U.S.-Mexico Border 2025 Newsletter: Fall 2022
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News from the San Diego Border Office
Greetings! My name is Jeremy Bauer, and i am the new
Director of EPA's San Diego Border Office, In this role, I will
oversee EPA's Border 2025 activities in California, Baja
California, Arizona, and Sonora and EPA's fieid office in
San Diego.
While this is a new role for me, border issues are not. In
fact, a prior opportunity to support the U.S.-Mexico
Environmental program (Border 2020 at the time) is what
initially drew me to take a position with EPA Region 9 in
San Diego more than 7 years ago. Before coming to
Region 9, I had the opportunity to address binational water
quality issues with an architecture and engineering firm in San Diego, and worked eight
years with U.S. EPA headquarters in the Office of Water in Washington, DC prior to
that. Most recently, I served in various management roles in EPA Region 9's Tribal,
Intergovernmental, and Policy Division in San Francisco but am now back in San Diego.
Before joining EPA, I served two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Nicaragua. I'm an
environmental engineer by education, with a bachelor's degree in environmental
geosciences from the University of Notre Dame and a master's degree in environmental
engineering from Virginia Tech.
I strongly believe in the mission of the U.S.-Mexico Border program, to collaborate
binationally to advance environmental protection and public health and I intend to leverage
my 20 years of experience in the environmental sector to benefit this program and the
communities we serve. As I begin this new role, I look forward to getting reacquainted with
those I worked with before and meeting new faces as well.
I'm pleased to share this latest issue of our newsletter highlighting recent efforts and
upcoming opportunities. Thank you for reading and always feel welcome to reach out.
Excited to join back with the U.S.-MX Border Team once again,
Jeremy Bauer
Director of the San Diego Border Office
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Recent Events
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Signing of Statement of intent (SOI) and Minute 328 between U.S.-MX
On August 18, 2022, EPA, CONAGUA, and the U.S. and Mexican Sections of the
International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) celebrated two new binational
agreements in Imperial Beach, CA. The Statement of Intent and Minute 328 outline
sanitation projects to be constructed in San Diego and Tijuana with a $330 million dollar
contribution from the U.S. government and $144 million dollar contribution from the Mexican
government.
The list of projects for implementation includes doubling the capacity of the South Bay
International Wastewater Treatment Plant (SBIWTP) in the U.S. and constructing a new
treatment plant in Mexico at San Antonio de los Buenos.
With these two projects, the amount of Mexican sewage undergoing treatment in the region
will increase by 43 million gallons per day, reducing sewage in both the Tijuana River and
the Pacific Ocean. Other projects include rehabilitation or replacement of deteriorated sewer
lines and pump stations in Tijuana to reduce line breaks and pump failures that result in
sewage spills to the Tijuana River, thus improving water quality.
Government representatives from the United States and ERA'S Deputy Assistant Administrator Bruno Pigott (left) and
Mexico gathered at the Tijuana River Estuary for the signing CONAGUA Manager Jose Gutierrez (right) sign the Statement
ceremony. ®f Intent.
Binational Waste and Materials Management Workshop
On June 8th, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), EPA and the
Baja CA Secretariat of the Environment & Sustainable Development (SMADS) held a
workshop for U.S.-Mexico cross-border shippers of hazardous waste, as well as
importers/exporters, brokers, recyclers, inspectors and government. The two government
agencies shared welcoming remarks to nearly 50 participants.
The audience learned about management of used catalytic converters, import/export of
both universal and electronic waste, EPA's regulated imports, and SMADS's regulations for
'specially managed waste'. CalRecycle presented its retread tire program and managing
waste tires along the border.
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"We're proud to collaborate with EPA to provide quality workshops addressing important
regulatory topics. We seek to increase environmental compliance and uphold the mission to
protect human health and the environment", said Carlo Rodriguez, Supervisory
Environmental Scientist at DTSC.
