News Releases from Region 09

U.S. EPA awards $255,000 to advance environmental projects in the Arizona/Sonora border region

An additional $101,000 will be matched by the recipient organizations

Contact Information: Soledad Calvino (calvino.maria@epa.gov) 415-972-3512

NOGALES, Ariz. – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced that it will award over $255,000 for environmental projects benefitting the U.S.-Mexico border region between Arizona and the Mexican state of Sonora.



“Protecting the public health of our border communities with Mexico is a top priority of EPA, and these grants and matching funds will provide a safer and healthier work environment for the community and our state, tribal, and federal partners as we monitor changes in air and water quality,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “Improving the environmental health of tribes across the country is a core EPA value, and the border region remains one of our main focuses.”



The awards are given through the agency’s Border 2020: U.S.-Mexico Environmental Program. The recipient organizations will contribute an additional $101,000 to fund projects to: improve proper management of scrap vehicles and discarded electronics; build capacity on environmental health for three border tribes; and enhance sustainable stormwater management with green infrastructure alternatives.



“The mission of Border 2020 is to protect public health and the environment in the U.S.-Mexico border region,” said EPA’s Assistant Administrator for International and Tribal Affairs and the U.S. Border 2020 National Coordinator Chad McIntosh. “These projects will further the work that has led to significant environmental and health improvements in our border communities.”



“Addressing the complex environmental issues we face along the border is a priority we share with our colleagues in Mexico,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator John Busterud. “These projects will benefit communities on both sides of our shared border.”



The University of Arizona and the Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona will partner with three member tribes, the Tohono O'odham Nation, the Cocopah Tribe, and the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, to identify environmental health priorities and training needs. They will then organize workshops to discuss integrated pest management and emergencies related to vector-borne disease.



The University of Sonora will conduct train-the-trainer workshops on safe practices to recycle discarded electronics (e-waste) in three communities. They will adapt guidance from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality’s (ADEQ) e-waste toolkit Exitand develop a best practices manual for collection events.



Arizona State University, with key stakeholders from both sides of the border, will map green infrastructure options that would improve transboundary water flows during wet weather in Nogales, Sonora and Nogales, Arizona (Ambos Nogales). Land-use planning stakeholders will work with the public to remove legal and regulatory barriers and promote sustainable stormwater management options.



The Municipality of Nogales, Sonora, with the Sonoran state environmental commission (CEDES), will implement the scrap vehicle disposal guide developed by EPA and SEMARNAT (EPA’s federal counterpart in Mexico). They will conduct an inventory of “junk” vehicle and recycling centers, assess current practices, provide compliance assistance, and conduct workshops on best management practices.



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 information on the Border 2020 Program, please visit: www.epa.gov/border2020.



For most recent information see our Region 9 Winter Newsletter for Border 2020



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