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Resumen
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Diferentes notas periodísticas que hablan sobre temas de ecología en México en donde intervienen, como la contaminación en el Lago de México, el uso de cruceros en México y como afectan a los corales de arrecife que se sitúan en la región, como se violan las leyes ambientales mexicanas, también el tratado por el que México, Estados Unidos y Canadá en donde acuerdan normas ecológicas.
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Tipo
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Artículo periodístico
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Clasificación
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UAMC.MAGC.01
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Sububicacion
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Sobre
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Texto completo
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· · make the Silva reservoir the first
case bro~ght before tbe· Nafta envij . ronmental commissjon.
,. '-'We knew we had to iritervene in .
¡ .this or the kil!Úlg would just' contip- 1
! ue,'•' said. Homero Aridjis,:president
: of the Group of 100. "The birds wtll
.. come back in November 'even if tlie . ,
· ·:
.( water is d~adly." ·. · - · •
1·
The eilvironme~tal groups did not ·
¡ . take the most confrontational route, ,
\ in which .they · would ha ve had to
charge the · Government of Mexico
with failing to uphold its own environmental laws. Instead .they filed
their petitil,m unde,r article 13 o( the
commissipn's rules, which empowers the commission to study an issue
in any of the three countries, come
up with its own conclusions and offer
a remedy that can prevent another
1 kil.l in the next mignitory season.
At a public meeting in León last
. ~onth~ Jl,\lia CaraQias; Mexico's .En- .
VIronmental Minister, welcomed the ·.
1. intervention.
'-'lt's going to help," she said in an
, interview · after the. meeting. '-'lt's
\ deniom¡tratirig .that the commission·
i will have a good role in helping the ·
thre.e ' coun~ries coopera te so they
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· · . environmental progi:ams as well as,
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the re~erv~ir' is badly· ~lluted, it ' and later' ¡~ t.he"' uriited ~¡at~s . had in the ones we all share."
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took someihlng·.·more than ·the nor~·'' ,' trouble accepting the concluslon for
As'part of their response, the Mex- .
-mal toxlns to trigger the ·catastro- · severa! reasons. Autopsles on the lcaits also plan to relocate the tan~ ·
' . phe. ·...
: . .·
.:
.~ blrds last wintershowed no evidence
neries toa new industrb park with
· . Birds that drank the y~llowish wa- of endosulfan poisoning~ Endosulfan · . be~ter sewerage, and tr ¡>gra9e mu. ter from the reservoir or .ate phmts . }s more toxlc to fish _than td birds, bu t. nicipal waste treatme11~ pbints. Howand fish that grow in it became sick · flsh in the reservoir were.4naffected. · ever, similar plans made in the past
within two or thi'ee days·. .All evi- .: · And endosulfan is practically insohi- · failed '· and the buslilessmen ha ve ·
dence points toan extraordinary poi- . ble in water,· so if someone dumped .('sáid they cannot afford to pay for the
lutant discharge, but of what and . the pesticide intó. the reservoir, the . projects, which would cost an esti.
poison would not ha ve -spread.
mated $280 million,
·
The environmentalists ha ve · also
The head of the Nafta commission,
rejected a study by the National . Victor Llchtinger, said that the coWho
. Autonomous Unlverslty of Mexico, . operative attitude of the .Mexlcans
·whlch identified a red dye as· the had persuaded hím tha~ the commisthat .. · ,: i .·probable
culprit.
: . · .· siori ~oúld play a 1,1seful role in the
' . ; . The environmental groups thlnk lt · Silva · case. It may . recommend a
far more likely that ~e ,'k lll : was mcinltoring plan and speclfic :waste
· caused by a comblnation of events tr~~tment upgrades:-Mr. Llchtinger
. that turned ·normal dlscharges into . · ·
·
·
.. the Silva watershed intCi a fatal cock..: . sai.d.. the commlsslon: may also be
.. tail. ·_ They' . suspe'ct local ·.-.fa.c.tories, . . able ;. to provide . nioriey f~r . initlal
<stuqies:
· ..
:. from where? Af .first·.th~ . Mexicail · · ·inost pi:obably a chemlcal plant that
.
National Water Cc;>mmissto·n, whlch · produces huge amounts, or the local
'-'.We are not as a commlssion set~
· controls the rese.rvoir, · believed it : .tanneries, which.have powerful polit- : .-ting ·the erivironriie11tat agenda for
' was chroniium from a neai:by chem- . leal connections.to hide behind. TJie. · the three cóuntries," Mr~ ·Lichtinger
- leal plan t.
. . .. . . .
. fainily of fue forrtler Governor of the . said'in an interview, "but we certain. La ter the commisslo~ changed its . · state, Carlos Medina .. Plascencia; !y are setting a regio~al agenda."
, finding to eridosulfan, a s~i:ong pesti· owns one of.tl:le largest .tanneries in · TPá.t agenda wjll focus on the impar~
, cide. Officials claim that ·sometime · the state.
