Contents:

BECC Board Certifies 8th Project

Members of BECC and JPAC Meet in San Diego

NADBank Hosts Third Small Community Meeting in San Antonio

Border Governors Declare Support for BECC-NADBank in Joint Declaration

Meeting with Coahuila Governor Montemayor

Developing a Regional Landfill for the "Frontera Chica" of Tamaulipas

City of Palomas Hosts Town Meeting to Ask for Public Support

BECC-NADBank MOU Available for Public Comment

Public Review Schedule for BECC Guidelines And Criteria

Sustainable Development Consultant Announced

BECC Welcomes Newest Advisory Council Member

New Step I format recived

The BECC Board of Directors unanimously approved the EPISO project during the 9th public meeting of the Board held on July 18th, in San Diego, California. The On-Site Self-Help Wastewater Treatment System Project for the Colonias of El Paso County, Texas, sponsored by the El Paso Interreligious Sponsoring Organization (EPISO), will provide residents of three colonias the opportunity to install septic systems at the lowest possible cost. Currently, thousands of border residents on the U.S.-Mexico border live in colonia developments which lack basic services including drinking water treatment, sewage collection, and wastewater treatment, a condition which promotes disease and environmental degradation.

More than 150 witnessed the certification of the project, which is designed to provide no-interest loans to help 250 colonia families properly install septic tanks and treat their household sewage.

The innovative project is a collaborative effort among EPISO, the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), and the families themselves. The project will build upon what has already been accomplished by these groups through a $20,000 demonstration project funded by the Levi Strauss Foundation. It could be replicated throughout the border region, to provide a low-cost alternative to conventional wastewater treatment systems in certain areas, and reduce the risk of environmental and health contamination for families living without any treatment.

Following Board approval of the EPISO project, Dr. Jorge Bustamante, Chairman of the BECC Board, commented that the project should serve as a model for other border communities, especially in Mexico. He recognized EPISO's special initiative to involve the colonia residents in the project.

General Manager Roger Frauenfelder remarked that the EPISO project is in line with the goals of the Border State Small Community Initiative, to identify low-cost and alternative technology projects for smaller communities, thus providing viable and more affordable solutions to environmental and health problems.

The EPISO project marks the 8th project certified by the BECC Board of Directors, worth a combined total of $91 million dollars. With BECC certification, the project qualifies for financing consideration from the North American Development Bank (NADBank), and other funding sources.

• Water Treatment Plant, Brawley California, Est. Capital Cost: $17 million dollars
• Wastewater Treatment Plant, Ensenada, Baja California, Est. Capital Cost: $14 million dollars
• Wastewater Reclamation and Reuse Project, El Paso, Texas, Est. Capital Cost: $11.7 million dollars
• Wastewater Treatment Plant, FINSA Industrial Park, Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Est. Capital Cost: $1 million dollars
• Water Supply and Distribution Project, Phase I, Nogales, Sonora, Est. Capital Cost: $39 million dollars
• Water and Wastewater Project, Douglas, Arizona, Est. Capital Cost: $2 million dollars
• Water Supply and Wastewater Treatment Project, Naco, Sonora, Est. Capital Cost: $653,000 dollars
• On-Site Self-Help Wastewater Treatment Project, El Paso, Texas, est. Capital Cost: $110,000 dollars

Members of the BECC Board of Directors, Advisory Council, and staff met with members of the Joint Public Advisory Council (JPAC) and staff of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) for the first time during the JPAC's regular session on July 18th in San Diego, California.

The meeting was arranged so that the two NAFTA environmental institutions could have an opportunity to meet and exchange information and experiences after year's operation. The members of the BECC and JPAC are considering annual meetings of this nature to facilitate more detailed exchanges in the future.

Located in Montreal, Canada, the CEC was created by an environmental side agreement to NAFTA to help Mexico, United States, and Canada address transboundary environmental concerns. The JPAC's role is to advise the Council, or the governing body of the CEC, on any matter within the scope of the agreement creating the CEC. The JPAC has fifteen members representing five from each country. Dr. Jorge Bustamante, Chairman of the BECC Board of Directors, also represents Mexico on the JPAC.

NADBank hosted the third meeting of the Border State Small Community Initiative in San Antonio, Texas on June 17th. The meeting was part of an overall initiative of the U.S.-Mexico border states, co-sponsored by the Western Governors' Association (WGA), to work with BECC and NADBank in addressing environmental infrastructure needs of small border communities. The first two meetings took place in January and April of this year and were hosted by BECC in El Paso, Texas and Cd. Juárez, Chihuahua. The June 17 meeting was attended by NADBank, BECC, WGA, IBWC, CILA, representatives from nine border states, EPA, CNA, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The focus of the third meeting was on financial concepts and programs for assisting small communities and BECC's proposed Project Development Assistance Program (PDAP). The discussion on financial assistance concentrated on possible concepts NADBank could develop to help small communities. Later, participants shared their views on specific ways in which BECC and NADBank could streamline criteria for small communities, especially in relation to PDAP. Least cost design issues were the topic of the last part of the meeting as the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC) gave a presentation on the Texas Small Towns Environment Program (STEP) -- a self-help program to help small communities achieve innovative and cost effective solutions to urgent water and wastewater problems.

