Vehicle traffic has been identified as the main driver of air pollution in Ciudad Juárez, Texas and New Mexico.
In response to this problem, the Administrative Fund initiative for monitoring air quality in the Paso del Norte Basin has been created.
According to César René Díaz, director of Ecology in Ciudad Juárez, the aim is to increase the number of five automatic monitoring stations during this administration with the support of both Mexican and American civil associations.
Representatives from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Municipal Government of Ciudad Juárez and the Paso del Norte Foundation attended the meeting to present this initiative. Díaz said that the idea is to create a binational fund to finance the monitoring stations. “The main polluter in Ciudad Juárez is automobiles, and the municipality has had to allocate funds for the maintenance of the stations,” explained Díaz.
The binational fund aims to invest in monitors, analyzers and other consumables necessary for the proper functioning of the Monitoring Law.
Diaz said that a monitoring station costs approximately three million pesos just for the structure, not including other costs. The participation of more than fifty percent of the vehicles in the border city in vehicle verification programs is crucial for civil associations to continue their contributions.
Karen Yarza, director of the Paso del Norte Health and Wellness Foundation in El Paso, Texas, highlighted the importance of tax deductibility in facilitating donations.
Fernando Ortiz, head of the Environmental Management and Knowledge Unit, mentioned that this initiative had been in development for more than 10 years and finally the creation of the binational fund to improve air quality in the El Paso region, Doña Ana County and Ciudad Juárez was completed.
The facilities of the Municipal Ecology Department, located on Heroico Colegio Militar Street, almost on the corner of Universidad Avenue, next to the “Escuelita” road school, carry out the verification of gasoline, diesel, natural gas and hybrid vehicles.
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