If you'd like to attend the next workshop, send an email to Carlo.Rodriguez(Sdtsc.ca.gov.
tCudies son [as Residues de Manejo Especial? -
DTSC-EPA Hazardous
Waste Workshop
CalRecycle's Tire Program, Retreads, & Manifesting
June 8, 2022
DalRecycle®
Presentation from SMADS
Presentation from Cai Recycle
Regional Tribal Operations Committee Meeting
On July 28, the Regional Tribal Operations Committee (RTOC), Border Workgroup held a
meeting, co-chaired by Camilo Perez, Pesticide Director for Fort Yuma Quechan Tribe and
Emily Pimentel, Border 2025 Program and Tribal Coordinator, US EPA, with two key
presentations.
Shelly Barnes, Customs and Border Protection presented "Border Wall Updates" covering
the "Border Wall Plan" July 2022 amendments to redirect barrier funds for environmental
remediation and mitigation and the installation of system attributes in places with previously
built barrier and public outreach held for these CBP Projects in 2022.
The projects prioritize funding to address life and safety and avert further environmental
damage or degradation. CBP is working with the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian
Affairs (BIA) to fund tribal cultural monitors and working closely with the Tohono O'odham
Nation and the Kumeyaay Tribe on projects in San Diego, El Centra, and Tucson Sectors.
Michael Wilken, Border Initiative presented on
"Mexican Indigenous Engagement in Climate
Actions" based on attending the 2022
Southwestern Tribal Climate Change Summit
(reported in the Spring newsletter). He noted
"transmission of tribal knowledges transcends
border" and the interest among Mexican
indigenous communities for facilitating this. He
recommended support be available for this under
the Border 2025 Program, working with Mexico's
Instituto Nacional de los Pueblos Indigenas
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Traditional lands in Baja California Mexico
(Photo credit: Michael Wilken)
(INPI. in English the National Institute of
Indigenous Peoples).
Upcoming Meetings and Webinars
Please join EPA and Border 2025 program partners at various upcoming meetings in the border region.
Meetings during this time are virtual or hybrid due to COVID-19 challenges and will include simultaneous
interpretation in English and Spanish. See the Border 2025 calendar for more information and meeting
updates: httDs://www.eDa.aov/usmexicoborder/reaion-9-calendar
Meetings
Climate Justice Youth Forum: Imperial Vallev-Mexicali Region
Date: Friday, Sep 23, 2022
Time: 9:30 AM-5:00 AM Pacific
On September 23, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) US-Mexico Border
Program and Environmental Justice Program, in collaboration with the North American
Development Bank (NADB), are hosting for the first time a Climate Justice Youth Forum in
the Mexicali-lmperial county region.
Through this event, we will convene young leaders ages 18-27 from the Imperial/Mexicali
region who have been or would like to become active in the climate justice space to develop
leadership, gain knowledge on climate change and environmental justice, and network with
community leaders and professionals. Applications for participation in this event were
required by August 24th, 2022, but EPA plans to host similar events in the future.
For more information or questions, contact Mario Zuniga at zuniga.mario@epa.gov.
Ambientalizate: Imperial/Mexicali Binational Air Quality Summit
Date: Sep 27-28, 2022
Organized by the Imperial-Mexicali Air Quality Task Force (TF), this two-day binational
summit to discuss air quality issues, ongoing activities and brainstorm solutions to issues.
The intended participants are the air quality TF members, Government (USA and Mexico),
Industry, Small Business, Academia, NGOs, Media, local Binational groups, and limited
participation of the community at large as space allows.
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• Location: Convention Center of the Araiza Inn Hotel, Mexicali
• More Information: www.ambientalizate.org
• Questions? Contact aqtf@ambientalizate.org
Arizona/Sonora Regional Taskforce Meetings
Date: Oct 6, 2022
Time: 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM (MT)
Join us at the Arizona-Sonora Regional Workgroup Task Force Meetings to learn more
about on-going projects, activities, and upcoming milestones of the Border 2025: U.S.-
Mexico Environmental Program. These meetings will be held in-person and virtually
(hybrid) for better participation.
