Good Neighbor Environmental Board

**Innovative and Practical**  **Approaches to Solving Border**

**Environmental Problems** 

1 Twelfth Annual Report to the President and Congress of the United States 

## Innovative and Practical **Approaches to Solving Border Environmental Problems**  Press Briefing Wa shington, D.C., March 10, 2009Good Neighbor Environmental Board

**Innovative and Practical**  **Approaches to Solving Border**

**Environmental Problems** 

Twelfth Annual Report To the President and Congress 2 

## • 9 case studies and 4 case highlights of successful projects that address important border environmental problems

– demonstrate the power of mobilizing local, regional, and state stakeholders from both sides of the border

– Reveal the critical role that federal agencies and the U.S. Congress playGood Neighbor Environmental Board

**Innovative and Practical**  **Approaches to Solving Border**

**Environmental Problems** 

Twelfth Annual Report To the President and Congress 3Good Neighbor Environmental Board

**Innovative and Practical**  **Approaches to Solving Border**

**Environmental Problems**  

## • Recommendations

– Continued and enhanced efforts at the federal level to facilitate crossborder cooperation on transboundary environmental issues

– Enhanced federal support for the Border 2012 Program process
—the joint U.S. -Mexico effort to resolve border environmental problems
—as well as other border environmental initiatives, including infrastructure Twelfth Annual Report To the President and Congress 4Good Neighbor Environmental Board

**Innovative and Practical**  **Approaches to Solving Border**

**Environmental Problems**  

## • Recommendations

– Improved cooperation across media, federal agencies, and local and state entities to resolve many border environmental issues efficiently

– Increased federal leadership in fostering markets and support for renewable energy, alternative fuels, and reuse of scrap material, both domestically along the border and across the border with Mexico Twelfth Annual Report To the President and Congress 5Good Neighbor Environmental Board

**Innovative and Practical**  **Approaches to Solving Border**

**Environmental Problems** 

Twelfth Annual Report To the President and Congress 6Good Neighbor Environmental Board

**Innovative and Practical**  **Approaches to Solving Border**

**Environmental Problems**  

### • Wastepaper to create building blocks, reduce landfill burning

– Ambos Nogales

– Compatible with local building methods

– Binational collaboration: • Business • Community • Universities • Border 2012 Twelfth Annual Report To the President and Congress 7Good Neighbor Environmental Board

**Innovative and Practical**  **Approaches to Solving Border**

**Environmental Problems**  

### • Constructed wetlands to clean contaminated problem

– Imperial Valley, CA

– Reduce sedimentation, biological contaminants

– Potential problem with selenium

– Coalition of local groups, federal agencies, Congressional support Twelfth Annual Report To the President and Congress 8Good Neighbor Environmental Board

**Innovative and Practical**  **Approaches to Solving Border**

**Environmental Problems** 

Eleventh Annual Report To the President and Congress 9Good Neighbor Environmental Board

**Innovative and Practical**  **Approaches to Solving Border**

**Environmental Problems**  

### • Transboundary airshed management and emissions trading

– Paso del Norte

– Pollution credits for El Paso utility for building lower pollution brick kilns in Ciudad Juárez

– Under Texas law Twelfth Annual Report To the President and Congress 10Good Neighbor Environmental Board

**Innovative and Practical**  **Approaches to Solving Border**

**Environmental Problems**  

### • Coastal wetland to restore habitat and species and to reduce windborne dust

– Brownsville

– Extensive partnering and working across media

– Marine and estuarine species have returned

– Dust clouds eliminated immediately Twelfth Annual Report To the President and Congress 11Good Neighbor Environmental Board

**Innovative and Practical**  **Approaches to Solving Border**

**Environmental Problems**  

### • Binational biodiesel production in Ambos Nogales

– Reduce grease problems in binational sewage treatment system

– Waste vegetable oil to produce fuel and soap

– Industry, universities, Border 2012, and state environmental agency Twelfth Annual Report To the President and Congress 12Good Neighbor Environmental Board

**Innovative and Practical**  **Approaches to Solving Border**

**Environmental Problems**  

# 9

• Wind power for renewable and clean energy

– Tribal development of Campo Kumeyaay Nation

– Wi nd and land resource use

– Key role of federal government Twelfth Annual Report To the President and Congress 13Good Neighbor Environmental Board

**Innovative and Practical**  **Approaches to Solving Border**

**Environmental Problems** 

Twelfth Annual Report To the President and Congress 14 For More Information: Paul Ganster, Chair, Good Neighbor Environmental Board pganster@mail.sdsu.edu Mark Joyce, Designated Federal Of ficer, OCEM Joyce.Mark@epa.gov