EPA Announces Over $335,000 for Projects in U.S.-Mexico Border Region

EPA Announces Over $335,000 for Projects in U.S.-Mexico Border Region

Media contacts: Jennah Durant or Joe Hubbard, [email protected] or 214 665-2200

DALLAS – (Oct. 27, 2020) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced $335,855.48 in grants awarded through the Border 2020: U.S.-Mexico Environmental Program. The grants will fund projects benefitting the U.S.-Mexico border region between Texas and New Mexico and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon and Tamulipas. In addition to these funds, recipient organizations will contribute an additional $426,630 for the support and implementation of these projects which benefit a region where more than 15 million people reside.

“Through the Border 2020 program, EPA works with federal, state, and local partners to enhance communities on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border,” said Regional Administrator Ken McQueen. “EPA is proud to fund these projects that, coupled with local investment, will improve environmental and health outcomes and benefit millions of people in the border communities of both nations.”

“The Border 2020 program has been successful at working to improve health and living conditions along the US-Mexico border as evident with the funding of these projects,” said Calixto Mateos-Hanel, Managing Director of the North American Development Bank (NADB). “NADB is pleased to work in collaboration on Border 2020 with EPA and the Mexican Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) and look forward to continuing this partnership with the Border 2025 program.”

“We are grateful to the EPA for the Border 2020 project, benefiting El Paso and our Sister City, Cd. Juarez,” said El Paso Mayor Dee Margo. “I look forward to continued collaboration along the border, supporting our environment and bi-national community.”  

The following projects received funding:

Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua: Two projects in Ciudad Juarez received funding totaling $121,501.40. The Patronato del Museo de Nino’s Transboundary Water Conservation Project received $61,041.40 for community education and outreach. The project will engage area youth with interactive exhibits that teach about agricultural, urban, and industrial water usage. The Municipal Water and Sanitation Board of Ciudad Juarez received $60,460 for the Sustainable Use of Biosolids Through Composting Project. The project will establish a program for composting biosolids including compost production techniques, field procedures, machinery management, and personnel training. It will produce 100 tons of compost suitable for use in parks and gardens.

Nava, Coahuila: The Secretariat of Environment for the State of Coahuila received $82,100 to analyze emissions from coal-fired plants in the area. The project will use dispersion modeling to study the emissions, and will include an analysis of health impacts. At the end of the project, a public campaign will be conducted to inform stakeholders of the results.

El Paso, Texas:  The El Paso area received grants for two projects totaling $32,350 in funding. The El Paso County received $9,980 for the Urban Heat Island Mapping Project, which will educate the community on warming of urban areas and improve quality of life for the community. The project will produce heat maps for El Paso and engage the public to understand heat-related issues and solutions. The El Paso City-County Office of Emergency Management received $22,370 for two binational tabletop discussions and three functional exercises involving a rail tank car leak. The funding will also help purchase spill mitigation equipment that can quickly be deployed to protect the environment and the community in the event of a hazardous materials spill from rail tanks in El Paso, Texas and Cd. Juarez, Chihuahua.

Amistad Reservoir, Del Rio, Texas: The Southwest Research Institute received $99,904 for work with U.S. and Mexican federal and state partners to delineate the Goodenough Spring Catchment Area Project by the Amistad Reservoir. The project team aims to help stakeholders in the region better understand the catchment area to help effectively manage and protect it for long term-use sustainability.

These funds were awarded in partnership with the North American Development Bank under the Border 2020: U.S.-Mexico Environmental Program, a binational effort to protect human health and the environment in the U.S.-Mexico border region.

For more about EPA’s Border 2020 program: https://www.epa.gov/usmexicoborder

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About EPA Region 6: https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-region-6-south-central  

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