Blueprint for Action on the U.S.-Mexico Border: Thirteenth Report of the Good Neighbor Environmental Board to the President and Congress of the United States

摘要

The 13th report of the Good Neighbor Environmental Board (GNEB) describes the principal chronic environmental issues that plague the border region today. The report also identifies specific immediate and medium-term actions that the federal government and other key partners in the region can take to address these problems. Although there certainly is a need for more funding to address the environmental problems of this underserved region of the United States, there is much that federal agencies can do to better implement existing programs and better use current resources. They can provide the leadership required to eliminate domestic and international barriers to facilitate efforts of state and local government, border communities, and the private sector. Federal participation is key to working effectively across the border with Mexico, and absolutely necessary for developing and applying solutions to environmental problems that spill across the border and cause problems for U.S. and Mexican communities. The 13th report highlights important environmental problems and solutions in the areas of climate change, air quality, water quantity and quality, energy, habitat and biodiversity conservation, solid and hazardous waste, emergency response, environmental health, security along the border, and institutional mechanisms for addressing border environmental problems. Most of the topics are treated as stand-alone chapters.