2009 US-Mexico Joint Response Team (JRT) Meeting
Sept. 1, 2009, South Padre Island, Texas
The Office of Emergency Management's (OEM) National Planning and Preparedness
Division (NPPD) along with EPA's Region 6, 9 in addition to OEM's Mexican counterparts,
PROFEPA and Civil Protection, planned, organized and coordinated the 2009 JRT meeting, in
South Padre Island, Texas on Tuesday, Sept. 1.
Annex II of the 1983 La Paz Agreement on Cooperation for the Protection and
Improvement of the Environment in the Border Area established the U.S.-Mexico Joint
Contingency Plan (JCP) to provide a bi-national coordination mechanism for protecting human
health and the environment and responding to significant hazardous substances contingencies or
emergencies that affect the inland border area between the U.S. and Mexico. The La Paz
Agreement also established the JRT which has coordinating authorities for both Mexico and the
U.S. For Mexico, the Co-chairs for the JCP and JRT are the Secretariat of Environment and
Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) through the Office of the Deputy Attorney of Industrial
Inspection of the Federal Attorney General for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA) and the
General Coordinator for Civil Protection, Secretariat of Government (SEGOB).
The Office of Emergency Management (OEM) within the Office of Solid Waste and
Emergency Response of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the coordinating
authority for the U.S. The JRT includes representatives from U.S. and Mexican federal, state, and
local agencies responsible for emergency prevention, preparedness, and response in the Border
Region.
During the Sept. 1, 2009 meeting, the attendance included not only the above
representatives, but also members of industry, representing some of the local border
maquiladoras, with a total number of over 100 attendees. EPA's Region 6 and 9 participated with
NPPD in the planning and logistics for this successful and well received meeting, along with
OEM's Mexican counterparts, PROFEPA and Civil Protection. Some of the agenda topics
included discussions of on-going initiatives, recent accomplishments and lessons learned, recent
planning, capacity building, training, exercises as well as the upcoming priorities and projects for
2009-2010 to enhance cross-border collaborations, increase preparedness and risk reduction.
Emergency Preparedness and Response Border-wide Workgroup Highlighted
Accomplishments
Some of the most recent accomplishments of the Emergency Preparedness and Response
Border-wide Workgroup that were highlighted at the meeting included:
>	Finalizing the revision of the U.S.-Mexico Joint Contingency Plan (JCP);
>	Signing and implementing fifteen bi-national local emergency response Sister City
Plans;
>	Finalizing the Tri-national Emergency Preparedness Plan (Sister City #16) with the
Tohono O'odham Tribe, Arizona and Mexico;
>	Completing several high-profile hazardous materials tabletop and field exercises;
>	Conducting workshops through EPA Region 9's Baja California Training Institute;
>	Coordinating the EPA and NorthCom Memorandum of Agreements (MOAs)
Knowledge Exchange Events;
>	Working with vendors on addressing insurance issues, including coverage for federal
government vehicles and U.S. first responders when crossing the Border;
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US and Mexico's Border 2012 Emergency Preparedness and Response Co-Chairs
attending the 2009 US-Mexico JRT meeting: Dana Tulis, Deputy Director for the EPA Office of
Emergency Management (OEM) to the left of Mark Mjoness, Director, National Planning and
Preparedness Division, OEM, Ana Lucia Hill, General Director for the Office of Civil Protection,
Secretariat of Government, Mexico and Gustavo G. Gonzalez, Deputy Attorney for Industrial
Inspection, PROFEPA, Secretariat of the Environment and Natural Resources, Mexico.
> Establishing interagency coordination to facilitate Border crossings for federal
responders and contractors and to provide more training and exchange of
information.
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Sergio H. Chavez, General, Departamento de Defensa de Mexico, Dana Tulis, Deputy Director
for EPA Office of Emergency Management, Susan Reinert, State Dept. rep. for NorthCom and
Vice Admiral, Comandante del Sector Naval de Matamoros, Mexico, Daniel Bozada Sanchez.
Some of the Border-wide Workgroup action items and initiatives that came out of the day-long
JRT meeting included:
o Disseminate updated JCP in task force meetings and during training for
binational exercises;
o Encourage sister cities to update local plans to be consistent with binational
notification system of updated JCP;
o Finalize research on insurance coverage project: identify interested vendors via
Blanket Purchase Agreement;
o Follow up with the City of El Paso insurance pilot project;
o Establish a criteria for future emergency response equipment distribution in sister
cities with highest risk of chemical accidents/emergencies (EPA-NC MOU,
PROFEPA & Proteccion Civil);
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o Initiate public/private partnerships to initiate the establishment of an emergency
training academy in Region VI and enhance Region IX's Baja CA training
academy;
o Coordinate and prioritize equipment transfers to high risk areas;
o Coordinate with transportation sectors to better manage hazardous materials
transfer cross the Border;
o Hold more tabletop exercises before the next JRT meeting, in an effort to
increase communication on both sides of the Border and stay active;
o Add more hazardous materials training; and
o Review the need and viability of a bi-national center for emergency response.
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