.
. ' timce ·of shared resoi.lrces .ánd ·coat the beginnirig of December; a blue ·· · .Iri !tÜ, about 40,000 déad birds from · ordinated . efforts; althoÜgh the re. Chevroiet truck was seen near the • ~O migrato¡:y and local sp.e~ies were · .sponsibility for.acting will in the end
edge of the da m and that four people buried near the reservoir.
·
remain with Mexico, with the supwere seen. dumping a vat of liqufd · Dissatlsfied with the . Mexican port and cooperation of Canada and
.· into the water that turried red on , Government's investigat!on; .Mexi- the United States.
. can. envir(lnmentalists jolned torces . "Either we do lt alltog~ther," he
· contact: · .
· Envlronmental gróups in Mexico . . with the National Audubon.Society to said, "or wedon't do it at ~11. " ·
J·
is responsible
for wildlife
·migrates from one .
.· couritryto another?. :
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Page
Circulation
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.T;~atyfartners Study Fate of
·Birds ~t P011Útéd M~~lca~ Lake
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..~y ~N,T,HONY DePA.~~A ·· ·
. LEóN Mexico .. ·
}
·HEY':Cross .tlie · border in ·
.
cótiiitiéss :numbers, unpfo- . ·
r
·. tected and' at .the .merey of ..
their new .hÓsf counúy. A
f<>l'r~ .... ·M~· ,~. Most sur.vive: Sorne die.
U}e'riormal cycle oflife for .
spedes of'.. North Ameri~an .. ·
that mlgratefí:om the 'Untted
anci :ca~a'da', where 'tbey a'nd
blt~ts are protected, to Mexicoit:Where qi~y geperally are ~ot. But ,
. wa:s . qrut~JI~ interrupted :
vec:emoer·. .·when. soine · 40,000
·. l
: ,,
~
the {etid. Water o~ art .
¡¡
' rP•:Pn.rnir near this·cen- ·
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tral
city, causing what wild· ·
life experts say·.was one of the worst
.: .,The New York Times '
bird kills In North American hi~tócy;. . .. : · : .
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incident' _at. ~e Silva Res.er~ . jusno.-.l:!ril}g this ca5E; .~before t~e !
v,QJ¡;;1 ~nd ,the .~yst~ry surroundipg . Naft~ . commission: ~ut .to sit.do\Yn )
it~~~use, .\Y~~e recen tiy tak~n up a,s .:..: with group~ from al,! th~~e co\lntrl~s ·¡'
a,\t~~{. case..by the Comqlisslon 'for . · to figure out how to ·p~~yent· this .
~f,j~o~.men~!}l Gooperatl<in,'created . from happenin~ again,'' ·said. Kath·.· ·
aÍroost two·years ago when the U!)!~-· . · leen Rogers, w1ldlife couns~l. f~r, :Qle,
~¡;,~~e~; ca:nada and M~xi,eo sigped . National.A,udubon Society. The soci: \
ant<environmental slde accord to the · · ·ety, alorig wlth two Mexlcan environ~ ·
Nó"rlli :American Free Tráde Agree- · · mental ·argani~atim1s, the (iroup ot :·'
men t.
·
··
· ·
. JOO arid the Me5tiéan Center for Envl- ·J'·
. Besides· attemptlng t<l. find out·•· . ronmental 'Law, jolntly.tued ·a· petl~ :..
wha·t cause<! so. IIlany birds .to die; 0: tion .wlth the Nafta cominlssloit coh~. ·l
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the ·cómin,t~~~ori '• \\'ill examiri.e . to ·. ~ ·. cerniiig the .ecological dis~ster ~tthe J.
what exterit migratory . species in · ·: Silva R,e~ervoir. , .~· : ··/Y .. ' · · · ,_
North America .can. be' protected 'by · ·. , Ms:·:Ri:lgers siild thec ·representa- ·
internationaJ.:la:W,~ :BY- the ~ thi~e th~ .··.tives ·.of an three )lations~. h~ye. l~d!· ..
.ffiJ.~V:Vs,sl,qn ,~~.sues its re~ort, whlc~.~ ·. :. cated a wiJlingnes~ to·~ev,~}PP.a com~ • :.
~~pecte<Un September, it will also -> . pr~hensive mana,gern~nt.~pla~ .:,f()~. :
. ft'a:l.~nri~<H~. stefine who is re.~po~si<'J !}ong~ll!e s~cie~ ~f. Nor~:~¡p..~rl.cRI:l ...
