United StatesR
EnvironmentaIR
Protection AgencyR
Office of SolidR
Waste and R
Emergency ResponceR
EPA 550-R98-006R
August 1998R
Issue Number 2R
vxEPA
Semiannual Report on R
United States-Mexico BorderR
Contingency Planning ActivitiesR
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SEMIANNUAL REPORT ON
UNITED STATES-MEXICO BORDER
CONTINGENCY PLANNING ACTIVITIES
TAMAULIPAS
EPA 550-R98-006
August 1998
Issue Number 2
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SEMIANNUAL REPORT ON UNITED STATES-MEXICO
BORDER CONTINGENCY PLANNING ACTIVITIES
INTRODUCTION
EPA's Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention Office (CEPPO)
provides leadership, advocacy, and assistance to:
'"» Prevent and prepare for chemical emergencies;
'"» Respond to environmental crises; and
'"» Inform the public about chemical hazards in their community.
To protect human health and the environment, CEPPO develops, implements, and
coordinates regulatory and non-regulatory programs. The Office carries out this
work in partnership with regions, domestic, and international organizations in the
public and private sectors, and the general public.
The purpose of the Semiannual Report on United States-Mexico Border Contingency
Planning Activities is to consolidate information on United States-Mexico border
joint response contingency planning from EPA Regions, border states, and sister
cities in order to promote the exchange of information and coordination among
these groups. The types of activities presented in this report range from joint
response planning meetings and meetings to develop sister city plans to actual
joint response exercises and training courses.
Each of the EPA Regions and U.S. states along the United States-Mexico border
were contacted for information on recent and future border contingency activities.
The information gathered for the previous issue of the report serves as the
baseline for this update. Future updates will be published twice a year.
AUTHOR
U.S. EPA
Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response
Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention Office
401 M Street, SW
Washington, DC 20460
Contacts (and e-mail addresses):
Kim Jennings (JENNINGS.KIM@EPAMAIL.EPA.GOV)
Sherry Fielding (FIELDING.SHERRY@EPAMAIL.EPA.GOV)
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SEMIANNUAL REPORT ON UNITED STATES-MEXICO
BORDER CONTINGENCY PLANNING ACTIVITIES
REGION AND STATE CONTACTS
'"» Fendol Chiles, EPA Region 6 (214/665-2283)
'"» Tom Millwee, Texas (512/424-2443)
'"» Max Johnson, New Mexico (505/476-9620)
'"» Sid Batista, EPA Region 9 (415/744-2100)
'"» Jim Hunt, California (619/525-4289)
'"» Daniel Roe, Arizona (602/231-6346)
ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTORS
'"» Hal Berkowitz, Arizona State University, Center for Environmental Studies
(member of the Southwest Conference on Environmental Research and
Policy)
«"*• Robert Bobar, Cochise County, Arizona
""*• L.J. McWilliams, Santa Cruz County, Arizona
'"» Cristina Herrera, Yuma County, Arizona
'"» Michael Heimowitz, Chemical Manufacturers Association
DOCUMENTS OF INTEREST
'"» Joint United States-Mexico Inland Contingency Plan (1988; currently under
revision) (available from EPA Headquarters)
'"» Brownsville-Matamoros Sister City Emergency Response Plan (May 1997)
(available from EPA Region 6)
""*• Eagle Pass-Piedras Negras Sister City Emergency Response Plan (March 1998)
(available from EPA Region 6)
'"» Semiannual Report on United States-Mexico Border Contingency Planning
Activities (Issue Number 1, February 1998) (available from EPA Headquarters)
""*• United States-Mexico Border Environmental Indicators 1997 (June 1998)
(available form EPA Region 9 or http://www.epa.gov/usmexicoborder)
INTERNET SITES OF INTEREST
'"» EPA CEPPO — http://www.epa.gov/swercepp/
'"» EPA Region 6 Border Program — http://www.epa.gov/earthlr6/6bo/6bo.htm
'"» Border Information and Solutions Network (BISN) —
http://www.triplesoft. com/bisn/
'"» Border Environment Cooperation Commission — http://cocef.interjuarez.com/
