United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Office of Solid
Waste and
Emergency Response
EPA 550-R-002
February 1998
Issue Number 1
vxEPA
GERfHM
Semiannual Report on
United States-Mexico Border
Contingency Planning Activities
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SEMIAIM Ul R E P < IT ON
UNITED STATES-MEXICO BOKDER
CONTINGENCY PLANNING ACTIVITIES
CALIFORNIA /
ARIZONA
NEW MEXICO
SONORA
CHIHUAHUA
TEXAS
BAJA
EPA 550-R-002
February 1998
Issue Number 1
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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 this first issue of the report serves as the baseline for future
updates that 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 (512/424-2429)
«'» 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 (to be signed winter 1997)
(available from EPA Headquarters)
'"» Brownsville-Matamoros Sister City Emergency Response Plan (May 1997) (available
from EPA Region 6)
INTERNET SITES OF INTEREST
»'*• EPA CEPPO — http://www.epa.gov/swercepp/
»'*• EPA Region 6 Border Program — http://www.epa.gov/earth1r6/6bo/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://begss 7. 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 Acuha,
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 Brownsville-Matamoros Sister City Plan. Left to right: Fendol Chiles (EPA Region
6), Mayor Henry Gonzalez (City of Brownsville), President Ramon Sampayo (Municipality of
Matamoros), and David Hanawa (Ambiotec). Back row: Commissioner Ernie Hernandez.
Photo courtesy of BISN and the City of Brownsville.
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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 —
Brownsville/Matamoros.
Laredo, Texas-Nuevo Laredo,
Tamaulipas; Eagle Pass, Texas-
Piedras Negras, Coahuila; Del
Rio, Texas-Ciudad Acuha,
Coahuila; El Paso, Texas-Ciudad
Juarez, Chihuahua
One of these plans possibly will be finished in
January-March 1998.
Columbus, New Mexico-Puerto
Palomas, Chihuahua
No sister city plan expected because border towns
are so small. Las Cruces, New Mexico, however,
has received a $90,000 grant, some of which may
be spent on border response activities.
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
U.S. and Baja California in Mexico.
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SEMIANNUAL REPORT ON UNITED STATES-MEXICO
BORDER CONTINGENCY PLANNING ACTIVITIES
CONTINGENCY PLANNING ACTIVITIES
Classroom Training
Emergency Response Exercises
Joint Response Exercises
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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)
«"*• 1996 California Through EPA and DOT grants, California developed
a database of HazMat information (chemical, quantity, storage
location) that covered San Diego County and Imperial County,
California; Tijuana, Mexicali; and Tecate, Baja California.
November 1996
February 1997
February 1997
February 24-28, 1997
March-May 1997
March 17, 1997
Nogales, Sonora Course on HazMat transportation and
contingency response offered for Mexican maquiladoras.
Organized by the Southwest Conference on Environmental
Research and Policy (SCERP), a group comprised of five U.S.
and five Mexican educational institutions, and funded through
an EPA grant.
Del Rio, Texas Del Rio and TNRCC presented a 16-hour
emergency planning and emergency response workshop to local
authorities.
Brownsville, Texas Liquefied petroleum gas tank truck crashes
and turns over. Joint response by Brownsville Fire Department
and CODE 3 Inc.
San Luis, Sonora Five-day workshop on HazMat activities
(transportation and contingency response) for U.S. and Mexican
officials. Included a joint exercise of a mock spill at a
maquiladora that required SCBA response. Organized by
SCERP through an EPA grant.
Imperial County and San Diego County, California Training
of law enforcement officials (over 200 U.S. and a few from
Mexico) on incident commander and first responder awareness
that included HazMat issues such as the smuggling of aviation
gas, Freon trade, and illegal waste disposal.
Tucson, Arizona Presentation titled "Chemical Emergency
Service Capabilities and Constraints Along the U.S.-Mexico
Border" by the National Law Center for Inter-American Free
Trade (funded through an EPA grant). Attended by Arizona and
Sonora 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)
"*• April 5,1997 Calexico-lmperial County, California Exercise hosted by
Calexico-lmperial County (California) Fire Department with
Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) and Mexicali, Baja
California, participation. Scenario—trucks collide at the port of
entry carrying sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide.
May 6, 1997
Brownsville, Texas-Matamoros, Tamaulipas Signing of the
Brownsville-Matamoros sister city emergency response plan.
May 14-15, 1997
May 27-30, 1997
Veracruz, Mexico United States-Mexico Joint Response
Team annual meeting. Topics covered included revisions to
the United States-Mexico Joint Contingency Plan, the
translation of Computer-Aided Management of Emergency
Operations (CAMEO®) into Spanish, sister city
training/assistance, and development of goals in the context of
the Government Performance and Results Act and
Border XXI.
Matamoros, Tamaulipas Border XXI United States-Mexico
National Coordinators annual meeting.
The two-year workplan for the Joint
Response Team was finalized, the
Environmental Indicators document
was drafted, and general
accomplishments were reported. Also,
an award was presented for
completion of the Brownsville-
Matamoros sister city plan.
Recognition of the Brownsville-Matamoros
Sister City Plan of the Border XXI meeting.
Left to right: Eduardo Jimenez (PROFEPA), Jim Makris (EPA CEPPO), Dr. Miguel Trenino (Quimica Fluor),
Jackie Lockett (BISN), David Hanawa (Ambiotec), and Fendol Chiles (EPA Region 6). Photo courtesy of
BISN and the City of Brownsville.
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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 1997 Arizona Through an EPA grant, Arizona completed the
"Arizona Toxics Information" database. The database
combines the U.S. and Mexican lists of hazardous
materials and is primarily used for contamination issues
and land use planning.
