Entire Book - Southwest Consortium for Environmental Research ...
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Improving Transboundary Air Quality with<br />
Binational Emission Reduction Credit Trading<br />
Like other twin cities along the border, El Paso and Ciudad Juárez<br />
are linked by cultural and economic ties that go back many generations.<br />
The border is crossed tens of thousands of times each day over<br />
the three bridges linking the cities. It is common <strong>for</strong> workers living<br />
in one city to commute daily to jobs in the other. The cities, as well<br />
as the corner of New Mexico that is also part of the area referred to<br />
collectively as the Paso del Norte, have been characterized by rapid<br />
industrialization and population growth. The result has been a deteriorating<br />
common environment. Since the 1990s, the U.S.<br />
<strong>Environmental</strong> Protection Agency (EPA) has classified El Paso as a<br />
nonattainment area <strong>for</strong> ozone, particulate matter, and carbon<br />
monoxide. Mexico does not <strong>for</strong>mally designate areas as nonattainment,<br />
but evidence from monitoring stations in Ciudad Juárez indicates<br />
that the Mexican city is noncompliant with Mexican ambient<br />
air quality standards. Status as a nonattainment area means there are<br />
significant health risks <strong>for</strong> the residents of El Paso and, by implication,<br />
Ciudad Juárez. Exposure to ozone is believed to be a significant<br />
cause of lung disease. Ozone can also aggravate existing lung<br />
and heart disease. Particulate matter (PM) can exacerbate existing<br />
lung and heart disease, and even lead to premature death. Carbon<br />
monoxide can trigger angina. People with existing lung and heart<br />
disease, and those who work or play outside, are particularly at risk.<br />
Status as a nonattainment area has triggered increased en<strong>for</strong>cement<br />
measures in El Paso (TNRCC 2000). Industrial permits have<br />
been restricted. A new vehicle inspection program requires that<br />
vehicles pass an annual tailpipe emissions test. El Pasoans are<br />
required to use less evaporative gas in the summer and oxygenated<br />
fuel in the winter, thus increasing fuel costs. These regulations have<br />
put a damper on some sectors of the El Paso economy.<br />
Unemployment remains high, even by border standards, and El Paso<br />
per capita income is consistently in the bottom 10 among U.S.<br />
urban areas.<br />
The Paso del Norte’s air quality problem is an international one.<br />
Figure 1 displays a typical pattern <strong>for</strong> ozone concentrations. It shows<br />
a high concentration in Ciudad Juárez with a plume extending across<br />
the border into El Paso, illustrating the binational nature of the pollution<br />
problem in the Paso del Norte region. Achieving air quality<br />
standards will require cooperation. In 2000, the Texas Natural<br />
2