[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 181 (Monday, September 19, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57983-57985]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-23981]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-9466-2]


Notice of the Availability of the Draft Framework for the U.S.-
Mexico Environmental Program: Border 2020

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the 
Secretaria de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (Mexico's Secretariat 
of Environment and Natural Resources, SEMARNAT) is announcing the 
availability of the draft document, ``Border 2020: U.S.-Mexico 
Environmental Program''. Border 2020 is an eight-year, bi-national, 
results-oriented, environmental program for the U.S.-Mexico border 
region, which has been developed by the EPA and SEMARNAT, the 26 U.S. 
border Tribes, the indigenous communities of Mexico and the 
environmental agencies from each of the ten U.S.-Mexico border states.
    The proposed Border 2020 Program is the latest multi-year, bi-
national planning effort to be implemented under the La Paz Agreement 
and succeeds Border 2012, a ten-year program that will end in 2012. The 
mission of Border 2020 is ``to protect public health and the 
environment in the U.S.-Mexico border region, consistent with the 
principles of sustainable development''. EPA is requesting comments 
from interested parties and border stakeholders on the draft Border 
2020 Framework.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted no later than November 30, 
2011.

ADDRESSES: Written comments can be submitted by mail or fax to EPA 
Office of International and Tribal Affairs (OITA) or either of EPA's 
Border Offices (see section VI-C). Comments can also be submitted on 
EPA's U.S.-Mexico Border Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/border2012. In 
addition, EPA will be accepting comments at public meetings to be held 
throughout the border region during September and October 2011. The 
draft framework, ``Border 2020: U.S.-Mexico Environmental Program'', is 
posted in English and Spanish on EPA's Border Web page at: http://www.epa.gov/border2012. In addition, English/Spanish copies of the 
draft document can be requested by contacting the EPA Office of 
International and Tribal Affairs, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460. Telephone: 202-564-5736.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laura E. Gomez Rodriguez at 202-564-
5736.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    For decades, the U.S. and Mexico have collaborated on efforts to 
protect the environment and health of border communities. One of the 
first bi-national efforts was the Border XXI Program, which was 
initiated in 1996 with a five-year plan for addressing the most 
challenging environmental and environmentally-related health problems 
in the region. The formal foundation for these bi-national efforts is 
the La Paz Agreement (http://www.epa.gov/usmexicoborder/2002/efpaz.htm) 
signed by Presidents De la Madrid and Reagan in 1983. The agreement is 
implemented through multi-year bi-national programs such as Border XXI, 
Border 2012 and now the new Border 2020 program. Although most of the 
Border XXI projects were implemented at the local level, its 
organizational structure emphasized border-wide coordination and 
planning. Nine border-wide workgroups--each focused on a particular 
environmental

[[Page 57984]]

program, such as air quality or hazardous waste management--coordinated 
the efforts of various Federal, state, Tribal and local governmental 
activities in the border area. The existing Border 2012 Program builds 
upon the successes achieved under Border XXI while also establishing a 
regionally-focused border plan to facilitate environmental priority 
setting and planning at the regional and local levels.
    Border 2012 is a 10-year, bi-national, results-oriented, 
environmental program for the U.S.-Mexico border region, which was 
developed by the EPA, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 
Secretar[iacute]a de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (Mexico's 
Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources), Secretar[iacute]a de 
Salud (Mexico's Secretariat of Health), the 26 U.S. border Tribes, and 
the environmental agencies from each of the ten U.S.-Mexico border 
states. The Border 2012 Program is a multi-year, bi-national planning 
effort to be implemented under the La Paz Agreement and succeeds Border 
XXI, a five-year program that ended in 2000. The mission of Border 2012 
is ``to protect public health and the environment in the U.S.-Mexico 
border region, consistent with the principles of sustainable 
development''. Border 2020 will continue to operate under the existing 
Border 2012 bottom-up approach, which incorporates local decision 
making within priority setting and project implementation process. 
Border 2020 will also continue to emphasize concrete measurable 
results, public participation, transparency and access to environmental 
information.
    New features of the Border 2020 Program are the following: (1) 
Integration of fundamental principles to be used as we approach and 
consider complex and critical challenges faced by border communities 
along the U.S.-Mexico Border ; (2) a focus on improving environmental 
health through chemical safety; and (3) the use of Action plans that 
will establish priority and near-term targets that pay attention to the 
particular needs of a community or geographic area and adapt to 
unanticipated resource constraints.

II. Coordinating Bodies

    Border 2020 will continue to be organized around coordinating 
bodies. These coordinating bodies include the following: The National 
Coordinators, six Policy For a, and four Regional (geographically-
focused) Workgroups.

A. National Coordinators

    Consistent with the requirements of the La Paz Agreement, the 
National Coordinators will monitor and manage implementation of the 
Border 2020 Program and ensure cooperation and communication among all 
coordinating bodies.

B. Policy Fora

    Policy Fora concentrate on issues that are border-wide and multi-
regional (identified as a priority by two or more regional workgroups), 
primarily Federal in nature (requiring direct, high-level, and 
sustained leadership by Federal program partners in the United States 
and Mexico) and that might require broad policy considerations. Each of 
the six Policy Fora will have a Federal co-chair from the United States 
and Mexico, respectively.

C. Regional Workgroups

    Regional Workgroups are multi-media and geographically-focused, and 
emphasize regional public health and environmental issues. They 
coordinate activities at the regional level and support the efforts of 
local Task Forces. Each Regional Workgroup will have one state and one 
Federal co-chair from each country. Four bi-national workgroups have 
been established in the following regions:

California-Baja California;
Arizona-Sonora;
New Mexico-Texas-Chihuahua;
Texas-Coahuila-Nuevo Le[oacute]n-Tamaulipas.