~~.¡f.9.r sharea, animal resources . :~ :· :, .migratory '· ·a_nd :;.;:local. l:;;song~ird~; .: .,
>li~.l{.;; 'plac~~?.~~Md ' stilts·.,. 1~r()m .the i': shor.~bird~,,a~ ~.~.a. birds;· The .plati
tinued ·States an.d .lesser scaups of · would . cotnplement , an:' · existing ·
·~~'¡WMa ~ 'that 1eave one·.cciuntry ·• ·agr.eemen't 11mong the three natlons ·
::. and die in aJ}other. · · ·
· 1' , .. . that. governs the 60 miJiion to. 100 . :
So far Mexlco has confoünded ex- ;: million du<;ks and.t)ther g~~e blr~s .;
pectations by welcoming rather than. that Clln legalJy·be hunted, : ...· . . . .
The commlsslon has. assembled a
resisting . ~.e :,independent commls·
sion. In the p'as( Mexico hasi'ejected team made up of scientists from all
. actians that·might be seen as infring~ three .. na.tions to <!~termine what .
· - i(;¡t\tl!J ~ts s<iyereignty. Mexico, also . killed ~e birds at the reservoir. The .·
has {!. póor environmental record, . researchers are in a race.against
and its leaders are jlist beginning to; · time: ·The next migratory seasoti
-8~f!».p:;viedge . that they have.· a re· . begins in late October or early No- ·' .
. s~s,i,bility to help protect wildlife. ;, ~rnbeL..--..
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, ..
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__..... ~t\s.uccessful,- .howeyer, the .envl- · The scientists haxe limite.d . due~ .
· \Al:lm~nta,t. · éori}mhsloil' has the . to belp them pl.ece together wha,t :
chiince to create·a model for interna-.. happened last wmter. There are no :
. tional cooperátion that. can ·go far preserved.samples of the deadblrds, · .
toward Í>.rotec;Ung migratory . wild- . ~ the ~eservoir itself hasbee11 emptied ·. .
· life ~n_d ihe habitats on which ihose · and earlier investigations produce<! . ·.
speqés depend. .
·
competing explanations of .what ,
"Audu_bon's long-range goal is not . went·wrong.
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· wh'at the sclentists will have to
work with are the baste facts of the
case. ·
The Silva reservoir .was created at
the tu m of the century to help irrl· .
· gate agrictilturalland in the central
·· state of Guanajuato, about 150 miles
': north of Mexlco City. As in most of .
. ~· Mexlco, it ralns·liere only from June .·
through·September. The rest of the
. year hardly a drop falls.
· Compared with the industrial
· mess · in Mexlco . Clty, the .area · ·
·. around León, tn·the state ·of Guana~ juato, is an alry paradlse. But in thls '
century Leóh has become the shoe·
making .capital of Mexico, home to
abóut 800 tanneries ·that' dlscharge '
. thelr wastes dlréctly lnto the Turbio
· River .ánd ' small streams that feed·
, ·the Silva· reservoir. Sewage wastes·
· from León and other citles also end
. up in the Silva. ·
. . . .,
. · Despite that de~radation, the 300· '
.. acre i'eservolr has become a major
·· stopover foÍ:· mlgratory birds on the
Pacific flyway · ·from : central and
westernsectlons ofthe Unlted'States
and Canada. Bird-watchers in the
area have documented more than'50
. klnds of birds ai the reservoir, In· .
· cluding the white-faced ·ibis, greenand blue-winged teals, baldpates, '
no~thern shovelers al}d 'least ·sand· · ·
pipers.
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· All of the scientists who investigat- ·
ed the kili concluded that although
·tioYia~r ·
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1::31G·LAKE
Continuad from B1
Tottrup maintains the deaths br
the ducks and geese were docU. mented at the time by television
news crews . . A spokesperson for
Alberta Environmental Protection
says outbreáks of avían botulisi:ll
occur from time to time at Alberta
lakes and is m·ore rehited to hot, di?'
weather than pollution.
She also said department personnel had checked cléiims ofpollutior(related flood damage to Tottrup's
land in 1994 and did not find any
damage.
,
Bob Lane ofthe Big Lake Enviropmental Support Society is aware oJ
Tottrup's concerns and has sorne
sympathy for them. But he's not sure
ifwater quality i~ all that bad.
:
The society ·is only a small group
of volunteers, . he said, and i~
focused right now on fighting a proposed road that would crOss th¡;!
Sturgeon River just below Big Lake.
Tottrup is convinced pollution is' a
major problem at Big Lake but says
he can't even get the environment
department to do an assessment.
He bought his land on Big Lake
more than 25 years ago and says he
began to notice ·within a few year~
that the land was increasingly being
flooded by water that smelled of
sewage. It was . easy to trace the
·sewage back along Atim Creek to
the Spruce Grove and Stony Plain
area, he says.
Since then, as more industria.!
·are as, trailer courts and acreages
were developed, ·more run-off into
Atim Creek occurred and the sea. sonal flooding .got worse. Enviranmental' regtilatiQns require any new
development to put in enough
runoff storage capacity to hold peak
runoff at · pre-d~velopment levels,
says Tottrup. But the regulations ar~
rarely enforced, he says. ·
. .
