Several local residents have written letters recently taking issue with the federal and local governments' assistance in retrofitting Mexican diesel trucks traveling in the United States with pollution control devices.
The assistance comes in response to a Bush administration policy announced in 2002 and confirmed by the Supreme Court in 2004 that for the first time will allow commercial trucks from Mexico to cross the border and travel throughout the United States. Mexican trucks are currently allowed to cross and operate within the border commercial zone, roughly 25 miles within the United States.
The North American Free Trade Agreement paved the way for Mexican trucks to enter the United States more broadly. With the prospect of more trucks from Mexico regularly traveling across our borders, environmental regulators began looking for ways to reduce air pollution from these vehicles.
Fortunately, diesel emissions are an easy emission reduction target: for relatively little money and resources, we are able to make great strides in protecting public health. Diesel exhaust exacerbates respiratory conditions. Children and the elderly are generally at greatest risk and suffer from the effects of asthma, bronchitis, lung cancer and other chronic health conditions.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and its partners throughout the country are pursuing the diesel issue in two ways: through tighter fuel standards and stricter engine standards.
Efforts such as the National Clean Diesel Campaign and the West Coast Collaborative are accelerating the pace of environmental protection by turning over fleets sooner. These actions take advantage of cleaner burning fuels and new technologies, including engine replacement and retrofit technology. That is why we have been working in partnership with the San Diego Air Pollution Control District to retrofit older diesel engines with technology that will reduce diesel pollution from older vehicles crossing the border.
Mexico, in turn, has made some very promising commitments in the last couple of years in stepping up efforts to reduce its own sources of diesel pollution. Mexico did the right thing last year when the government committed to making ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel commercially available in its border states. Mexico has also proposed more stringent diesel engine standards for its new trucks that will reduce emissions.
We share the air along the U.S.-Mexico border. Reducing diesel pollution and improving air quality needs to be a shared effort as well. Dirty air does not respect borders, and respiratory health affects are a shared challenge. Improving our shared air corridors improves the quality of life for Americans and Mexicans alike.
WAYNE NASTRI
Regional Administrator
U.S. EPA Pacific Southwest
San Diego
