Border Efforts

The Blue Skyways Collaborative is a tri-national coalition of industry, federal, state and local governments committed to improving air quality across the Blue Skyways Collaborative area including the border areas with Canada and Mexico.

EPA and other Blue Skyways Collaborative members have relationships and funding associated with international efforts that can be leveraged to reduce diesel emissions in communities along the U.S./Mexico border. EPA Region 6 has funding allocated to border environmental efforts and is cooperating with the national EPA SmartWay Transport Partnership as well as other Blue Skyways Collaborative members, including the Texas Transportation Institute, who specialize in international efforts to work with Mexico to identify, fund and conduct diesel emission reduction projects on the border.

Border Grants

The U.S. EPA Region 6 announces a Request for Proposals for the FY 2006/2007 U.S./Mexico border Air Quality Grant Competition. The RFP can be found at http://www.epa.gov/region6/air/reg6usmex_10-02-06_.pdf

Proposals are being accepted from eligible applicants to conduct research, investigations, experiments, demonstrations, surveys, and studies relating to the causes, effects (including health and welfare effects), extent, prevention, and control of air pollution in the U.S./Mexico Border area. The U.S./Mexico Border area is defined as the area within 100 kilometers of the U.S./Mexico Border. The purpose of the U.S./Mexico Border Air Quality Management Program is to help safeguard the health of border residents and improve border air quality. The two governments, in partnership with border tribal, state and local governments, have worked to increase the knowledge about pollution sources and their impacts on both sides of the border, establish monitoring networks in several key areas, conduct emissions inventories, and build local capacity through training. through these efforts, the two countries have established a foundation for binational air quality planning and management programs.The overall program goals are to: determine ambient concentrations from pollution emissions, assess contributing emission sources and their relative impacts, and develop and implement cost effective control strategies. The closing date for this announcement is November 15, 2006.

The U.S. EPA also announces a RFP for U.S./Mexico Border 2012 program. The RFP can be found at http://www.epa.gov/border2012/

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 6, is soliciting initial proposals for projects in the New Mexico-Texas-Chihuahua (or 3-State) and Texas-Coahuila-Nuevo Leon-Tamaulipas (or 4-State) Regional Workgroup areas (100 kilometers either side of the U.S.-Mexico border) that address the objectives of the U.S.-Mexico Border 2012 Program. The U.S.-Mexico Border 2012 Program is a binational collaborative effort whose mission is to protect the environment and public health in the U.S.-Mexico border region consistent with the principles of sustainable development. Hard copy initial proposals must be postmarked by November 20, 2006.

EPA and other Blue Skyways Collaborative members are building relationships to promote and achieve diesel emissions reductions on the U.S./Canada border with Minnesota and to address emissions related to international transport issues through the Blue Skyways Collaborative area to and from Canada.