Task force meetings will focus on the following strategic Border 2025 goals:
• Reduce Air Pollution
• Improve Water Quality
• Promote Sustainable Materials and Waste Management, and Clean Sites
• Improve Joint Preparedness for and Response to Hazardous Environmental
Emergencies
Note: There will be an environmental health session including a discussion on air quality and
asthma. Please let us know if there are additional environmental health topics you would like
to discuss.
Location: To Be Determined - City in Southern Arizona. Virtual meeting link will be shared
at a future date.
Time: 8:30 AM-4:00 PM
Border 2025 Contact: Lorena Lopez-Powers Lopez-Powers.Lorena(5>epa.gov
Webinars
AsthmaCommunityNetwork.org
Com
titl
Don't Miss the Webinar:
Innovations in Financing Environmental Asthma Home Visits Within Medicaid
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Hosted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Tuesday, September 13, 2022
2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. EDT
Attend this webinar to hear experts from California share information about—
• Technical solutions that state health care policymakers and community partners are
pioneering to improve asthma outcomes, reduce health disparities and cultivate health
equity.
• Innovations to address indoor environmental determinants of health (IEDOH) through clinic
and community integration, such as asthma home visits with environmental interventions
for children who need them for asthma control,
• Ways to collaborate between health care, public health, housing, community development,
energy and others to put the latest IEDOH policies and science to work to improve asthma.
Contact Us
Do you have questions?
Email: EPAAsthmaProgram@asthmacommunitynetwork.org
Waste Updates
Progress on Alamar River Community Clean-Up and Conserrvation Efforts
TALLER DE MAPEO
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IDUCTrVt *
On
Top: Map of Clean-Up Day at Alamar River
Left: Mapping Project Workshop
Border 2025's grantee Environmental Health Coalition (EHC) is making headway in
its Waste Analysis arid Socio-Envirorimental Vulnerability study along the Alamar River in
Tijuana.
Recently, EHC and its partners engaged over 100 volunteers, including U.S. and Mexican
public officials, in a 'Clean-up Day' for the forested area of the river. They collected and
classified % metric ton (1.000 kilos / 2.205 lbs, the weight of four adult male polar bears) of
trash/materials in nine categories. "The Tijuana community that responded to the call to
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clean up the Alamar river took an important step forward, thus helping reconstruct our
societal fabric. It was a bittersweet moment, since the majority of us joined forces to pick up
trash by hand," said Magdalena Cerda, Border Environmental Justice Policy Advocate of
EHC.
EHC is using GPS to map and classify illegal trash burning sites, dumps and wastewater
runoff in neighborhoods adjacent to the river. This will later lead to an environmental plan for
the area, ultimately benefiting the bi-national Tijuana River watershed.
If you have questions about the project reach out to villasenor.andre@epa.gov.
Air Updates
Community Health through Cleaner Air: The Story of
the Salton Sea
From July 26 to August 25 of 2022, EPA partnered with the
University of California Riverside (UCR) for the third year
on the "Bridging the Gap from Education to Employment"
(BGEE) internship program. This internship was conducted
as part of the five-year memorandum of understanding to
support recruitment, education, and outreach between EPA
Region 9 and UCR, originally signed in 2008, and renewed
for the third time in 2018. This year, the internship also collaborated with the California Air
Resources Board (CARB).
The BGEE program aims to develop undergraduate student's career skills and experience,
particularly low-income and first-generation students. The internship includes a personal
development and technical track. This year's student cohort worked on a community project
called "Community Health through Cleaner Air: The Story of the Salton Sea." Over the 5-
week internship, the students explored three dimensions of the Salton Sea:
• Environmental and ecosystem health
• Human health, and the intersection between air quality and health disparities
• Environmental justice and community action
The students' final deliverable was a set of recommendations for how the government can
support the diverse needs of Salton Sea stakeholders, which included ideas for additional
outreach and engagement to communities and possible technical solutions to decrease
windblown dust.
