U.S.-Mexico Border 2020: March 2021 Newsletter Please follow this link to view the newsletter as a PDF in English and Spanish News from the San Diego Border Office Hello! My name is Melissa Dimas and I am excited to join EPA Region 9 as the Director of the San Diego Border Office. In my new role, I will manage the San Diego Border Office and lead the Border 2025 Program for Region 9. Previously, I worked in EPA's Region 2 office in New York City, where I served as International Affairs Program Manager. I began my career with EPA in 2006 as a Community Involvement Coordinator working on World Trade Center cleanup, and have spent most of my career working throughout Latin America, North Africa and the Middle East managing projects and training government officials, NGOs, and private sector stakeholders on tools and techniques for more meaningful public participation and conflict resolution. I developed EPA's International Guide on Public Participation and wrote the second edition of the Guide with a focus on environmental justice. I served for five years as an official U. S. delegate for the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development and recently co-authored EPA's Trash Free Water's International Implementation Guide. I also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer for three years; two years in rural El Salvador and one year in Parque Nacional de los Volcanes. I received a master's degree in Environmental Science and Policy from the Earth Institute at Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts in in English and Spanish from University of Dayton. In important news for the Border region, the draft Border 2025 framework will move forward once Administrator Regan is confirmed by the senate and he has had the opportunity to review and approve it. We hope this happens sometime in March, but timing could shift depending on confirmation date and final coordination with our partners in Mexico. In the meantime, I encourage you to review the 2019-2020 Action Plan close-out reports I look forward to collaborating with you, and hope you and those you love are safe and healthy during this time, Melissa Dimas Director of the San Diego Border Office U. S. Environmental Protection Agency ------- Border 2020 Spotlight: Amy Zimpfer, U.S. EPA We would like to congratulate Amy Zimpfer, Assistant Director of the Air and Radiation Division's Permits and Rules Branch in EPA Region 9, on her retirement! Amy actively participated in Border 2020 air task force meetings (Arizona/Sonora/California/Baja California) throughout her career. She has always been inspired and impressed by community work in the border region: "I am constantly inspired by our border communities who tirelessly work to improve their local environment Com it e Civico del Valle (CCV) in Imperial County, CA expanding efforts to use sensor technology for community air quality monitoring data is one example. Supported by the University of Washington, with some limited funding and technical support from EPA and others, CCV identified 40 locations to place PM2.5 sensors throughout the Valley and rallied local schools to help install and maintain them, with students learning how to use power tools in shop class to building the platforms for the sensors. And CCV has reached out to air quality agencies to co-locate the more sophisticated regulatory monitor so that data can be compared. Integrating all levels of the community in this project—from system design, to installation, to data collection and usage of the data—helps support sustainable change." She continues to have hope for binational enhancement of the environment and public health in border region communities. "Perhaps one of the most rewarding aspects of my time working on US/MX border issues is watching the cadre of environmental professionals involved in the Border grow and expand. Nothing is more inspirational than to watch the interns or young employees we brought on a decade or more ago continue to study and take on more and more challenging assignments, and now to see them become the leaders of today. The future is bright when I see the new young people coming into the environmental field in both our countries." - Amy Zimpfer Mil gracias, Amy! U.S. EPA Project Updates in the U.S.-Mexico Border Region New Projects to Reduce Transboundary Flows of Sewage into the New River There are two new and exciting projects focused on rehabilitating the wastewater collection system in Mexicali, Baja California. The projects are supported through two Border Environment Infrastructure Fund (BEIF) grants totaling $5.3 million. BEIF grants are funded by EPA and administered by North American Development Bank (NADB) Mexican federal, state, and local agencies will provide an additional $5.3 million. The projects will replace deteriorated pipelines and rehabilitate lift stations helping to prevent discharge of untreated wastewater into the New River. See the full press releases in English and Spanish. If you have any questions please reach out to Gabriela Baeza-Castaneda (baeza-castaneda.qabriela@epa.gov) ------- Trash Ciean-up and Mitigating Flood Hazards in Ambos Nogales In December 2020, the municipality of Nogales, Sonora completed the cleanup of 33 clandestine dumps along the Nogales River watershed and implemented various practices to prevent future dumping and flood hazards associated with dumping. Funded under a Border 2020 grant, the cleanup project resulted in the removal of almost 150 tons of trash and 438 tires while also preventing public health risks, flood hazards, and blight in the ambos Nogales region. The city of Nogales also surveyed businesses to estimate waste generation, identify current disposal practices and assess future waste management needs to prevent illegal dumping in the main business corridors of the city. If you have questions contact Emily Pimentel (pimentel.emilv@epa.gov) Upcoming Meetings and Webinars Please join EPA and Border 2020 program partners at various upcoming meetings in the border region. All meetings during this time are virtual due to COVID-19 challenges. See the Border 2020 calendar for more information and meeting updates: https://www. epa.gov/usmexicoborder/region-9-calendar Arizona- Sonora Air Task force Meeting Join us March 9th via ZOOM, from 9:30-11:30 AM (Pacific Time) for the Arizona/Sonora Air Quality Task Force meeting to learn more about air quality impacts on human health, ongoing projects to improve air monitoring and reduction of air pollution in the Nogales and San Luis Rio Colorado area, as well as updates from government and community-based organizations. Simultaneous interpretation will be available. For more details of the session here and for questions reach out to Idalia Perez (perez.idalia@epa.qovV NGO Webinar Sessions: Spring 2021 The EPA's Mexico Border Branch (MBB) is planning to host an open forum in Spring 2021. The forum offers a platform for non-profit organizations (NGOs), academic institutions, and foundations to inform border program partners, communities, and other region stakeholders about their work and priorities related to the protection of public health and environment in the Arizona/Sonora and California/Baja California border region. Environmental Justice Webinars The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is launching the Environmental Justice (EJ) and Systemic Racism Speaker Series. Spanish captioning will be available. Stay tuned for how to register. For more information about this series or if you would like to suggest a speaker, please contact Charles Lee (lee.charles@epa.gov) or Sabrina Johnson (iohnson.sabrina@epa.gov) ------- Confirmed speakers in this series: • The Mapping Inequality Project on March 4, 2021 at 12:00- 1:00 pm EST. Register here. It will be recorded, and during the session on Microsoft Teams you can use Spanish captions. • Dr. Jeremy Hoffman, Science Museum of Virginia, and Dr. Vivek Shandas, Portland State University, on a study correlating redlining maps with current location of urban heat islands (April 2021) • Cate Mingoya, Groundwork USA, Victor Medina, Groundwork Hudson Valley, and Melissa Guevara, Groundwork Richmond, Virginia, on application of this information in community organizing and policy advocacy (May 2021) • Yana Garcia and Jaimie Huynh, California EPA, on CalEPA's work on redlining and pollution (June 2021) • Roundtable Discussion: Enhancing multi-disciplinary and multi-sector collaboration to address redlining and current environmental disparities (July 2021) Earth Day Earth Day is coming up on Thursday, April 22! How will you celebrate this year? Send us a message and let us know: helqesen.iessica@epa.gov Air Quality Awareness Week (AQAW) 2021 will be held May 3-7 The goal of AQAW week is to increase air quality awareness and encourage people to incorporate knowledge of the Air Quality Index (AQI) into their daily lives. The theme for this year is "Healthy Air - Important for Everyone!" For questions, reach out to Idalia Perez (Perez.ldalia@epa.gov). The website currently shows last year's theme, but will be updated on May 3rd with the theme for 2021. See here for the Spanish link. Asthma Awareness Month in May; World Asthma Day May 5 Research shows that air pollution can cause and/or worsen asthma. Asthma is a chronic, long-term health condition of the lungs that affects the quality of life for more than 24 million Americans, including an estimated 6 million children. There is no cure for asthma yet, but it can be controlled through medical treatment and management of environmental asthma triggers. According to the California Department of Public Health, asthma emergency room visits in Imperial County continue to be among the highest in the state of California, an indication of uncontrolled asthma. Asthma continues to disproportionately impact Native American, Latino, and African Americans communities, with poverty and race strongly linked to negative asthma outcomes and higher death rates. Improving indoor air quality is extremely important for managing exposure to asthma triggers. See some helpful publications targeted for various stakeholders such as parents, caregivers, kids, social workers, promotores, and healthcare professionals to schools in English and Spanish. For more information on indoor air quality and asthma, please visit this link or reach out to Alheli Banos- Keener (Banos.Alheli@epa.gov) New Tools Updates on Actions Plans + Action Plan Summaries The U.S.-Mexico Border 2020 Program has finalized the 2019-2020 Action Plans. The plans provide a summary of known projects and efforts that are completed and/or will be ongoing in 2021. All funded projects are implemented along border communities in the Arizona-Sonora and California-Baja California regions. Please see this link in English and Spanish for more information. ------- The plans also track concrete activities, timeframes, outputs and outcomes that fulfill the aoals arid objectives of Border 2020. New Action Plans will be introduced under the future Border 2025 Program. For more information on the Action Plans for Region 9 Office, please contact Lorena Lopez-Powers at lopez- powers.lorena@epa.gov or Jessica Helgesen at helqesen.iessica@epa.gov 2019 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) National Analysis Report EPA's Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) is a public database of the toxic chemicals that are released, recycled, and treated, and pollution prevention activities in the U.S. each year, established in 1986 by the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA), Section 313. TRI tracks the management of certain toxic chemicals that may pose a threat to human health and the environment. U.S. facilities in different industry sectors must report