Rep. Vargas Leads Letter Urging Congressional Leadership to Address Transboundary Pollution in the Tijuana River Valley
Rep. Vargas Leads Letter Urging Congressional Leadership to Address Transboundary Pollution in the Tijuana River Valley
WASHINGTON, D.C (November 15, 2022) — Today, Congressmember Juan Vargas led his San Diego Delegation colleagues in a letter urging Congressional leadership to consider funding projects to address transboundary water pollution in the Tijuana River Valley through an omnibus spending package for fiscal year 2023.
“I’m proud to lead my colleagues in the fight to address the cross-border pollution impacting my constituents and our binational region,” said Rep. Vargas. “It is crucial we take meaningful action to combat harmful pollutants and ensure the health and safety of communities on both sides of the border. I thank Congressional leadership for their continued support to solve this problem, and I look forward to working with my colleagues toward a long overdue solution for our region.”
“The ongoing crisis in the Tijuana River Valley is one of the largest environmental disasters in the hemisphere,” said Rep. Peters. “We must solidify new authorizing language to ensure the funds the San Diego congressional delegation fought so hard to secure remain available as we head toward a major expansion of the international treatment plant. A problem of this magnitude involves time-consuming studies, evaluations and construction, but politics should be the last thing in our way to get this done.”
“Cross-border pollution flows from Mexico along the Tijuana River have been a longstanding issue for the San Diego region, and I’m determined to fix this problem as quickly as possible,” said Rep. Mike Levin. “That’s why I’m joining my colleagues in urging Congressional leaders to enable the EPA to transfer the funds we secured to IBWC so that we can deploy these funds and improve regional water quality. Such a transfer would finally allow for the funding to be used as we intended. We cannot afford any more delays in stopping this pollution once and for all.”
“For more than three decades, wastewater, trash, and other pollutants have flowed through the Tijuana River Valley, harming our health and our economy,” said Congresswoman Sara Jacobs. “Our San Diego congressional delegation fought to secure $300 million in federal funding to address this crisis, and we’re continuing to fight to use our end-of-year funding bills to lift the red tape so that these funds can be spent quickly and effectively.”
“The long-overdue cleanup of the Tijuana River Valley can transform the quality of life throughout our San Diego County region – and it is worthy of Congressional consensus. I’m proud to have worked alongside my colleagues in our San Diego delegation, and now is the time for the House to commit to finding the right solutions and advancing key new investments to make this vital project a reality.” said Congressman Darrell Issa.
The full text of the letter can be found below:
Dear Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Hoyer, Minority Leader McCarthy, Minority Whip Scalise, Chair DeLauro, and Ranking Member Granger:
Transboundary water flow crossing into the United States from Mexico have raised environmental, water quality, and public health concerns for decades. We appreciated your assistance in helping fight for and secure $300 million as part of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) to work to address the transboundary pollution in the Tijuana River watershed.
The untreated wastewater, sediment, and trash flowing through the Tijuana River contains harmful bacteria that pose risks to both wildlife and human health. To minimize human contact with the untreated wastewater the San Diego beaches across our districts have been closed numerous times. In 2018, South San Diego County beaches affected by the Tijuana River pollution were closed 101 days out of the year. In 2019, that increased to 243, and in 2020 the beaches were closed 295 days out of the year. Furthermore, transboundary pollutions impact training and operations for the U.S. Navy as well as U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials who operate in these polluted waters.
As we continue to work to solve this decades-long problem that has disproportionately impacted working-class communities on the California-Mexico border, we ask that you provide clarity and certainty in how the funds may be allocated to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) as they move forward with their comprehensive infrastructure solution projects for mitigating transborder water pollution.
Earlier this year, House Appropriators included language in Section 7070 of H.R. 8282, the FY2023 State and Foreign Operations Funding Bill, which further clarified EPA and IBWC authorities to spend the USCMA funding. As you begin the difficult process of negotiating an omnibus spending package for FY2023, we respectfully ask that you include the same clarifying language in any omnibus or continuing resolution we will consider in December.
Thank you for your past and continued support on our legislative efforts to solve this problem that has impacted the communities in our districts for decades. Please reach out to Representative Vargas’ office at (202) 225-8045 if you have any questions.
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Vargas represents California’s 51st Congressional District which includes the southern portion of San Diego County, all of Imperial County and California’s entire U.S.-Mexico border. Vargas was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012 and is currently serving his fifth term in Congress. He serves on the House Financial Services Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee.