Summary Written by Brandon Vegter, Texas Center for Policy Studies
December 13, 2000
The Board of Directors of BECC held a public meeting on December 7, 2000 at the Museum of Mexican History in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. The meeting was highlighted by opening remarks from several state and local officials, including the Governor of Nuevo Leon, Lic. Fernando Clariond, followed by the presentation of a wastewater project for Palomas, Chihuahua, and the reading of a resolution of the Board of Directors concerning BECC's mandate expansion. A copy of the resolution is available on the BECC website.
In attendance for the Board were Julian de Garza Castro (acting as Chairman); Humberto Valdez Richaud, a new Board member from Taumalipas, Mexico; Linda Taylor; Aurturo Herrera Solis; William Nitze, representing EPA; and Lic. Hugo Guzman.
The meeting started festively with welcoming speeches by Fernando Macias, General Manager of BECC, explaining the organization's structure and purpose; and Oscar Bulnes Valero, a member of Governor Clariond's party, welcoming the Board to Monterrey. Following these speeches, Governor Clariond gave a brief address emphasizing the importance of the border region as a social and economic resource. The Governor noted the need for sustainable development along the border and emphasized the role BECC may play in that development. The Governor addressed about 130 people, including many representatives of the local press.
After the speeches, and an introduction of Humberto Valdez Richaud, a new Board member from Taumalipas who is an active member of the Mexican Association of Border Municipalities, the Board examined a wastewater project for the town of Palomas, Chihuahua. The project was presented by Maria Elena Giner, who said that the wastewater facilities would serve a population of 7,156 people that is expected to grow rapidly during the next decade. Palomas currently lacks primary and secondary wastewater treatment and environmental studies have revealed high concentrations of nitrates in the soil and periodic outbreaks of stomach illnesses in the community. The proposed sewer system would be built in two stages, the first stage to serve the urban center, and the second to reach outlying areas.
After the presentation, the Board heard comments from Jaime Bravo, representing the Secretary of Planning in Chihuahua, who stressed the importance of the wastewater facility for the development of Palomas and said that the BECC project was related to a series of projects committed to Palomas by the municipality and state governments.
Maria Elena then answered a question about the supply of water in Palomas, noting that the current water supply is not overtaxed and adding that the new sewer system would probably lower current water consumption by eliminating several leaks in existing pipes.
Following these comments, the Board watched a video display created by the town of Palomas that highlighted its needs for infrastructure, its interest in sustainable development, and its plan to reuse treated waters to irrigate forested areas.
Maria Josefina Guerrero, member of the BECC Advisory Committee, then spoke about the high level of community involvement in the Palomas project, noting that the community conducted a survey in which 96 percent of respondents approved higher rates for wastewater treatment. She added that 70 people showed up for the first public meeting and 300 people came to the second. She believed the high level of community involvement showed a human face of BECC's work and illustrated how the certification process allows people to decide how they want to live.
Lic. Raul Rodriguez, Manager of NADBANK, also stressed the human aspects of the Palomas project and noted that the fees charged to each family would likely decrease to 85 pesos per family, representing about 2.3 percent of current household income.
Following these comments, members of the Board made several brief remarks in support of the project and voted to approve the new wastewater facilities for the town of Palomas.
Next, Linda Taylor introduced the new Work Plan on Sustainable Development. The Board intends that the BECC staff to use the work plan as a guidance document when preparing project submittals. Temis Alvarez of the BECC staff presented the work plan in greater detail. The plan is a product of the Sustainable Development Workgroup and represents its 2001 goals, which include recommendations in seven principal areas. These areas formalize internal operating procedures, apply the work plan's guidelines, identify resources, encourage networking, identify criteria for High Sustainable Recognition, promote outreach, and identify eco-economic solutions. Following this presentation, the Board approved the Work Plan on Sustainable Development for 2001.
Charles Yankora then gave a brief summary of the work of the BECC Advisory Board, noting that at the meeting on the night before a quorum of Advisory Board members was present including eight members from Mexico and three from the U.S. The Advisory Board postponed election of a U.S. Co-Chair until March. The vote on the Douglass, Arizona project was also postponed. Mr. Yankora concluded his comments with a thank you to the BECC staff and citizens of Monterrey for hosting the meeting.
Javier Cabrera, the Deputy General Manager of BECC, then read from the Board's resolution concerning mandate expansion. In the resolution, the Board reiterated its preference for certifying environmental infrastructure projects within the areas of water pollution, wastewater treatment, and municipal solid waste within the border region. The Board also defined projects qualifying as "related matters" to include industrial and solid waste projects that remedy pollution threats to water or soil, water conservation projects, water and wastewater hookups for housing, and recycling and waste reduction projects. Along with these projects, BECC will consider on a pilot basis other types of projects that are consistent with the Charter's definition of environmental infrastructure. These projects include proposals that improve air quality, public transportation, projects related to clean and efficient energy, and projects that improve municipal planning and water management. The Board has directed BECC staff to work with NADBANK to find ways to identify, develop, and certify these new types of projects. A full copy of the Board's resolution is available on the BECC website.
After Javier Cabrera read from the Board's resolution, Raul Rodriguez made a brief presentation of the NADBANK's own mandate evolution. He noted the current difficulty NADBANK faces when financing water and wastewater projects and the need to determine other ways of lending the bank's capital. NADBANK is interested in exploring other environmental sectors to meet the urgent needs of the border. Mr. Rodriguez proposed examining these options on a pilot basis. Finally, Mr. Rodriguez noted that talks with the government of Vicente Fox have indicated clear support for the expansion of the BECC/NADBANK lending process.
Recently, BECC has also conducted meetings with several government and bank officials. BECC staff met with representatives of the World Bank and Banobras to train representatives of the Brazilian development bank on ways to encourage public participation in lending decisions. BECC staff also met with the representatives of the Mexican Legislature and representatives of Vicente Fox's transition team to inform them of the agency's budget needs.
The Board then turned comments over to the public. Rafael Echavez, representing the National Association of Sister Cities, made a request for the BECC to examine restoration of the Rio Grande and to work with government officials to allow adequate water flow to restore sections of the river that now run dry. Fernando Echevaria, representing a consortium of Monterrey consultants, encouraged BECC to consider their biddings on engineering projects and to publish BECC's selections on the internet once they are determined.