annually how much of each chemical is released to the environment and/or managed through recycling, energy recovery and treatment. The last TRI report was for 2019 data and was released in October 2020. The TRI reports can be accessed via the TRI link (TRI Explorer - map- https://www.epa.gov/toxics-release- inventorv-tri-program ), that as of 2020 is now also available in Spanish. Additionally, there is a TRI fotonovela ( a pamphlet that uses photographs combined with small dialogue bubbles to depict a story,) to understand what are TRI sites in both Spanish and English. It was produced as part of the TRI Community Engagement Initiative, through community input provided by residents of Jurupa Valley, California. For more information on the TRI program, please see: https://www.epa.gov/toxics-release-inventorv-tri- program Grant Opportunities The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the availability of up to $6 million in grant funding under The Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving (EJCPS) Cooperative Agreement Program and The Environmental Justice Small Grants (EJSG) Program The EJCPS Cooperative Agreement Program's total estimated funding for this opportunity is approximately $3,200,000. EPA anticipates awarding two cooperative agreements of $160,000 each within each of the 10 EPA Regions. To learn more about pre-application assistance calls and how to apply for funding, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/environmental-iustice/environmental-iustice-collaborative-problem-solving- cooperative-agreement-0 The EJSG Program estimates approximately $2,800,000 will be awarded to approximately five applications per EPA region in amounts of up to $50,000 per award. This includes the EPA's Ports Initiative program which anticipates funding up to six additional projects that address clean air issues at coastal and inland ports or rail yards. To learn more about pre-application assistance calls and how to apply for funding, please visit https://www.epa.gov/environmentaliustice/environmentai-iustice-small-qrants-program EPA will be giving special consideration to the following focus areas: • Addressing COVID-19 concerns faced by low-income communities and communities of color • Climate Change and Natural Disaster Resiliency outreach and planning • New applicants to either opportunity 2019 TRI Factsheet: ZIP Code - 92154 Djlj Source: 2019 Updated DaUscl (released October 2020} The Toxics Release Inventory (TO) tracks (he management of retain toxic cfcemicats that may pc industrial faulities in the U.5. must leport annually hoavniuchof each chemical is recycled, annbui or otherwse released on- and off-site- This information is collectively referred to id for energy recovery, tr Map of TRI Facilities in ZIP Code 92154 Quick Facts for 2019 ZIP Code 92154 Number of TRI 4 facilities: I oUil Production- 503.6 thousand lbs Related Waste Managed: fotal On sue and Off 3.2 thousand lbs site Disposal or Other Releases: ai On-ate: 10 lbs m. USGS.NGA EP< nationwide based on total re «) United Stati 21.393 2.9 billion lbs 600.0 million Its 201.2 millnn lbs Looking at production-related waste managed over time helps track progress in reducing waste generated and moving toward safer waste management methods, EPA encourages facilities to first eliminate waste at Its source (source r«iud>oii) far wast? that rs generated, the preferred management method is recycling, fallowed by energy recovery, treatment, and as a last resort, dsposinij of or otherwise reteasing the waste. Under the Pollution Prevention Act of! 990, TO collects information to rra industry progress m reducing waste gener ation and moving towards safer waste management alternatives- Leam more about Pol ------- • Ports Initiative to assist people living and working near ports across the country • Small non-profits Applicants interested in either opportunity must submit proposal packages on or before May 7, 2021 to be considered for the available funding. Applicants should plan for projects to begin on October 1, 2021. Pre-application Assistance Calls: • First pre-application assistance calls are this Thursday (March 4th from 4:00 - 5:30 PM ET) for Small Grants and Friday (March 5th from 2:00 - 3:30 PM ET) for Collaborative Problem-Solving Grants. • EJSCREEN demo scheduled for next Wednesday (March 10th from 3:00 - 4:30 PM ET) For more information on environmental justice grants, funding, and technical assistance: https://www.epa.gov/environmentaliustice/environmental-iustice-grants-funding-and- technical-assistance. Stay Connected History: Building from the La Paz Agreement, the U.S. EPA and Mexico's Secretariat of the Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) have implemented four successive binational programs to meet emerging environmental challenges in this dynamic region. The most recent, Border 2020, continues a bottom-up approach and tackles emerging environmental issues. Program goals were established binationally and seek to improve air and water quality, reduce waste, strengthen emergency preparation and response, promote environmental stewardship and address environmental health. These goals directly align with the U.S. EPA's core programs, local priorities, and the original mandate from the La Paz Agreement to address the complex and on-going regional environmental challenges. EPA Border 2020 SEMARNAT: Frontera 2020 EPA Region 6 Calendar EPA Region 9 Calendar North American Development Bank Border 2020 Framework: English Spanish Border 2020 Video: English Spanish FOLLOW US o This e-mail was sent to you from the Border 2020 listen/. Please forward to others who may be interested. If you were forwarded this e-mail, sign-up for our listservs here. Please feel free to provide feedback on our newsletters on what to publish or let us know what you'd like to see more of by responding to this email. Thanks! ------- |