One of the program's goals is for BECC and NADBank to work more closely with the state governments in the development of environmental infrastructure projects. To facilitate this process, BECC and NADBank are conducting individual meetings with government officials from each border state who are most involved in infrastructure projects. Two meetings have already taken place, in Sonora and New Mexico, while meetings with the remaining border states are scheduled to take place over the next six months.

The meeting in Sonora was held in Puerto Peñasco and resulted in five project applications to the BECC for small communities. The New Mexico meeting consisted of a tour of colonias in Doña Ana county, leaving plans for a Santa Fe meeting with the state government for later this year. Both meetings were attended by state and local officials, and BECC and NADBank staff. BECC and NADBank will coordinate a final meeting with the group as a whole to conclude the initiative, after each of the individual meetings with state governments has taken place.

For more information, contact Angeles Villarreal at Tel: (011-52-16) 29-23-95, or e-mail: avillarreal@cocef.interjuarez.com.

The ten U.S. and Mexican Border Governors declared their support for the BECC and NADBank in a Joint Declaration signed on May 31, 1996, following the XIV Border Governor's Conference held in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

In the Environmental Controls section of the Joint Declaration, the Border Governors agreed "...to encourage the Presidents of the United States of America, and the United States of Mexico to continue to fully support the work of the BECC and NADBank on implementation of border environmental infrastructure projects..."

The Governors also recommended that "...to ensure the continued support and cooperation of the border states in the mission of the BECC and NADBank, the processing of applications needs to be streamlines and expedited."

The Border Governors meet annually to further binational cooperation in areas affecting their shared borders including trade, immigration, health, and environment.

Representatives of the BECC and NADBank, Mexico's National Water Commission (CNA), and the Mexican Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC/CILA) met with Coahuila Governor Rolegio Montemayor Seguy and Coahuila Secretary of Social Development and BECC Director Rogelio Ramos Oranday last month to discuss the status of the wastewater treatment plants for the Coahuila border cities of Piedras Negras and Cd. Acuña. Both cities have submitted their projects to the BECC for certification consideration. Presently, IBWC/CILA is engaged in the facilities planning for both projects. IBWC/CILA received resources to oversee the facilities planning for six Mexican border cities from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last year. The other four cities that will be assisted by IBWC/CILA funding are Mexicali, Baja California, Nogales, Sonora, Ojinaga, Chihuahua, and Reynosa, Tamaulipas.

With a number organizations involved in the two Coahuila projects, the meeting focused on coordinating efforts and maximizing resources available for project development. IBWC/CILA will utilize their resources to advance the project and oversee all basic studies for the new sites.

Representatives of the BECC and NADBank met with Julia Hernández, Tamaulipas Secretary of Ecology and Urban Development, Arturo Sepulveda, Undersecretary of Ecology and Urban Development and BECC Advisor, representatives of SEDESOL, and the Mayors from the five Mexican border cities comprising the "Frontera Chica": the section of Tamaulipas' northern border that includes the cities of Guerrero, Mier, Miguel Alemán, Camargo, and Diaz Ordaz. The meeting focused on developing a regional solid waste landfill for these rural communities.

For more information, contact Ing. Adolfo Urias, BECC's Program Manager for Engineering, at tel: (011-52-16) 29-23-95; e-mail: aurias@cocef.interjuarez.com.

The City of Palomas, Chihuahua hosted a town meeting on Saturday, July 13th, to ask the community for their support to build water and wastewater treatment facilities for the City of approximately 5,000 people. More than 70 community members participated in the meeting to discuss issues related to developing the modern infrastructure. Presently, only a small percentage of Palomas residents receive city water or wastewater services.

Palomas Mayor Alfonso Vazquez and State of Chihuahua Delegate Francisco Jaimes Acuña presided over the two-hour meeting to seek input and support from the public on the proposed projects. City officials asked the community to consider higher utility bills as consequence of providing these new services. Members of the BECC staff also attended the meeting to explain the BECC process and witness the community's response to the project proposal.

Representatives from the City of Columbus, New Mexico and the State of New Mexico also attended the meeting to identify ways in which the two sister cities can take a regional approach to solving water and wastewater infrastructure needs in the future.

Meeting participants encouraged City and State officials to move forward with the projects, giving water treatment a higher priority. BECC has agreed to provide technical assistance to the City of Palomas to move the projects from an idea phase into project development and design.