A study of the Atim Creek basin
done for . Al berta Environment. in
1978, showed water quality in tQe
creek .was poor and acknowledged
flooding and fluctuating water leyels · largely due to urban developm'Emt were a problem. But effluerit
from sewage treatment lagoons at
Stony Plain and Spruce Grove that
·used to drain.into Atim Creek is noy.r
piped t6 the capital region sewáge
treatment
plant
in
Fori
·Saskatchewan. Tottrup says he had
chemical analyses of water in B~g
~ake , Atim Creek and its feeder .
streams done in 1994. They· all
showed evidence of aged sewage. .
Robert Colon, who built a house
at the west end of the lake about
three years .ago, says that over the
years;" tlie lake seems to be slowly
choking: 'The water level has gone
down in the past few years, he says.
"I'm not a biologist, so I can't tell
you how polluted it is, but Ido know
if you go walking out there it does
stink." .
.
·
An official in the Environment
Department's water quality monitoring branch says the department
hasn't done any water q'l,lality tests
at Big Lake recently; But she said
she suspects the lake is loaded with
nutrient~ because it's ·red by tije
nutrient-rich Sturgeon· River, as
well as Atim Creek.
Tottrup is no · stranger to tlie
provincial Environment Department. He . has been battling tqe
department for fjve years 'to get the
go-ahead for a limestone quarry artd
cement plant.west of Rocky Moun!
tain House.
:
In the 1970s, the department took
him to court over dikes ·he built ort ·
his land to hold back floodwatets
from Big Lake. Tottrup won that bat;
tle which went all the way to .fue
Supreme Court Cana da. ·- -
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A lo~llandóY,mer'says Big ~ke, norUieast of Edmonton, ~~ polluted arid he wants to use the North American Free Trade Agreement to make the Al berta govemment· clean it up
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Trade paCt new tool ·in Big Lake·fight
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ANDYOGLE
..!oumal Staff Writer
St. Albert .
A frustrated Big Lake landáwner
wants the NAFTA environmental
secretariat to · · im'lke. ·Al berta
enforce its own anti:-pollution laws.
Aage Tottrup·, who owns about
700 acres at tbé west · end of Big
Lake Iiear St. Albert, says pollution
is turning the la_~ and surrounding
wetlands into a killing field for
.
waterfowl and other wildlife.
. Tottrup. says he has tried for .
years to get the provincial Environ. ment Depattment to do sóniething
about sewage runoff from tirban
development in the. 500-square-km
Atim Creek drainage basin ·that
feeds intó the west end ofBig Lake.
The 72-year-=old Danish-born
His petition, which also cites the ·
engineer claims it's sobad that over federal government for failure to
the past five years, the number of protect the . habitat · of · fish · and
dead waterfowl and mainmals in · migratory birds, is the first against
· and around Big Lake exceeds the · Canada, a spokesperson for the
number killed in the- aftermath of Secretariat of the Commission for
Alaska's Exxon Valdez oil spill.
Environmental ·Co-operation: con-
firins.
Two have been filed against the
United States and one against Mexico since the Montreal-based secretaiiat began operatlon in November 1994, says Rachel Vincent. The
commission was established as part
ofthe North American Free Trade ·ernment. involved is asked for ·a
Agreement signed by Canada, the response and given 30 days to make
that response.
·
U.S. and Mexico. · ·
Under the North American
Neither Alberta Environment
Agreement on Environmental Co- Minister Ty Lund nor his assistant
operation, anyone may file a peti ~ . could be reached for comment Fri·
tion with the secretariat alleging day or Saturday.
that a NAFTA country is failing to ~ Tottrup says up to 15,000 ducks
effectively enforce its environmen- and geese died of avían botulism
tallaws. · ·
after flooding in : 1991. Tlle. next
It's a federal agreement · but in year, when the lake level was lower
·cana da, the provinces can also sign than normal, no yegetation grew in
on, Vincent says. So far, Alberta is . the are a contaminated by the polluthe only province to do so.
tion-laden floodwaters. That led to
The secretariat will review Tot- the death of 10,000 to 15,oo0
trup's petition to determine if it muskrats and countless frogs and
·
meets criter.ia under the agreement fish, Tottrup ·says:
including whether it · is aimed at
But .Ducks Unlimited says it has
enforcement of environmentallaws no record of that númy birds dying
rather than just harassing industry, of the disease that year or other
she says.
years at Big Lake. The shallow lake
It also looks at whether the peti- is a major migratory stopover for
tioner has exhausted local r eme- waterfowl in both the spring and
dies, whether the complaint is the fall. It is one of the 20 most
based on more than media reports importanf wetlartds in Al berta, says
and whether it advances the goals Brett Ca lverley of Ducks Unlimofthe NAFrA agreement. ·
ite d .
