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Published in Spring 2001
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Mexico affirms commitment to PRTR
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Senior Mexican officials have affirmed the commitment of the new government of Mexico to evolving the current voluntary pollutant reporting scheme with a view to making it mandatory within two to four years.
The undersecretary for environmental protection management, Raúl Arriaga Becerra, and his colleague, the head of the Coordination Unit for Public Participation and Transparency, Regina Barba Pírez, both from Semarnat, delivered the message affirming their government's commitment to ensuring transparency and public access to environmental information at a special round table discussion on opportunities for advancing Mexico's pollutant release and transfer register (PRTR), held in Mexico City in early March. CEC confirmed its commitment to support Mexican efforts to develop capacity for the PRTR.
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| Photo: IISD |
| Regina Barba | In the meantime, Undersecretary Arriaga welcomed pledges made during the meeting by the national chemical industry (Asociación Nacional de la Industria Química, ANIQ) and the industry association in Monterrey, Nuevo León (Cámara de la Industria de la Transformación de Nuevo León) to make information available under the current voluntary scheme. The head of the environmental protection unit in the Mexican oil company, Pemex, also expressed his willingness to fill the Cédula de Operación Anual, the annual reporting form now in place for industries under federal jurisdiction. The Cédula includes as section V the Registro de Emisiones y Transferencia de Contaminantes, the reporting basis of the Mexican PRTR.
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| Raúl Arriaga Becerra and Hernando Guerrero, Director's of CEC's Mexico Liaison Office | The round table was organized as part of the annual meeting of CEC's PRTR Consultative Group, which provides input to CEC's Taking Stock report on industrial pollutant releases and transfers in North America. Over 100 participants from government, industry, NGOs and academia from throughout North America took part in the meeting, held on 5-6 March in Mexico City.
In addition to the developments announced by Mexico, the US and Canada briefed participants on recent improvements to their national programs that will enable a more comprehensive coverage of industrial sectors and chemicals in upcoming Taking Stock reports. The meeting also featured a discussion on various tools for using PRTR data that can facilitate environmental decision-making by facilities, communities and governments and enhance public understanding of pollutant data.
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