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Improving Transboundary Air Quality with
Binational Emission Reduction Credit Trading
Like other twin cities along the border, El Paso and Ciudad Juárez
are linked by cultural and economic ties that go back many generations.
The border is crossed tens of thousands of times each day over
the three bridges linking the cities. It is common for workers living
in one city to commute daily to jobs in the other. The cities, as well
as the corner of New Mexico that is also part of the area referred to
collectively as the Paso del Norte, have been characterized by rapid
industrialization and population growth. The result has been a deteriorating
common environment. Since the 1990s, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has classified El Paso as a
nonattainment area for ozone, particulate matter, and carbon
monoxide. Mexico does not formally designate areas as nonattainment,
but evidence from monitoring stations in Ciudad Juárez indicates
that the Mexican city is noncompliant with Mexican ambient
air quality standards. Status as a nonattainment area means there are
significant health risks for the residents of El Paso and, by implication,
Ciudad Juárez. Exposure to ozone is believed to be a significant
cause of lung disease. Ozone can also aggravate existing lung
and heart disease. Particulate matter (PM) can exacerbate existing
lung and heart disease, and even lead to premature death. Carbon
monoxide can trigger angina. People with existing lung and heart
disease, and those who work or play outside, are particularly at risk.
Status as a nonattainment area has triggered increased enforcement
measures in El Paso (TNRCC 2000). Industrial permits have
been restricted. A new vehicle inspection program requires that
vehicles pass an annual tailpipe emissions test. El Pasoans are
required to use less evaporative gas in the summer and oxygenated
fuel in the winter, thus increasing fuel costs. These regulations have
put a damper on some sectors of the El Paso economy.
Unemployment remains high, even by border standards, and El Paso
per capita income is consistently in the bottom 10 among U.S.
urban areas.
The Paso del Norte’s air quality problem is an international one.
Figure 1 displays a typical pattern for ozone concentrations. It shows
a high concentration in Ciudad Juárez with a plume extending across
the border into El Paso, illustrating the binational nature of the pollution
problem in the Paso del Norte region. Achieving air quality
standards will require cooperation. In 2000, the Texas Natural
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