[Federal Register: December 16, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 241)]
[Notices]               
[Page 70012-70013]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr16de03-42]                         

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7599-4]

 
Notice of the Availability of the Final Document for the U.S.-
Mexico Border 2012 Program

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announces the 
availability of the ``Border 2012: U.S.-Mexico Environmental Program'' 
Framework Document (Border Plan or Border 2012). Border 2012 is a 10-
year, binational, results-oriented, environmental program for the U.S.-
Mexico border region, which has been developed by EPA, Secretaria del 
Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (SEMARNAT, Mexico's Secretariat of 
Environment and Natural Resources),

[[Page 70013]]

the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Secretaria de Salud 
(Mexico's Secretariat of Health), the U.S. border Tribes, and the 
environmental agencies from each of the ten U.S.-Mexico border States. 
The mission of Border 2012 is to protect public health and the 
environment in the U.S.-Mexico border region, in a manner consistent 
with the principles of sustainable development. The Border 2012 Program 
is the latest multi-year, binational planning effort to be implemented 
under the La Paz Agreement and succeeds Border XXI, a five-year program 
that ended in 2000.
    The proposed Border 2012 Program was announced in Mexico and in the 
U.S. Federal Register in September 2002. The announcement was followed 
by a 60-day public comment period which included binational and 
domestic meetings in 27 border cities. EPA and SEMARNAT also requested 
input from interested parties through additional meetings, written 
correspondence, and internet exchanges. During the comment period, over 
1,000 individual comments were received. The Border 2012 Framework was 
then altered to reflect many of the comments and recommendations; the 
new framework contains more detailed goals and objectives and a focus 
on environmental education and training. In addition, based on public 
comments, the Border 2012 Operational Guidance was created to assist 
partners, stakeholders, and the general public to understand how the 
program is implemented. The Border 2012 Framework Document, the 
Response Summary Report, and the Operational Guidance can be found 
online at http://www.epa.gov.usmexicoborder.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The proposed Border 2012 emphasizes a bottom-up approach, 
anticipating that local decision-making, priority-setting and project 
implementation will best address environmental issues in the border 
region. The new 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 will emphasize concrete 
measurable results, public participation, transparency, and timely 
access to environmental information.

II. Coordinating Bodies

    Border 2012 is organized around coordinating bodies. These 
coordinating bodies include National Coordinators, four Regional 
(geographically-focused) Workgroups, three Border-wide Workgroups, and 
three Policy Forums.

A. National Coordinators

    Consistent with the requirements of the La Paz Agreement, the 
National Coordinators will monitor and manage implementation of the 
Border 2012 Program and ensure cooperation and communication among all 
coordinating bodies.

B. Regional Workgroups

    Providing the foundation of the Border 2012 Program, four multi-
media, regionally focused workgroups will support the efforts of local 
Task Forces and coordinate activities at the regional and local level. 
The Regional Workgroups are the following: California-Baja California, 
Arizona-Sonora, New Mexico-Texas-Chihuahua, and Texas-Coahuila-Nuevo 
Leon-Tamaulipas.

C. Border-wide Workgroups

    Border-wide Workgroups will concentrate on issues that are multi-
regional and primarily federal in nature. Three Border-wide Workgroups 
will have federal U.S. and Mexican co-chairs for the following issues: 
environmental health, emergency preparedness and response, and 
cooperative enforcement and compliance.

D. Policy Forums

    Policy Forums will have a media-specific focus and will concentrate 
on broad policy issues that require an on-going dialogue between the 
U.S. and Mexico in the following areas: air; water; hazardous waste, 
solid waste, and toxic substances.
    Border 2012 Coordinating Bodies 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 U.S. tribal representatives; 
and binational organizations.

III. Goals and Objectives

    Border 2012 establishes the following six border-wide environmental 
goals for the U.S.-Mexico border region: reduce water contamination; 
reduce air pollution; reduce land contamination; improve environmental 
health; reduce exposure to chemicals as a result of accidental chemical 
release and/or acts of terrorism; and improve environmental performance 
through compliance, enforcement, pollution prevention, and promotion of 
environmental stewardship.
    For further information on Border 2012, please contact: EPA El Paso 
Border Office at 915-533-7273 or 800-334-0741 or EPA San Diego Border 
Office at 619-235-4765 or 800-334-0741. Hard copies of the Border 2012 
Framework document can be obtained by calling 1-800-490-9198 or 
accessing http://www.epa.gov/ncepihom on the Internet and requesting 
public document 160R03001.

    Dated: December 10, 2003.
Joan Fidler,
Director Office of Western Hemisphere and Bilateral Affairs, Office of 
International Affairs.
[FR Doc. 03-31006 Filed 12-15-03; 8:45 am]

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