Please see BIG LAKE/83
If it me ets the criteria, the gov-
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Over:·~ .ComroeJ's · Coral -Reefs
·:_ · MeX.icl-f;Jffiltt~:·New .Piet}o JJraw .1búrists-.·
.•. •· · ~;~:::;~:~~\~dore :. :J:·~: , .· · • · _~:~:Free .~rad~:: A~~ertt (NAF-
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-. SAN : M:IGUE~ · DKCOZUMEL,
w9~d _pm¡h countriE7 to CirC}lffivent
,envrronmental Jaws to attract new ·
development: . · .. .
. .
· Perhaps beCause the d~bate. ha.s
the _plai;id ·azut-e viaters•that lap the . become a heniispheric test case, it
beaches ofthis~i>opularrésórtisland. has focused less on brain co'ral and
Cruise ship ·iii}chois are , beheadiri.g electric-~luEdish than :on power and
:brain ~riil,:· th.eTba:ckWash. of giant politks, ·corruptiori and self-interpropeller8:¡s· choking deliéate fan _ es~.:......and,, above all, money.
co11ll, and:thotisands of ~ creatúres
The story of Paradise Reef is far
are beirig.évicted from theit wider- muddit:!r ·than any o( the waters
water habitat. ·· .: · ~ . · . _ .
.·. · .
stirr~ by the·propellers of the mamAsbore;tbe politiclll carnage is moth wlúte vessels that chum ·the
· justas bruising: cruiseliners and :big . coas!a} waters. _of this island just off
money .vs~ ·diverifand environmentalthe eastcoastof the Yucatan ..Peninists. ~t iSSue . is~ ;rgiaii(p~e,. ~~nv:l» : :·suJ3:: Pt ~the w_ake; 9{ Q:>usteau's ~un
ing built ilear.aii' -undetsea rldge ·of · der~e;~ , adve_ntur~ documentanes, .
·r~nbow:..colored : corais:iuid neonth~ reefs off the.westem beaches of
brilliant fish · made world famous ~ COiwnefbecame . one of _the hottest
more truunwó decadeS ago by the · diving and. Srioi-keling sites on the
teleVision documentarleS · of ·under- globe. Soine diving magazines rate
·water explorer Ja(;ques Cousteau.
Paradise Reef second in popularity
The Frenchmari's son · is amorig . only to. the· Great. Barrier ·Reef off ·
-. ..
· · celebrities who have .traveled here Australia. ._
lo :wage verbal eoinbat. 00 behaif of
.WiiiJe Co~el was attracting the
Paradise Reef>This :e<:olo&ic3I skir- · frugal, outdoorsy diver · tyPes. ~ho
mish is the first test of a tbi'ee-na- frequented the 1sland's piZZa JOmts
tion commission set up to referee in- - and ma:garita bars, its big sist~r . on
temationál environmental feuds in the mainland, Cancun, was building
·
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. .: .ClASOS Plll::5:S
_ IIGUfCY
the afteimath of the. North AmeriSee COZUMEL, A19, CoLl
Cozumel's top draw,. a gJorlous reef,
ls threatened
by pler,'.dlvers·say.-.
··.
.
.
Mexi~To h~ ;the: S(m~-. divers ·.·
tell it~ a 'I.fu¡~~e is rii~g béiéath
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The Globe and Mail ·
EJtu¡¡cti~n, gcsllon ot onllly$0 clo nouvellas
July 29, ·1996
Cede
..
Eastern Edition ·
c·áisse~ c·hartier
..
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115
:
')\ ·
NAFT.
·. ·
. · · . ·rt
comtniSSton
:
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a di. saster·
·· · ·
The problem, according to Micbelle
•'J'bere's a lot ~! ~aru1ti0ty iit.~ch
Sweil.ll;l'ChUk, ~i!cufivé dlroetor o! the ot the three tountries [regarping]
.. Calladian Environmental Law Associ- ho\~ !ar ~ internatlonal agency,can
·· ation. .is thal . the .conuriiss1on wn.o; ·go m pomtlng ou~ an ·cnvironmcntal
·~. ·oversold· by pollticlans -1n Qmad¡) • :problem/ Mli.l'.crrcttis•.-tid. . .
~d the Unite<l Statcs.
. .
The com.nllssion also ¡,tained s'Óme
·Rlcht a..yay,,you hilve not a. lcg:al · credibility at ~e ann~al meeti~g-last
' · ..
•
•
··
.
· •CtltlCS
sa·y
:. . . . . .
Envirqnment set
~ focus of meeting
BY .SEAN SILCOJ.l'F
The Cklbo ud l4ail
.TORONTO-:- When·cn~nmentmin. isters :from·Canadn, tlie. United. States
and Mcxico meet in 'Ibronto this week,
it will be amid cr1t1cism that the state
~ but 'a politicalprocess," 'Ms.
Swenarchuksaid.