June 11-13, 1997
Del Rio, Eagle Pass, and Laredo, Texas Emergency
response/contingency planning meetings that included
LEPCs, TNRCC, and EPA Region 6. CAMEO®
presentation. Hosted by TNRCC with Ambiotec as
contractor.
August 1997
Raymondville, Texas International exercise hosted by
Quimica Fluor of Matamoros. United States and CODE
3 Inc. responded. Scenario—train derailment and
hydrofluoric acid release.
August 1997
Acuna, Coahuila Training on "first responder
awareness" provided for Mexican responders by Eagle
Pass (Texas) Fire Department.
August 1997
Nogales (Rio Rico), Arizona and Nogales, Sonora
Meeting of U.S. and Mexican law enforcement officials
concerning HazMat transportation and contingencies.
Hosted by Arizona.
August 1997
Nogales, Arizona Arizona Attorney General's
Environmental Crimes Task Force meeting held on
HazMat issues along the border. Part of the Western
States Project, which is funded through EPA. Included
federal, state, and local representatives from the United
States and Mexico (including EPA).
September 18,1997
Laredo, Texas Planning meeting for the cross-border
emergency response drill to be held December 11,
1997, in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas. The Chemical
Manufacturers Association (CMA) in the United States
and its equivalent in Mexico (ANIQ) initiated the idea
for this exercise.
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SEMIANNUAL REPORT ON UNITED STATES-MEXICO
BORDER CONTINGENCY PLANNING ACTIVITIES
RECENT UNITED STATES-MEXICO BORDER
CONTINGENCY PLANNING ACTIVITIES (cont'd)
October 22-23, 1997
Nogales, Arizona SCERP workshops on HazMat
transportation and contingency response for local
authorities.
November 1997
Laredo, Texas Final planning meeting for the cross-border
emergency response drill to be held December 11,1997,
in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas.
November 1997
McAllen, Texas For the county where McAllen is located
(Hidalgo County), EPA Region 6 conducted a commodity
flow study that will be used in developing the sister city
plan for transportation of hazardous materials across the
border. The information complied also aids in selecting
scenarios for spill exercises and conducting the risk
analysis for the surrounding communities.
November 22, 1997
Brownsville, Texas- Matamoros, Tamaulipas
International exercise held under the name "Amigo 5."
Scenario—truck with HazMat overturns.
December 1997
Eagle Pass, Texas International exercise. Unknown
scenario.
Decembers, 1997
Nogales, Arizona SCERP workshops on HazMat
transportation and contingency response for local
authorities.
December 11,1997
Laredo, Texas-Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas Cross-border
emergency response drill involving numerous U.S. and
Mexican agencies/organizations. Scenario—truck collision
and HazMat release that affects both the United States and
Mexico.
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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
16-hour emergency planning and response workshop (Del
Rio; February 1997)
Joint response to crash of liquified petroleum gas tank truck
(Brownsville; February 1997)
Signing of the Brownsville-Matamoros sister city emergency
response plan (Brownsville; May 6, 1997)
Border XXI United States-Mexico National Coordinators
annual meeting (Matamoros; May 27-30, 1997)
Emergency response/contingency planning meetings (Del Rio,
Eagle Pass, and Laredo; June 11-13, 1997)
International exercise hosted by Quimica Fluor (Raymondville;
August 1997)
Training on first responder awareness (Acuha; August 1997)
Arizona
Course on HazMat transportation and contingency response
by SCERP (Nogales; November 1996)
Five-day workshop on HazMat activities (February 24-28,
1997)
Presentation on border emergency service capabilities
(Tucson; March 17, 1997)
Completion of the "Arizona Toxics Information" database
(June 1997)
Meeting of law enforcement officials (Nogales; August 1997)
Attorney General's meeting on HazMat border issues
(Nogales; August 1997)
Planning meeting for December 11, 1997, exercise (Laredo;
September 18, 1997)
California
Developed HazMat database (1996)
Training of law enforcement officials (San Diego; March-May
1997)
Exercise involving truck collision at port of entry (San Diego;
April 5, 1997)
Other
Locations
United States-Mexico Joint Response Team annual meeting
(Veracruz, Mexico; May 14-15, 1997)
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SEMIANNUAL REPORT ON UNITED STATES-MEXICO
BORDER CONTINGENCY PLANNING ACTIVITIES
FUTURE UNITED STATES-MEXI CO BORDER
CONTINGENCY PLANNING ACTIVITIES
(All Activities are Tentative)
1998
Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua; Mexicali, Baja California;
Tijuana, Baja California SCERP expects to hold workshops
on HazMat transportation and contingency response.
January-March 1998
Laredo, Texas; Del Rio, Texas; Eagle Pass, Texas; El
Paso, Texas EPA Region 6 expects that at least one of
these four sister city plans will be finished.
January 1998
El Paso, Texas For the county where El Paso is located (El
Paso County), EPA Region 6 will conduct a commodity flow
study.
February 1998
Laredo, Texas-Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas International
exercise scheduled. Probable scenario—truck collision and
HazMat release into river that supplies drinking water. The
LEPC will conduct the exercise with EPA Region 6
participation.
February 1998
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico North American Responsible Care
Distribution Code Conference to be held by CMA.
Emergency response along the United States-Mexico and
United States-Canada borders to be a key item on the
agenda.
March 16-19, 1998
San Diego, California United States-Mexico National
Coordinators meeting.
June 1998
Del Rio, Texas For the county where Del Rio is located
(Val Verde County), EPA Region 6 will conduct a
commodity flow study.
June 1998
Laredo, Texas For the county where Laredo is located
(Webb County), EPA Region 6 will conduct a commodity
flow study.
September 1998
El Paso, Texas United States-Mexico Joint Response Team
meeting.
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