News Releases from Region 06
EPA Celebrates 20 years of Healthier Air along U.S.-Mexico Border
DALLAS – (May 12, 2016) Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Mexican Environment and Natural Resources Secretariat (SEMARNAT), the city of El Paso, Dona Ana County and the Ciudad Juarez celebrated the 20th anniversary of the binational Joint Advisory Committee (JAC). The committee was established to improve air quality in the Paso Del Norte Air Basin, along the U.S.-Mexico Border.
“This group continues to be a model for binational cooperation in our border communities,” said EPA Regional Administrator Ron Curry. “Area residents should be proud of local leaders for their commitment to bringing healthier air to their children and families.”
The JAC is the first binational committee to partner citizens with government entities, by prioritizing and promoting strategies on both sides of the border to improve the environment and public health. Through the years, the committee has implemented a training program to inspect vehicles in Juarez—helping to reduce pollution from vehicles. The committee has also developed a network of ambient air quality monitoring stations with historic data that date back to 1990.
On May 7, 1996, the United States and Mexico signed an unprecedented agreement that defined the binational Paso del Norte air basin and created the JAC. The JAC includes business leaders, air quality experts, academicians, environmentalists, and public health officials working together to solve air pollution problems in the region and develop a comprehensive framework to manage a binational airshed and improve air quality.
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