• Ttle commisSion i.s hea<led by politi-
Octob~r. wtth''the releas e .of a re:port
concludintt tbat tens of thous;u1c!s·of
bin!s were killect
at n MeAican rescr·
the environment .. valr ·by batulism Utaught ·ta.-· be
· ministecs-notanlndcl>cndentpanei. causcd by raw sewage frOlll nC..'\rby
ca1 appomtees -
· "It the critics I!XlJC(:t th1s to. be an faetones.
·
· ·
.
e~o.rcement agency, they are·right to
But "whcthcr anythlng will be ·
: be disap,pointed/' said ·Janinc Fcrretti, done to [follovl thc commission's:recthe oommission's Canadicin director. ommendation. to] · i:lean 1t up is. :m••• •• AS a superna.tional agcncy, wc'rc · . other mattcr, •.Ms. Swcnarchult ~aid.
notlt...
She added· tha~ she would lilte to
As a result, Ms. Wallacli said, llic see thc coinmission take· a public
.Problems NAI'fA was suppo.~cd ~- sta?d on N:M'TA-ti!latedjssucs,:tmu-
;;olvc, hlttc worsened.
. ·
latrng · bddies. s.uch as thc ·lntcrnil-.'
1 Chief am<ing these thc growth of tional Joint· Cómmission, which has
~quiladora.s - assembly plants [(]! ~ritlclied _thc Unit:a States :md ·cano! the continent's environment· bas ~orctgn manufacturers~ located. just .. ada for failing to live ~P ta thc. G~eat
woroened .stnce the North American . sout..\1 of fue U.S.·Mcxican boi-dcr:- . Lakes water-quality pact
.
.free.tmdc agrecmen1 wcnt into éffect . which havc baen blalned for causing · · Ms. ~cm:tli said hcr cammission js ·
2Y. years ago~
· .pollution and health problems.
. prep~ n· ~state · of thc ._cnv¡rou·.
"What f.IJl a!r.üd this meetin will
· NAFTA was suppased to ®ute the ~c?t rc~ort !or ncxt spnng tJlat
· be abQut ia poli1ical butt ~. 1Je. concentration o! mar¡uílcdoras: inWill certainl.Y D~t shy away front .thc
cause NAFrA.'s been an environmen- stead, the nuniber of warkers' bas tough issues;_ll ,will_say it'l.I.K~':i.t i~.." ·
. tal disaster,• said Lori Wallach. of the
grown to 670,000 as o!last Scptember, · The camnnssion 1s ~lso dcvelo,ping
Washington-bascd Publíc ·Citlzea's a Zl·per-cent increa.se from January a contln!!nt-wide tnvento;ry to. track.
Global 'lhtde Wa\cll.
of i993. And Mexl.co contiri.ues to ap- re!ell!!es_ in.to thc environment by
·w~·rc gol.ng· to get a lot of green: pmc more óf the pl.aii.ts.'
comparues. And tlie countries are. ex. wash.: as i! things have improved.
"There's ver¡ little political·will to pccted to cxpand a 11st of~ubstanees,
wben in fact -they.ve gotten \votse. highlight the problem . :, (bccause sucb n~ mcrct~,-slated_t~ ~e p~ascd
.Wbat' they ought to do is fcss' up to Mexican~ are] very much depcnding out or reduce~. .
. __
· ..
their failures. and ltlake. a dramatic on thcse11ll1quiladorris t.o hclp get out
Ms . .Ferrctti ~so Sai~ tJ:e Ill.inlstc;;-s
plantochangci,nthcr·uturc."
or their rcccssion," said Jamic Wii:n· may_-<lllllo\mce·p!ans_to ;mprovc <ur
Canada's Environment Minister
berly, legislative assistant to u.s. qu~ty and to ~rotcct bird:-; ~~ bnt· ·
Sergio' Marchi, is host to hls u.s: ruui
Congresswoman MarCy Kaptur. Ms. terfhes .that m1¡:ratc over national
Mexican counterp;trts, C:lrol Brownet Kaptur, a DemOCJat,· opposes NAFTA. borders.
·
and Julia Carabias,. on Thursday· and , ·. But despite qqestions about its 11m- 1
Friday at the tbird.ann.ual meetiÍtg .of
itll4 ability to hold goverrunents ac- '
·thc ' Commissl.on for Envirotu:ilental · countable, the commission ha.s ruf·
Co-opeta~on. ·
•
.
· fledsoni.e!ea:thers in·the past year.
The commissiou, I:OYIÍmed by the . · · For exampJe, lhe commission rec- .
three IIIÍlliSter&, was establ1shed to • ommended a probe o! the 1mpact of a
; mon1tor protoctian Qf tba en\1irtminent·.
co~truction project on Cozumcl
undet a side deal ~ed to the óri~-' : island mMexico. Thc pro be, which
· inal NAFrA:. .