    The Policy Fora and the Regional Workgroups will be broad-based and 
will include representation from local communities from both sides of 
the border, including non-governmental or community-based 
organizations; academic institutions; local, state, and Tribal 
representatives; and bi-national organizations (such as the Border 
Environmental Cooperation Commission or the North American Development 
Bank) with expertise in the given workgroup's subject area.
    Except for the National Coordinators, the coordinating bodies may 
create Task Forces to address specific community-identified concerns 
and implement site-specific projects. Task Forces will be led by a 
``team leader'' from each country and may be from any sector of 
government (including Tribal governments), the private sector, 
academia, or from non-governmental organizations.

III. Goals and Objectives

    Border 2020 establishes the following six environmental goals for 
the U.S.-Mexico border region:

Goal 1: Reduce Conventional Air Pollutant and GHG Emissions.
Goal 2: Improve Water Quality and Water Infrastructure 
Sustainability and Reduce Exposure to Contaminated Water.
Goal 3: Materials Management and Clean Sites.
Goal 4: Improve Environmental and Public Health through 
Chemical Safety.
Goal 5: Enhance Joint Preparedness for Environmental Response.
Goal 6: Improve Environmental Management through Compliance 
and Enforcement, Pollution Prevention, and Promotion of Responsible 
Environmental Management.

IV. Reporting Results

    The coordinating bodies will prepare Highlight reports that 
describe the accomplishments and successes under the Border 2020 
program every three years (2015, 2018). In addition, a comprehensive 
mid-term (2016) and final progress report (2020) that describe progress 
on meeting the goals and objectives of the program, including 
environmental indicators will be made available accordingly. Indicator 
reports which will measure progress being made toward Border 2020 goals 
and objectives will be developed during the third and seventh year of 
the program.

V. Fundamental Principles

    As a companion to the six strategic goals (and associated 
objectives), which outline the anticipated results we hope to achieve 
in the next eight years, the following five Fundamental Principles 
provide the expectation for how we will approach and consider complex 
and critical challenges faced by border communities along the U.S.-
Mexico Border. The fundamental principles will complement and inform 
the work that we do to achieve the mission and goals of the Border 2020 
program. They are identified as follows:

Climate Change;
Disadvantaged and Underserved Communities;
Children's Health;
Environmental Education;
Strengthening State, Tribal and International Partnerships.

VI. Public Input and Participation During the Comment Period

    EPA and SEMARNAT are seeking input from border stakeholders and 
other interested parties about the

[[Page 57985]]

proposed Border 2020 program. We invite public comments related to all 
aspects of the proposed Border 2020 plan, and, in particular, we are 
interested in comments related to: How well will the six long-term 
strategic goals address the serious environmental and environmentally-
related public health challenges in the border region. The draft Border 
2020 framework document is available online for viewing at http://www.epa.gov/border 2012. A number of opportunities for the public to 
comment on the draft document are provided as follows:

A. EPA U.S.-Mexico Border Web Site

    Individuals can submit comments directly by filling out the public 
comment form at: http://www.epa.gov/border2012 .

B. Public Meetings

    A number of public meetings will be held in September and October 
2011. For meeting locations and times, please check the EPA U.S.-Mexico 
Border Web site or contact the EPA Office of International and Tribal 
Affairs. Public comment will be accepted at these meetings.
    C. Interested parties can also mail or fax comments to the EPA 
OITA, Region 9 or Region 6 Border Offices or SEMARNAT at the addresses 
and/or fax numbers listed below.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of International and 
Tribal Affairs (MC-2650R), Laura E. Gomez Rodriguez, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460. Fax: (202) 565-2411.
Region 9--San Diego. Tomas Torres, EPA San Diego Border Office, 610 
West Ash St., Suite 905, San Diego, CA 92101. Fax: (619) 235-4771.
Region 6--El Paso. Carlos Rincon, EPA El Paso Border Office, 4050 Rio 
Bravo, Ste. 100, El Paso, TX 79902. Fax: (915) 544-6026.
Secretaria del Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (SEMARNAT), 
Boulevard Adolfo Ruiz Cort[iacute]nez No. 4209 1er. piso Ala A, Fracc. 
Jardines en la Monta[ntilde]a, Delegaci[oacute]n Tlalpan, M[eacute]xico 
D.F., C.P. 14210.

    D. Interested parties can also e-mail comments to EPA at 
[email protected] or SEMARNAT at 
[email protected].

VII. EPA's Relationship With U.S. Border Tribes in Border 2020

    EPA will continue to honor its unique trust relationship with U.S. 
Indian Tribes and enforce its ``Policy for the Administration of 
Environmental Program on Indian Reservations'' within the Border 2020 
U.S.-Mexico program. EPA recognizes that U.S. Tribal governments are 
sovereign and are the primary parties for setting standards, making 
environmental policy decisions, and managing environmental programs on 
Indian reservations.
    Within the Border 2020 Program, EPA will comply with Executive 
Order 13175 or 13563, Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribal 
Governments'' and work with Tribes when formulating and implementing 
policies or taking other actions that have a substantial direct effect 
on any Indian Tribe.

    Dated: September 12, 2011.
Jane Nishida,
Director Office of Regional and Bilateral Affairs, Office of 
International and Tribal Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2011-23981 Filed 9-16-11; 8:45 am]
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