border States. The Ten States Alliance is
comprised of the leading officials of the state agencies responsible for
environmental protection, and natural resource conservation for the states
of Arizona, Baja California, California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, New Mexico,
Nuevo Leon, Sonora, Tamaulipas and Texas.
Since its inception in 1996, the Ten States Alliance has aimed at provi-
ding a forum to discuss high-level policy on environmental issues in the
shared US-Mexico shared border region. This forum has helped identifying
common goals, challenges, differences, and unifying common ground on
important issues. The Ten States have proven to be a group of consensus
builders in a dynamic setting, which has also given way to fruitful rela-
tionship building among the ten environmental authorities that oversee
the US-Mexico border region. The Ten States Alliance has been funded
through several sources in the past, including the Ford Foundation, the
State of California, and since 1997 through a grant from the U.S. EPA
Office of International Activities, and U.S. EPA Regions 6 and 9. These
EPA grants are managed by the Western Governor's Association.
The Ten States Alliance has paved the way for ongoing coordination and
information exchange among the state environment agencies, and between
them and key institutions and stakeholders in the border region. Some of
the major accomplishments of the alliance include:
• Lobbying the U.S. Congress to sustain and increase the Border
Environment Infrastructure Fund (BEIF);
• Lobbying to keep the Border Environment Cooperation Commission bud-
get at its current level;
• Providing a forum for high-level policy discussion and consensus buil-
ding on contentious issues; and,
• Development of several key Joint Declarations for the Environmental
Worktable at the Border Governors Conference.
The Ten States Alliance meets annually to discuss environmental issues of
mutual concern and to develop joint declarations for the Border Governors
Conference. The Border Governors Conference (BGC) is an annual meeting
of the Ten U.S.-Mexico Border Governors, their designated representa-
tives and worktables. Since the first conference in 1980, the BGC has
enhanced joint border efforts addressing agriculture, border crossings,
border security, education, environment, tourism, economic development,
and health. At this year's conference in Torreon, Coahuila, the Ten States
Alliance developed three Joint Declarations, which were adopted by the
ten governors. The governors declared:
(1) To advance the production of Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel Fuel for air qua-
lity and public health improvement by encouraging the Mexican Congress
to accelerate planned investments for modernization at the Mexican
Petroleum (PEMEX) refineries, thereby facilitating the introduction of this
cleaner burning diesel fuel throughout the border region.
(2) To implement and promote comprehensive waste management pro-
grams throughout the U.S.-Mexico border region, including a strategy for
state-to-state and transboundary information exchange on waste manage-
ment. Economic instruments, such as creation of environmental funds or
the introduction of a "Green Seal", will be considered as an aid to develop
pollution prevention and environmental remediation programs.
(3) To request the Mexican Congress and Mexican Border State
Congresses to promote the legislation to have used vehicles-both legally
imported vehicles and regularized vehicles-comply with Mexican federal
and state emission standards as a prerequisite for registration.
The next BGC will beheld in the summer of 2006 in Austin, Texas. In
preparation for the conference, the Ten States Alliance will meet again to
discuss progress and develop new joint declarations. California will host
the next Ten States Retreat in May 2006.
For more informations, please contact:
Ricardo Martinez at rmartinez@waterboards.ca.gov
Ricardo Martinez is Senior Policy Advisor for Border Affairs at the State
Water Resources Control Board.
Claudia Villacorta at
cvillacorta@waterboards.ca.gov Claudia Villacorta, P.E. is Border
Infrastructure Coordinator at the State Water Resources Control Board. •
Joint development of the Border 2012 Environmental Program;
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14 BAJACALIFONIA-CALIFORNIA: Regional Workgroup Newsletter
California/Baja California Regional Workgroup Co-Chairs
Enrique Villegas Ibarra
Secretary
Secretariat for Environmental Protection
State of Baja California
TBD
California Environmental Protection
Agency
Laura Yoshii
Deputy Regional Administrator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Region 9
Israel Camacho Gastelum
Federal Delegate for Baja California
Secretariat for Environment and Natural
Resources
Task Force Co-Chairs
U. S. Co-Chair and Organization
Phone Numbers & E-mail
Mexico Co-Chair and Organization I Phone Numbers & E-mail
Waste and Enforcement
Emily Pimentel
US EPA (Waste Co-Chair)
John Rothman
US EPA (Enforcement Co-Chair)
TBD
Cal-EPA State of California Co-Chair
Environmental Health
(415) 972-3326
pimentel.emily@epa.gov
(415) 972-3923
rothman.john@epa.gov
Lie. Ricardo Castellanos
Delegado
PROFEPA
(011 52) 686 568-9260 or
(011 52) 686 568-9267
(011 52) 686 568-9266 fax
pfpabc@telnor.net
Maura Mack
Chief
California Office of Binational Border
Health
(619) 692-8472
MMack@dhs.ca.gov
Air Quality—Imperial Valley/Mexicali
Brad Poiriez
Imperial County Air Pollution
Control District
(760)-482-4606
bradpoiriez@imperialcounty.net
Air Quality—San Diego/Tijuana
William E. Powers
Powers Engineering
(619)295-2072
(619) 295-2073 fax
bpowers@powersengineering.com
Water Quality—Tijuana River Watershed
Elsa Saxod
City of San Diego
(619) 533-3466
(619) 533-3866 fax
esaxod@sandiego.gov
Emergency Preparedness and Response—San Diego/Tijuana
(619) 338-2395
(619) 338-2139 fax
michael.dorsey@sdcounty.ca.gov
Mike Dorsey
Chief, County of San Diego Dept of
Env. Health, Hazardous Materials
Division
Emergency Preparedness and Response—Imperial Valley/Mexicali
Fred Nippins
Chief
Imperial County Fire Department
(760)355-1191
(760) 355-1482 fax
frednippins@imperialcounty.net
Lourdes Sandoval Nolasco
Chief
Department of Environmental Health
ISESALUD
Daniel Delgadillo Burruel
Secretariat for Environmental Protection
State of Baja California
Saul Guzman
SEMARNAT
Laura Silvan
Environmental Education Border
Project
Lie. Ricardo Castellanos
Delegado
PROFEPA
Raymundo Noriega
Civil Protection
State of Baja California
(011 52) 686 559-5800
LSandoval@baja.gob.mx
(011 52) 686 566-2268
ddelgadillo@baja.gob.mx
(Oil 52)664-634-7516
(011 52) 664-634-7483 fax
saul.guzman@semarnat.gob.mx
(Oil 52) 664-630-05-90fax
(call for fax tone)
laurie@proyectofronterizo.org.mx
(011 52) 686-568-9266
(011 52) 686-568-9267
(011 52) 686-458-9252 fax
pfpabc@telnor.net
(011 52) 686-557-2850
(011 52) 686-557-4758 fax
raymundonoriega@hotmail.com
Other Contacts
Tomas Torres
U.S. EPA Border Program Coordinator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
619-235-4775
torres.tomas@epa.gov
Dave Fege
California-Baja California Regional
Workgrop Coorinator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
619-235-4769
fege.dave@epa.gov
Ricardo Martinez
Senior Policy Advisor for Border Affairs
California Environmental Protection
Agency
916-324-7316
rmartinez@waterboards.ca.gov
Nina Hapner
Executive Director
Native American Environmental
Protection Coalition
951-296-5595
tribalenvironmental@yahoo.com
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