· •
:
·
· requires the consent o! atleast two of
. 9t'iUcs dismiSs 1:he commiss!on as a · ·the minis.ters, b.I1S raised tbe ire oí
toot!J!ess agency l1ecaUSe 1t cm oDly Ms. ·C:trabills, who said last m.onth
hold _govemmants to exlsting stm· th:lt Me_.'ñco f~els th~ commic:sion luls
dards, lt doesn't take issue with •gov- no busmess mvolVJDg' itself' in thc'
cmm.ents low~ standanlS through country's.domestic a!fairs.
legislation. a . bonc oC contcntton
is
pglt
among environmenta.list;
Z 'd
NV)SVIG3WS XV ~ 110
Z9LV 'ON
.:· ·.
·.:-.'
.:_:~ . .
.
.
wvss:v
9661 '6Z ·¡nr
E"K~!:?~~!QR
SEGUNDA PARTE DE LA SECCION A
AÑO LXXX-TOMO 111
FUNDADOR
"PIIUIDENTíi Y DIRECTOR OENEIIAL
RAFAEL ALDUCIN
REGINO DIAZ REDONDO
MEXICO, D.F.-DOMINGO 9 DE JUNIO DE 1996
GERENTE OENEIIAL
JUVENTINO OLIVERA LOPEZ
NUMERO 28,813
Se Violan las leyes Ambientales Mexicanas:·Organismos Ecologistas
Recomienda la Comisión Ambiental
Hech06"
del TNLC un "Expediente
••
ELIZABETH VELASCO C.
de
El Secretariado dé la Comisión Ambiental del Tratado de Libre Comercio de
Norteamérica (TLCN) decidió ayer .recomendar a
los ministros del Medio
Ambienté de México, Estados Unidos y Canadá, se
prepare un "e~pediente de
hechos" en respuesta a
una petición de organismos
ecologistas mexicanos que
alegan · la omisión en Li
aplicación efectiva de la legislación ambiental en el
caso de la construcción de
un muelle v una terminal
portuaria en Cozumel,
Q.R., Informó ese org¡uiismo trinacional.
Tras resaltar que ésta·es
la primera vez que una petición ciudadana obliga a la
comisión ambiental del
TLC a preparar un "expediente de hechos" sobre un
asunto ambiental en América del Norte, precisó que
el documento se Integrará
con información proveniente del gobierno, peticionarios y sociedad en general
de la República Mexicana.
SIOU( EN LA PAGINA VliNTIUNO
Se Violan las Leyes Ambientales
Mexicanas: Organismos Ecologistas
1Jguede .. ~dledele1e
Conforme a los artículos
14 y 15 del Acuerdo de Cooperación Ambiental de
América del Norte
(ACAAN), la solicitud hecha por · los organismos
ecologistas mexicanos procede cuando cualquier ciudadano u organismo no gubernamental considere que
uno de los pafses integrantes del TLCN está Incurriendo en omisiones en la
aplicación efectiva de su
legislación ambiental.
La también denominada
Comisión para la Cooperación Ambiental (CCA), informó mediante su secretariado, que preside el
mexicano Vfctor Lightinger, que la petición a ese
organismo fue presen tada
por el Centro Mexicano de
Derecho Ambi ental, El
Grupo de los Cien y el Co-
mi té de .Protección de los
Recursos Naturales, preocupados por el posible
daño que las obras causadan al arrecife Parafso en
Cozumel.
Estos grupos aseveran
que el gobierno de México
otorgó los permisos de
construcción y operación
de un muelle en la isla de
Cozumel sin haber evaluado el impacto ambiental de
la construcción y la operación de la totalidad de las
obras que conforman la
terminal portuaria .
Por su pane, el gobierno
mexicano ha aceptado la
decisión del secretariado
de la CCA, pero refuta los
argumentos de los grupos
ecologistas afirmando que
e l proyec to cumple con todas las leyes ambientales
aplicables.
··- - ---
Ante la duda, el secretariado presentará la reComendación al Consejo de
Ministros de la CCA, integrado por el ministro de
Medio Ambiente de Canadá, Sergio Marchi ; la administradora de la Agencia
de Protección Ambiental
de Estados Unidos, Carol
Browner, y la secretaria
del Medio Ambiente; Recursos Naturales y Pesca
de México, Julia Carabias.
El Consejo, al considerar
la recomendación del see reta riado, puede aprobar
la preparación de un expediente de hechos mediante
el voto de las dos terceras
panes de sus miembros. Si
se prepara un expediente
de hechos, el Consejo podría hacerlo público 60 aras
después de que el secretariado lo ha ya presentado a l
primero.
-- - - - - - -
'•
Feature ·Articles
After the Storm
How financing stormwater infrastructure through user charges works
and could be expanded in Canada.
by Pa(Moore ... ~ ........ :............................. :.~ ....... ~ .......................... :··········· ·22
.
.