'"» Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission —
http://www.tnrcc.state. tx.us/
""*• U.S.-Mexico Border Regional Environmental Information System —
http://begssl.beg.utexas.edu-.8888/
""*• City of Brownsville, Texas — http://www.ci.brownsville.tx.us/
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SEMIANNUAL REPORT ON UNITED STATES-MEXICO
BORDER CONTINGENCY PLANNING ACTIVITIES
SISTER CITIES
Brownsville, Texas-Matamoros,
Tamaulipas
McAllen, Texas-Reynosa,
Tamaulipas
Laredo, Texas-Nuevo Laredo,
Tamaulipas
Eagle Pass, Texas-Piedras
Negras, Coahuila
Del Rio, Texas-Ciudad Acuna,
Coahuila
Presidio, Texas-Ojinaga,
Chihuahua
El Paso, Texas-Ciudad Juarez,
Chihuahua
Columbus, New Mexico-Puerto
Palomas, Chihuahua
Douglas, Arizona-Agua Prieta,
Sonora
Naco, Arizona-Naco, Sonora
Nogales, Arizona-Nogales,
Sonora
Yuma, Arizona-San Luis Rio
Colorado, Sonora
Calexico, California-Mexicali,
Baja California
San Diego, California-Tijuana,
Ensenada, Tecate, and Playas de
Rosarito, Baja California
Official signing of the Eagle Pass-Piedras Negras Sister City Plan. Left to right: Fendol Chiles (EPA
Region 6), Rogelio Flores (Municipal President of Piedras Negras), Claudio Bres (Mayor of Ealge
Pass), and Guadalupe Cardona (Fire Chief of Eagle Pass). Photo courtesy of Fendol Chiles.
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SEMIANNUAL REPORT ON UNITED STATES-MEXICO
BORDER CONTINGENCY PLANNING ACTIVITIES
STATUS OF SISTER CITY PLANS
Brownsville, Texas-
Matamoros, Tamaulipas
Signed on May 6,1997. Title: Cross Border
Contingency Plan - U.S./Mexico -
Broumsville/Matamoros.
Eagle Pass, Texas-Piedras
Negras, Coahuila
Signed on March 25, 1998. Title: Cross Border
Contingency Plan - U.S./Mexico - Eagle Pass/
Piedras Negras
Laredo, Texas-Nuevo Laredo,
Tamaulipas; Del Rio, Texas-
Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila; El
Paso, Texas-Ciudad Juarez,
Chihuahua
Work underway on several of these plans.
Columbus, New Mexico-Puerto
Palomas, Chihuahua
No sister city plan expected unless the
population increases.
Douglas, Arizona-Agua Prieta,
Sonora
Have an agreement concerning emergency
response, but it is not legally binding and has
not facilitated emergency response equipment
crossing the border.
Naco, Arizona-Naco, Sonora
Cochise County Government currently has no
plans to enter into an agreement with Naco,
Sonora. (Naco, Arizona, is an unincorporated
townsite of Cochise County.)
Yuma, Arizona-San Luis Rio
Colorado, Sonora
February 1995 draft (not signed). Title: U.S.-
Mexico Sister Cities - Yuma, Arizona-San Luis Rio
Colorado, Sonora-Hazardous Materials Incident
Contingency Plan.
Calexico, California-Mexicali,
Baja California
Have developed two mutual aid agreements.
The first in September 1993, entitled City of
Calexico-City of Mexicali Mutual Aid Agreement.
The second in February 1996, entitled United
States/Mexico - Imperial County/Ayuntamiento de
Mexicali, B.C.-Emergency Services Mutual Aid
Agreement.
San Diego, California-Tijuana,
Ensenada, Tecate, and Playas
de Rosarito, Baja California
The Sister Cities have developed a
communication plan for San Diego and Imperial
Counties in the United States and Baja California
in Mexico.
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SEMIANNUAL REPORT ON UNITED STATES-MEXICO
BORDER CONTINGENCY PLANNING ACTIVITIES
RECENT UNITED STATES-MEXICO BORDER
CONTINGENCY PLANNING ACTIVITIES
Presented in Chronological Order (Presented by State in the Next Table)
January 11,1998
San Luis, Sonora Joint training exercise involving the Fire
Departments of Yuma, Arizona, and San Luis, Sonora.
Unknown scenario.
March 1998 San Diego, California San Diego County received an EPA
grant to train Mexican staff along the border. So far, the grant
has been used to provide classes for Mexican first responders
in five municipalities in Baja California. Classes have
included: First Responder Awareness Class (8 hours), First
Responder Operational Class (24 hours), Incident Commander
Class (40 hours), and Chemical Emergency Management for
Executives Class (8 hours).
