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Environmental Regulation and the Border
Figure 1. A Small Sample of Traffic Headed
Northward from Tijuana Toward the United States
Source: SCERP
As Ambos Nogales illustrates, cooperation is often a key ingredient
in the formula for improving border air quality. Congruent U.S.
and Mexican institutions and shared goals are important prerequisites
for cooperation, so understanding these institutions and goals
is important in promoting cooperation. This chapter compares the
legal and regulatory environmental institutions of the United States
and Mexico. The chapter demonstrates that the air quality standards
of the two countries, while not identical, are similar. This is important
because cooperation is easier when goals are shared. This chapter
also discusses the U.S. and Mexican border institutions within
which cooperation will likely take place. Finally, the chapter
addresses the environmental status of the border and details the
most significant problems faced by policymakers. The basic conclusion,
not surprising to anyone familiar with the issues of border air
quality, is that the border is characterized by poor air quality, thus
the scope for transborder cooperation is considerable.
U.S. AIR QUALITY REGULATION
U.S. institutions involved in regulating air quality are well developed.
This facilitates the maintenance of air quality within the continental
United States. The main law governing air quality in the
United States is the Clean Air Act and Amendments (CAAA), origi-
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