open access

https://hdl.handle.net/2115/57844

Evolving Environmental Management and Community Engagement at the U.S.-Mexican Border

英語

2014

Slavic Research Center, Hokkaido University

Eurasia Border Review

5(1)

19-39

2013 is the 30-year anniversary of the signing of the bilateral U.S.-Mexican La Paz Agreement and the 20-year anniversary of the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) by the United States, Mexico, and Canada. These two agreements stimulated the development of new environmental institutions, policies, and actions for the U.S.-Mexican border region. This paper reviews the evolving environmental policies and programs of the shared border region and growing public engagement in environmental management. Border environmental issues include air quality, hazardous waste, solid waste, natural resources, and others that spill across the international boundary. This paper places emphasis on water-related concerns. Treaties of 1906 and 1944 allocated surface waters between the two countries and the 1944 treaty also established an international commission, the International Boundary and Water Commission, in its modern form with the added responsibility to address water sanitation issues. Although the 1983 La Paz Agreement continued the strong central governmental control of border environmental policy and action, it did allow for greater state and local agency participation as well as some non-governmental stakeholder involvement in border environmental policy matters. The process of negotiation and approval of the NAFTA strengthened existing institutions, created new institutions to address border environmental matters, and institutionalized community engagement in border environmental policy development. Although the homeland security imperative created problems for environmental stakeholder cooperation across the border, new and promising initiatives have emerged. This paper analyzes this increasingly collaborative and inclusionary process of environmental management of the U.S.-Mexican border region.

紀要論文

Version of Record

1884-9466

AA12497353