Project Title: Analysis of Issues in the Development of a Public Environmental Information Network in the Texas-Mexico Border

SCERP Project Number: EIR98-1

Principal Investigator: Dennis L. Soden

Task Manager's affiliation: University of Texas at El Paso

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Goal: The purpose of this project is to analyze the current capacity and institutional infrastructure requirements and to inventory existing border environmental data and information resources that are the first steps in developing a public environmental information network. Institutional infrastructure is defined as state and federal agencies, municipalities, libraries, schools, universities, social movements, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Because of the size of the Texas-Mexico border region and the limited amount of resources available for the project, two sister cities will be targeted: Cd. Juárez, Chihuahua-El Paso, Texas and Matamoros, Tamaulipas-Brownsville, Texas.

While there is an enormous amount of data on environmental problems affecting the U.S.-Mexico border, there is a lack of binational consensus on what information is relevant and a lack of transboundary exchange of the information especially among the general public. This project will lead to the development of a comprehensive public environmental information network in the Texas-Mexico border region. Prior to successfully developing such a network, some essential groundwork needs to be laid. Currently, less than 10% of the Texas-Mexico border region has access to the Internet.

Air pollution, poor water quality, overutilization of aquifers, eradication of species and habitats, rapid urbanization and uncontrolled growth, and lack of infrastructure are all critical issues that affect both Texans and Mexicans living on the border. Because the problems are vast and complex, a number of different strategies will have to be developed and implemented to find workable solutions. Environmental education is critical to this effort and must be part of the solution. Overall goals of this project are to: 1) increase public access to environmental information, 2) promote and increase binational sharing of environmental information, 3) improve public participation in decision making about local environmental/health issues, and 4) promote effective environmental education with the intent of diminishing the technical information gap.

Developing a binational environmental information network will increase public awareness and knowledge about environmental issues and provide the public with the resources needed to make informed decisions about the environmental health of their community. A comprehensive inventory and analysis of the sister cities listed will enable government agencies and NGOs from both countries to cooperate in identifying and addressing the most critical information network needs.

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