"* March 17-19,1998
March 20,1998
March 25,1998
San Diego, California Border XXI United States-Mexico
National Coordinators meeting. Participants of the binational
workgroups discussed issues related to natural resources
protection, pollution prevention, environmental health,
environmental information resources, cooperative
enforcement, contingency planning and emergency response,
and solid and hazardous waste management. Participants
included representatives from EPA Regions 6 and 9, Mexico's
Secretariat of Environment, Natural Resources, and Fisheries
(SEMARNAP), U.S. Department of State, U.S. Geological
Survey, and the Tohono O'odham Tribe.
San Diego, California "Sister City Initiative Meeting on Joint
Chemical Emergency Planning" organized by the
International City/County Management Association and
funded by EPA. Issues discussed included coordination of
people, services and resources; binational data collection; cross
border communication; formalizing mutual aid/liability; and
response coordination for Tijuana, Tecate, San Diego, Mexicali,
and Calexico. Twenty people attended, representing all levels
of government from both sides of the border.
Eagle Pass, Texas-Piedras Negras, Coahuila The Mayor of
Eagle Pass and the Municipal President of Piedras Negras
signed the Cross Border Contingency Plan - U.S./Mexico - Eagle
Pass/Piedras Negras. The signing took place in the middle of
the international bridge, and the ceremony was attended by
both U.S. and Mexican border authorities and government
officials.
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SEMIANNUAL REPORT ON UNITED STATES-MEXICO
BORDER CONTINGENCY PLANNING ACTIVITIES
RECENT UNITED STATES-MEXICO BORDER
CONTINGENCY PLANNING ACTIVITIES (cont'd)
"*• March 26-27,1998 San Diego, California EPA Region 9 Regional Response
Team meeting on marine issues. Organized by the U.S. Coast
Guard. Speakers included personnel from U.S. Coast Guard
Marine Safety Office, National Response Team, EPA, State of
California, Department of the Interior, National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, Minerals Management Service,
Scripps Institute, Department of Health and Human Services,
Department of Energy, and Clean Bay Inc.
'"*• March 29,1998 Nogales, Arizona Binational exercise involving 26 agencies
from both countries. Participants included officials from Santa
Cruz County, Pima County, City of Nogales, State of Arizona,
and Mexico. The scenario was a truck accident that resulted
in a hazardous materials spill and fire at 4:00 a.m. along 1-19
at Mariposa.
'"*• April 4,1998 San Luis, Sonora Level "B" hazardous materials drill
involving the Fire Departments of Yuma, Arizona and San
Luis, Sonora. Unknown scenario.
'"* May 5-6,1998 Alamogordo, New Mexico FEMA Region 6 training session
using CHER-CAT (Chemical Emergency Response and
Capabilities Exercise). Participants included Alamogordo's
local emergency response coordinator, firefighters, law
enforcement officials, and other state emergency personnel.
"*• May 27-28,1998 Rio Rico, Arizona EPA Region 9 Regional Response Team
meeting regarding land issues. Speakers included
representatives from Cochise County, Pima County, Santa
Cruz County, Tohono O'odham Tribe, Gila River Indian
Community, Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Bureau of Indian
Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Public Health
Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, FEMA, Department of
Justice, Department of the Interior, and the Agency for Toxic
Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).
'"» May 31,1998 San Luis, Sonora Hazardous materials class and drill for
chlorine. The Fire Departments of Yuma, Arizona and San
Luis, Sonora participated. Unknown scenario.
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SEMIANNUAL REPORT ON UNITED STATES-MEXICO
BORDER CONTINGENCY PLANNING ACTIVITIES
RECENT UNITED STATES-MEXICO BORDER
CONTINGENCY PLANNING ACTIVITIES (cont'd)
'"* June 1998 Brownsville, McAllen, Laredo, Del Rio, and El Paso, Texas
EPA Region 6 conducted five Clean Air Act (CAA) §112
workshops focused on Risk Management Plans. Participants
were informed of the requirements under CAA §112(r)(l) to
design and maintain a safe plant, identify hazards, and
minimize consequences of releases.
'"* June 23-24,1998 Las Graces, New Mexico Emergency managers from the New
Mexico cities of Las Cruces and Santa Teresa met with federal
agencies (including the Immigration and Naturalization
Service and Customs) to discuss border issues such as general
emergency management for Las Cruces and transportation of
hazardous materials through Santa Teresa as the port of entry.
'"* July 1998 Washington, D.C. EPA Headquarters finished a preliminary
collection of existing U.S./Mexico border agreements, laws,
regulations, policies, and procedures related to chemical
accident prevention, preparedness, and response.
Headquarters is now developing a strategy to make these
documents easily available.
"* July 12,1998
San Luis, Sonora Training exercise. The Fire Departments of
Yuma, Arizona and San Luis, Sonora participated. Unknown
scenario.
August 12-13,1998
Sierra Vista, Arizona "Sister City Initiative Meeting on
Joint Chemical Emergency Planning" organized by the
International City/County Management Association
(ICMA) and funded by EPA. Issues discussed included the
sister city joint contingency plans, information availability
and sharing, communication and general response
coordination, technical support, training and joint exercises,
and next steps to develop a joint emergency contingency
plan.
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SEMIANNUAL REPORT ON UNITED STATES-MEXICO
BORDER CONTINGENCY PLANNING ACTIVITIES
RECENT UNITED STATES-MEXICO BORDER
CONTINGENCY PLANNING ACTIVITIES
Presented by State (Presented in Chronological Order in Previous Table)
Texas
Signing of the Eagle Pass-Piedras Negras sister city
emergency response plan (Eagle Pass; March 25,1998)
EPA Region 6 conducted five Clean Air Act §112 workshops
on Risk Management Plans (Brownsville, McAllen, Laredo,
Del Rio, and El Paso; June 1998).
'"*• New Mexico
'"*• Arizona
'"* California
Other
Locations
FEMA Region 6 provided training exercise using CHER-CAT
(Alamogordo; May 5-6,1998)
Emergency managers from the cities of Las Cruces and Santa
Teresa met with federal agencies to discuss border issues
(Las Cruces; June 23-24,1998)
Joint training exercise (Yuma; January 11,1998)
Binational exercise involving 26 agencies (Nogales; March 29,
1998)
Hazardous materials drill (Yuma; April 4,1998)
EPA Region 9 Regional Response Team meeting regarding
land issues (Rio Rico; May 27-28,1998)
Hazardous materials class and drill for chlorine (Yuma; May
31,1998)
Joint training exercise (Yuma; July 12,1998)
Sister City Initiative Meeting on Joint Chemical Emergency
Planning hosted by the International City/County
Management Association (ICMA) (Sierra Vista; August 12-13,
1998)
San Diego County received EPA grant to train Mexican staff
along the border (San Diego; March 1998)
Border XXI United States-Mexico National Coordinators
meeting (San Diego; March 17-19,1998)
Sister City Initiative Meeting on Joint Chemical Emergency
Planning hosted by ICMA (San Diego; March 20,1998)
EPA Region 9 Regional Response Team meeting regarding
marine issues (San Diego; March 26-27,1998)
EPA Headquarters finished a preliminary collection of
emergency response laws, treaties, and agreements
(Washington, D.C.; July 1998)
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SEMIANNUAL REPORT ON UNITED STATES-MEXICO
BORDER CONTINGENCY PLANNING ACTIVITIES
FUTURE UNITED STATES-MEXICO BORDER
CONTINGENCY PLANNING ACTIVITIES
(AH Activities are Tentative)
'"» September 1998 San Diego County, California The LEPC from
California's Region 6 (which includes San Diego,
Imperial, River Side, San Bernardino, Inyo, and Mono
counties) will apply for a grant from EPA Region 9 to
gather information on hazardous materials stored
along the border. Mexican officials are expected to
assist with the information gathering.
'"*• September 23-24, 1998 San Antonio, Texas United States-Mexico
Joint Response Team meeting. Participants will
include EPA Headquarters, EPA Regions 6 and
9, State and local authorities, and
representatives from Mexico's SEMARNAP,
PROFEPA, and CENACOM. Issues to be
discussed will include contingency planning at
the federal, state, and local levels;
transportation, customs, and industry
involvement issues; exercising the Joint
Contingency Plan with U.S. Coast
Guard/National Response Center; environmental
indicators; information management; and
outreach strategies. Also, a workshop on the
Spanish version of CAMEO will be held.
'"» November 1998 Brownsville, Texas-Matamoros, Tamaulipas Sister
City Plan exercise. The exercise will include
notification and response and will help determine how
the current system works. Participants will include the
emergency response teams from these two cities, EPA
Region 6, and SEMARNAP.
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