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U.S-Mexico Border Environment and Security Report To Council on Environmental Quality Addressed at Press Conference Tuesday

Release Date: 03/12/2007
Contact Information: Elaine Koerner, (202) 233-0069 / koerner.elaine@epa.gov

(Washington, D.C. - March 12, 2007) The Good Neighbor Environmental Board (GNEB), an independent Presidential advisory committee managed by EPA, will deliver its latest U.S.-Mexico border report tomorrow to the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) at a Washington news conference.

The report calls for stronger government partnerships to protect the environment along the U.S.-Mexico border, where large numbers of undocumented migrants are crossing and homeland security agencies are working. Advising that government agencies work smart, the report points out that installing particular types of fencing or technology along rural stretches of the border lessens barriers to wildlife migration. As for heavily-trafficked border crossings where hazardous materials are transported, it recommends that insurance liability problems be addressed so that emergency responders from both countries can cross more easily to help their neighbors with hazardous materials emergencies.

The GNEB advises the President and Congress on environmental conditions in the U.S.-Mexico border region. CEQ is the White House office that serves as the President’s environmental advisor. Tomorrow's report is the latest in a series of studies on how to effectively maintain strong environmental protection measures along the nearly 2,000-mile southern border. The web site address is: https://www.epa.gov/ocem/gneb

WHAT: Launch of new bilingual report on U.S.-Mexico border environmental challenges -- "Environmental Protection and Border Security on the U.S.-Mexico Border: Tenth Report of the Good Neighbor Environmental Board to the President and Congress." Following the news conference, the media is welcome to attend a public meeting where outside experts will discuss the report.

WHEN: Tuesday, March 13, 2007, 9 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. EST

WHERE: Hotel Washington Federal Room (mezzanine) 515 15^th St. N.W. (near Pennsylvania Ave., across from Treasury Dept.)Washington, D.C.

Tel: (202) 638-5900

METRO: Metro Center. Take 12^th and F St. exit. Walk 2 ½ blocks to 15^th and F St.

WHO: Paul Ganster, Chair, Good Neighbor Environmental Board and Mitchell J. Butler, Associate Director for Cooperative Conservation, Council on Environmental Quality

(Dr. Ganster will be available for interviews after the news conference)