The Border Environment Cooperation Commission certified its 12th project of the year - a wastewater treatment project for the community of La Union, New Mexico -- at its 30th Public Meeting of the Board of Directors in El Paso, Texas. The project brings the total number of projects certified by BECC in its short existence to 55 projects, benefiting almost 8 million residents on both sides of the U.S. -Mexico border.

In response to a question, the two federal representatives on the BECC Board, Clifford and Martin del Campo, announced that the two governments have not yet presented final recommendations on proposed reforms of the BECC and its sister organization, the North American Development Bank. Clifford said due to concerns raised by the four U.S. border governors about a merged successor institution, they have not been able to reach an agreement on the US side to give the president, but have agreed about the need to improve the financing of NADBANK, and some geographic expansion into Mexico. He said he could not provide a timeline at this point, but said the commitment to grant funding, to continued focus on environmental infrastructure and upon the need for public participation remained. (NOTE:. The Four Border governors sent a letter November 20th to the National Security Council requesting a "thorough, systematic business process review of the current BECC-NADB certification and funding mechanism, including interaction with state operations," and also stated that "a merger cannot be supported by the states at this time.")

Martin del Campo agreed that while no agreement has been reached thus far, important decisions have been made, including the need to have a public and state representative on any kind of new merged board, as well as new accords between SEMARNAT and EPA on a proposed new Border XXI Plan.

Attending the meeting were BECC Board members Chairman Julian de la Garza, the Environmental Protection Agency's Jerry Clifford, SEMARNAT's Dr. Antonio Martin del Campo, IBWC and CILA Commissioners Carlos Ramirez and Arturo Herrera, as well as Humberto Valdez and Lynda Taylor. Representing the NADBANK was Jorge Garces.

During the meeting, La Union city council member Art Terrazas, resident Irma Salina and Good Neighbor Board Member Jerry Paz thanked the BECC staff and Board of Directors for supporting the project, which will bring wastewater service to the community of 1,000 residents. Paz said that the BECC process is unique because it "demands that public participation occur."

In certifying the project, Former Reynosa Mayor Humberto Valdez said that the project both took care of a health problem as well as providing for the possibility of economic development, while CILA director Arturo Herrera said that BECC had not only certified big projects but also considered small communities.

Later in the meeting, Advisory Council members Oscar Romo and Maria Josefina Guerrero reported on results from public meetings sponsored by SEMARNAT to get public input in Mexico on proposed reform of BECC and NADBANK. Guerrero reported that while there were a wide variety of proposals and opinions expressed, the participants called for a strengthening of both institutions, and for both institutions to remain autonomous. Guerrero and Romo said the full report of the meetings would be available in late January.

Antonio Meza, the Mexican Consul in El Paso, spoke of the need for improvements in transport between border cities, in the wake of the September 11th attacks. Meza noted that while the need for increased security was understandable, it had led to increased pollution and health impacts as cars wait three to four hours at the border, and even those on foot wait 45 minutes. In fact, two children have already died because of carbon monoxide poisoning waiting to cross, while the local economies have suffered. He said that the two cities should be thought of as one transportation system, and that predocumented express lanes should be created. He felt that BECC could assist in this and other transportation measures.

Advisory Council member Arturo Limon announced the publication of a new book called Discover a Watershed: The Rio Bravo/Rio Grande, available in both languages.

Board member Lynda Taylor and Sustainable Development staff member Eric Hudson also reported on the sustainable development committee work. They are looking at developing sustainability indicators for the mandate expansion areas (transportation, hazardous wastes, water supply) and at a training program for their staff and others. Of particular interest was a workshop held by Gunter Pauli, founder and director of Zero Emissions Research Initiative (ZERI), which is a new approach aimed at eliminating all wastes while increasing jobs, productivity and quality of life. Taylor said there was widespread support of the concepts embodied in the workshop and they would be working to bring him back. In the meantime, the BECC has selected three case studies to see how some of the ZERI concepts could be applicable.

Finally, Roberto Cano Hermosillo, the Urban Development and Ecology Secretary of the State of Chihuahua and Ecology Director Gloria Dominguez presented the state's project for the Rio Conchos watershed. Entitled "Programa de Fortalecimiento Institucional y Accion para la Cuenca del Rio Concho" (Program of Institutional Strengthening and Action for the Rio Conchos Basin), the program is two-phased. First, development of information and a database for decision-making, and secondly, a strategic action plan, which would include investments, soil and vegetation management and the creation of ecological and biodiversity corridors to help restore the watershed. Cano and Dominguez said they had obtained a grant from the Canadian government of some $300,000 dollars but that the entire program would need about $1.2 million. They said they would eventually like to have the project or program certified by BECC and are seeking funding from a number of national and international agencies.

* As always, my own views, interpretations (and misspellings of names) of meeting.