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The interns along with UCR, CARB and EPA staff during the final presentation
October is
Children's Health Month
October - Binationai Health and Children's Health Month
Children's health is every day, but in October we like to highlight and prioritize
children's health outreach. In particular within the border region due to
binationai health month we also strive to share resources in Spanish.
Tips to keep your family healthy and safe!
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• Prevent Poisoning Store pesticides and other household chemicals
where your children can't reach them, and never put them in other
containers that kids can mistake for food or drink.
Visit: www.epa.gov/safepestcontrol/reduce-vour-childs-chances-
pesticide-poisoninq
• Find Safer Choice Products: Find products that meet the Safer
Choice criteria for children, school staff, and the environment. When
you see a product with the Safer Choice label, it means that every
ingredient in the product has been evaluated by EPA scientists.
Visit: www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-
10/documents/safe rchoice-factsheet-schools.pdf
• Get Your Child Tested for Lead: Have your child tested for lead by
your health care provider or your local health department.
Visit: www.epa.gov/lead/protect-vour-familv-exposures-
lead#protect
• Protect Children from Lead-Based Paint: If you live in a home built
before 1978, use certified renovators who are trained by EPA-approved
training providers and follow lead-safe work practices.
Visit: www.epa.gov/lead/lead-renovation-repair-and-painting-
program
• Reduce Risks from Lead in Drinking Water: Run water until it
becomes cold. Use only cold water for drinking, cooking, and making
formula. Visit: www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-
water/basic-information-about-lead-drinking-water#reducehome
For more tips, visit: https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2020-
10/documents/childrenshealthoct2020 eng-2.pdf
Border 2025 Action Plans for 2021-2023 are Now Available Online
The Border 2025 Action Plans provide a summary of projects and efforts that are on-
going and funded in U.S.-Mexico border and tribal communities.
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The 2021-2023 Action Plans also track concrete activities, timeframes, and outputs
and outcomes that fulfill the goals and objectives of the Border 2025 Program.
Overall, the Action Plans align resources towards improving the environmental and
public health of residents living along the border region.
The 2021-2023 Action Plans are now available online. See the following link for the
Action Plans both in English and Spanish for the Arizona/Sonora (AZ-SN) and
California/Baja California (CA-BC) border region.
Note: If you have any questions/comments on these, please contact Lorena Lopez
Powers (AZ-SN) or Emily Pimentel (CA-BC).
988
24/7 Crisis
& Support
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
The easy-to-remember 3-digit 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline number
is now live in the U.S. If you or someone you know needs support
now, call or text 988 or chat 988Lifeline.org. 988 connects you
with a trained crisis counselor who can help.
Grant Opportunities
EPA Announces Initial Availability of $11 Million for Technical Assistance Centers to
Support Underserved Communities
Up to $50 Million in Multi-Year Grants Available to Applicants Under Future Phases in Partnership with
Department of Energy
Deadline October 4
On August 8, EPA announced the availability of $11 million in grant funding to establish Environmental
Justice (EJ) Thriving Community Technical Assistance Centers across the nation.
The Centers will provide an unprecedented level of support to help ensure that federal resources are
equitably distributed and meet the on-the-ground environmental justice challenges that communities have
faced for generations.
They will also provide technical assistance, training, and capacity-building support to communities with EJ
concerns and their partners. They plan to help communities navigate federal systems such
as Grants.gov and SAM.gov, effectively managing and leveraging grant funding, and improve meaningful
engagement through the provision of translation and interpretation services for limited English-speaking
participants.
This program will coordinate with and complement the Department of Transportation's Thriving
Communities Initiative that provides technical assistance and capacity building resources to improve and
foster thriving communities through transportation improvements.
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Eligible Entities for cooperative agreement grant opportunity: public and private universities and colleges;
public and private nonprofit institutions/organizations; and intertribal consortia.
For more information on this opportunity: https://www.epa.gov/environmentaliustice/environmental-
iustice-thrivinq-communities-technical-assistance-centers
For more information on other grant funding and technical
assistance: https://www.epa.qov/environmentaliustice/environmental-iustice-qrants-fundinq-and-
technical-assistance
Stay Connected
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