The deal is set to extend the cooperation between the two countries that started with the Border 2012 environmental agreement, which ends this year.
Commenting on the agreement US Environment Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson said, "Addressing the environmental issues along the border has long been a priority we share with our colleagues in Mexico, because we know that environmental degradation, pollution, and the diseases they trigger don’t stop at the national boundaries."
The scope of the agreement includes – reducing air pollution, improving access to clean drinking water, waste management, enhancing preparedness for environmental & emergency response, and compliance assurance and environmental stewardship.
The US EPA expressed confidence that the eight year program will build on the success of Border 2012 on one of the busiest cross-border trade regions in the world – the US-Mexico border.
