l&'JOj, Border 2025: US-Mexico Environmental Program 2021-2023 Action Plan Summary January 2023 The purpose of this summary is to highlight actions taking place in the California/Baja California (C A/BC) region. In early 2022, United States Environmental Protection Agency (U S EPA) and program partners completed the 2021-23 Action Plan. Its main objective is to track, assess, and report progress towards achieving Border 2025 Goals and Objectives including the Guiding Principles and Cross- CuttingMedias efforts. The Action Plan includes funded program commitments, timeframes and outputs for activities undertaken by US EPA and program partners working to improve environmental conditions in border and tribal communities of the CA/BC region. Currently, the CA/BC Action Plan contains 78 initiatives, under various stages of implementation or have been completed. • Maintain the bilingual, near real-time reporting website for Air Quality Monitoring Networks in the Imperial-Mexicali air basin (http://www.imperialvalleyair.org/). • Assist the Cities of Tijuana and Mexicali establish a network of air sensors to report particulate matter (PM2.5) and provide technical support to implement, supported by a California Air Resources Control Board (CARB). • Revise on-road motor vehicle emissions information for Baja California to have a better understanding of the impact of vehicle emissions on local air quality. • Implement the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) wastewater infrastructure projects to address transboundary pollution in Tijuana, BC/San Diego, CA o EPA continues to hold regular meetings with the public and federal, state, and local officials. o EPA, CONAGUA and the US and Mexican sections of the IBWC signed binational agreements in 2022 describing a comprehensive set of projects using $330 million dollars from the U.S. government and $144 million dollars from the Mexican government; all projects are to be completed by 2027. o Published final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement to accelerate NEPA process for first USMCA projects (e.g., expansion of the International Treatment Plant, wastewater collection upgrades in Tijuana). The Record of Decision is expected to be issued in early 2023. GOAL 1 - REDUCE AIR POLLUTION Goal 2 - Improve Water Quality 1 ------- • Plan and construct water infrastructure projects in CA/BC region to improve access to sanitation and reduce transboundary flows of untreated wastewater. The following projects in Mexicali will mitigate the risk of wastewater discharges into the New River. o The Wastewater Collection Main Lines Phase II Rehab project certified on November 30, 2022, will move forward to construction, o The Sewer Force Mains Rehab Project is expected to be certified in March 2023. o The Wastewater Collection Main Lines and Pump Station and Small Lift Stations Rehab Projects are both under construction with expected completion in early 2023 and mid-2023, respectively. GOAL 3 - PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS MANAGEMENT AND WASTE MANAGEMENT, AND CLEAN SITES • Implementation of three community-based sustainable materials management projects in Baja CA: o Environmental Health Coalition (EHC) is completing a Waste Analysis and Socio- Environmental Vulnerability Study along the Alamar River in Tijuana engaging over 100 volunteers the clean-up along the riparian vegetated area of the river, o Proyecto Fronterizo deEducacion Ambiental (PFEA) completed a waste characterization study in the Anexa Miramar community and volunteer-driven trash clean-ups. o San Antonio Necua, home of the Kumiai indigenous community, Instituto de Planeacion Ambiental y Calidad de Vida, Asociacion Civil) (INPACVI, A.C.) is leading the construction of a solid waste management center, including facilities for organics composting and recyclables sorting. • Completed the 2022 annual update to track and report new and established hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal, and spent lead-acid battery and electronics recycling facilities along the US-Mexico border, as required through the Consultative Mechanism for the Border states. GOAL 4 - IMPROVE JOINT PREPAREDNESS FOR AND RESPONSE TO HAZARDOUS ENVIRONMENTAL EMERGENCIES • Review and evaluate the existing Sister City Joint Contingency Plans (SCJCPs) for the California/Baja California region through a Border 2025 grant to Arizona State University (ASU). ASU will support this effort by conducting a minimum of two virtual SC JPC meetings with key stakeholders and the input from these meetings will be used to prepare a SCJCP Evaluation Report that will serve as a template for border communities to update future sister- city plans. • Deliver first responder awareness operations, including hazardous waste (HAZMAT) training to ten or more persons, as part of the technical support and Incident Commend System training needs. The regional training will take place in Mexicali through US EPA contract, with advance determination of training needs made in consultation with US EPA and PROFEPA. 2 ------- • Conduct initial consultation with Border Patrol (CBP) and U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and other parties to determine feasibility of an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) for responders to allow for improved transit across border to facilitate the movement of emergency personnel and equipment during drills or emergency events take place in sister-city communities. Guiding Principles and Cross-cutting Medias • Build awareness on pesticide exposure and ways to prevent and/or report it, through activities such as bilingual outreach, education on where to report illness and injuries, such as supporting the Annual Farmworkers Appreciation Breakfast in December 2022 (2,500 farmworkers) and 2021 (-400 farmworkers). These efforts are supported through the California Employment Development Department, US EPA, California Department of Pesticide Regulation, and the Imperial County Agricultural Commissioner's Office among other local partners. This year we also shared environmental health coloring books and healthy homes information in English and Spanish. • Held the Climate Justice Youth Forum on September 23, 2022, in partnership with the US EPA Mexico's Secretary for Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), and the North American Development Bank to empower eleven youth (18-27 years old) from the Imperial Valley of California and Mexicali, Baja California Mexico border region to support their roles as climate justice leaders and taking climate actions. • Published Border 2025 Program Quarterly Bilingual Newsletters (NL) to inform Program partners and community stakeholders of environmental efforts and grant funding opportunities in theregion and contribute to transparency and open communication withEPA's representatives and US-Mexico border team. Summary of active on-going and completed projects to date For a complete summary of California-Baja California Action Plan 2021-2023 see following link: https://www.epa.gov/usmexicoborder/region-9-action-plansplanes-de-accion-de- region-9https://www.epa.gov/usmexicoborder/region-9-action-plansplanes-de-accion-de- region-9 Goals Air Water Waste Emergency Guiding Principles Total Deliverable Achieved 8 3 6 17 Significant Progress 9 3 6 7 25 Moderate Progress 2 6 3 5 16 3 ------- Initial Progress 3 4 4 4 5 20 No Progress TOTAL 22 16 4 13 23 78 ------- |