The meeting was an excellent example of how to include the community in the decision-making process at the earliest stages of project development. The City of Palomas plans to maintain in close contact with the community throughout the process. Community participation is required to receive technical assistance from the BECC.

For more information, contact Hector Gonzalez, BECC's Strategic Planning Program Manager at tel: (011-52-16) 29-23-95; e-mail: hgonzalez@cocef.interjuarez.com.

The BECC and NADBank have carefully developed a joint Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Both institutions have provisionally approved the MOU and intend to sign the document in the near future. The primary purpose of the MOU is to clarify the relationship between the two institutions.

The institutions wish to receive public comment on any substantive issues raised by the MOU. Please provide the General Manager of the BECC, and the Managing Director of the NADBank, any comments by August 18, 1996. The draft MOU was provided during the July 18th public meeting of the Board of Directors, has been published on the BECCNET, and is available request.

For a copy of the draft MOU, contact Chuck Sheehan, BECC's General Counsel, at tel: (011-52-16) 29-23-95; e-mail: csheehan@cocef.interjuarez.com.

The first phase of public review of the BECC Guidelines for Project Submission and Criteria for Project Certification document has been completed after a 43 day review period. Comments were supportive of the existing document and generally related to the following themes: elimination of duplications within the document, ensuring that the BECC process does not duplicate state and federal processes, simplifying the criteria for small communities, maintaining or strengthening the criteria, strengthening the sustainable development criteria, and developing and incorporating a policy for private-only projects. A report synthesizing public comments and BECC responses to the comments will be made available to the public at the end of the public review process.

A draft of the proposed changes to the Criteria document will be provided to the public for comment in mid-August. The availability of the document will be announced in the Federal Register, Diario Federal, BECCNEWS, and BECCNET and will be available on BECC's Home Page at http://cocef.interjuarez.com.

A public meeting has been scheduled for September 26th at the Hotel Lucerna in Cd. Juárez, to receive oral comments from the public on this draft. Information on how to provide oral and written comments will be provided in the announcements. It is anticipated that the criteria will be considered for adoption at the next public meeting of the BECC Board of Directors on October 29, 1996 in Laredo, Texas.

For additional information or to request a copy of the draft of proposed changes, please contact April Lander, Program Manager - Environment, at tel. 011-52 (16) 29-23-95; e-mail alander@cocef.interjuarez.com.

The U.S./Mexican partnership of Luis Sanchez de Carmona of the Planeco firm in Mexico and Kaare Kjos, an independent consultant from San Diego, was awarded a contract for the Sustainable Development Analysis Project, to assist the BECC to 1) analyze the principles, criteria, and incentives for sustainable development used by institutions not only in the United States and Mexico but internationally; 2) review public comments on sustainable development, 3) develop a methodology to evaluate the level of sustainability of projects, and finally 4) develop recommendations for revision of the Sustainable Development section of the BECC Criteria.

The BECC received 27 proposals in response to the Request for Proposals. All of the project applicants demonstrated expertise to assist with the development of sustainable environmental projects in the border region. Recognizing the need to make this expertise more widely available to the public and project sponsors, the BECC has developed a list of persons/organizations with such sustainable development expertise, which includes those individuals who submitted proposals for the Analysis Project. (See attached table.)

For more information, or to provide information for inclusion on the list, please contact April Lander, Program Manager- Environment at Tel. (52) (16) 29-23-95 or E-mail alander@cocef.interjuarez.

After 18 months in operation, more than 360 people are signed onto BECCNET, a free Internet service that provides information on BECC and NADBank issues and activities. The information network is an excellent forum for open and interactive exchange on issues related to the U.S.-Mexico border environment, with organizations and individuals participating from both sides of the border. Managed by the Udall Center for Public Policy Studies at the University of Arizona, the BECCNET complements information already available on BECC's Home Page: http://cocef.interjuarez.com.

To subscribe to BECCNET, send an e-mail message over the Internet as follows:

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The BECC cordially welcomes the newest member of the BECC Advisory Council. Manuel Feliciano Flores Revuelta was appointed by Mexico to represent the State of Coahuila. Ing. Flores is currently the President of the Technological University of Coahuila.

The BECC has received Step I forms for the following projects during the month of July. Please note that the listings do not represent any type of BECC staff recommendation concerning the potential for project certification.

• Solid Waste Recycling Center, Mexicali, Baja California. Non-hazardous and hazardous (hospital) waste recycling including collection, handling, incineration plus other processes to use products as coarse aggregate or raw materials for further use in a way that will eliminate noxious effects. Est. Capital Cost: $200,000 dollars. Contact: Ing. Eduardo Martínez Arrequi, Director General, Servicios Industriales California, S.A. de C.V., Valle del Bravo #1041-BIS, Fraccionamiento Jardines del Valle, Mexicali, B.C. Tel: (011-52-65) 62-89-89; Fax: (011-52-65) 62-05-67. Rec'd: 07/08/96.