1
Getting the Lead Out
Processing techniques fcom'the miniilg industry could work forsite remediation.
byUnda C.M. Elliott, Richard H. O. Wagner,
Robert G. lrwin and·s. Wade .Strogan ....... :........................................... 25
. Guelph's Waste Dilemma
With a planned landfill cancelled, will the controversia! wetld.ry recycling
facilitY work?
· by Glenda M. Gies ........................................................ 29
Choking Technology
: How allowing space heaters to burn used oil undermines proper recyding.
by L.S. (Dale) Schofield .................... ~ ............ ;........ :...... 36
Treating Volatile Organic Compounds
An interesting pilot project in the flexographic industry
by C. Mu/ligan, J. Chebib and B. Safi .......................... 39
~ecting that·
~pv<>w. of: li~@:a.rq011smaterials ·and
cne¡mcals. R~iion-spe~ific
~1t).ázrrtatrn!lg~c.om.
lnformation containelin this publicatlon has been corhpiléd ftom sources oelieved to be reliable, thus CHMM lnc. can~ot': be fesponsible for the absoluta correctness :or sufficiency of articles~ or'editorial contained herein. Although the information contained in this magazin.e·ls believed to be.Mrre9t. no· responsibi!ity isasstimed:ttüirefore, nodor the opinions expressed by individu:al authcirs. Articles in
this ·magazine are interided.to cónvey.lnforniation rather thart.give legal or óther professional advice. Paid subscrjption ratps ar.e $39.50
per year or$65.00 tortwo:years. $10.00 single .copyiand:back issues (subject to availability). Please add 7% :GST (#R124345760) .
Reprlnt and llst·rentíl.' sérv.!ces are . ~rranged through the Publisher at (905) 305-6155 ext. 26. Hazardous Mate[ ials Management, the
Hazardous Materials: Manag~ment logo a,nd The Canadian Pub.lication of Poflution Prevention and Control are trademarks of CHMM lnc.
Thls magazine ls prl~ted on'RECYCLED PAPER ma.de :wit~ ~O% postcons1Jmer and 50% post commercial waste.
··
]une 1 July 1996
Hazardous Materials Management
·;
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5
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HAZARDOUS
Materials Manag·eme::n t
·· The Canadian Publication of Pollution Prevention and Controt
Volumea, Number3
TABLE OF CON TE NTS
.
June/July1996 .
. .. ..
With Erivironment Canada in decline, will Sergio Marchi
chart a new course? An overview of the challenges facing
the beleaguered department, including budget cuts and
restructuring.
by Richard Bray . • . . . • . . . • • • . • . . . • • . • . • • • • • • • •
.1 O
Reorganization Chart
from Environment Canada .............................. 13
Sergio Marchi's Agenda
·
by Guy Crittenden . .. .. ........... . ........... . ....... . 16
Canada's Environment lndustry Strategy
· by Christopher Henderson arÚl Jonathan Rhone. ... . ... ~ .... . 18
·Republic deals, ~-ining fine~, ::Toronto o;:nnw.•w·~
.
: Privatize garbage. by Todd Latham .......... ;.: ...: ;~i-•.".........~~,:; .. ii.,.~L . .:.~;.,,~...... 55
LEGAL PERSPECTIVE:~Vóluntáiy compliance vs. enforcement. by Dianne Saxe, D.Ju~ .... ;;.~ .. :.. ~:....... 62
ADVERTISER INDEX ................................................................ :.............:....................................................................... ~ ... 32'
LITERATURE REVIEWS ............:..................................,. ........................................................................ ;.......................... 53
PRODUCT & SERVICE RELEASES ..................................................................................................~ .......................... 56
PROFESSIONAL CAROS .................................................................................................~ .............................................. 58
EVENTS .................,. ... .' ....... :.................................. ............................................................................................................:..'... 60
4
Hazardous Materials Management
·,-·; ~·
]une 1 July 1996
NAFTAComl:nission at the Trough
T
hiDk globally, act unaccount-
tion" on environment matters and ''promote public participaably.. The NAFTA environ- tion". Such fuzzy lartguage leads to the sort of troughing
.
ment cominission has investí- we've seen so far.
.
·
gated only four complaints since its
And tlie trough is getting deepe¿ The CEC Couricil ~emformationin 1994:. Whatajoke! This bers (Marchi, BroWner and Carabias) voted to create a $2taxpayer-funded agency, formally million fund for "community-based projects". Since when
D.aii).ed. the Commission for was the CEC supposed to be in the business of hand-outs?
En~ironmental Coo¡)eration (CEC), was suppose4 to play
Apparently, ever since the Council members realized that
w$b,dog over Cariada, the United States and Mexico and. . doling out agency cash allows them to stage·glitzy interna-'
niake ~ute that each countiy enforces its owri environmental tional press conferences. The slush fund, one press release
laws (and so prevent indirect trade¡s11:bsidies). lt was hoped states, will "engage the energy andimagination ofthe people
· that companies would be discourilged from moving to in North America". Wrong. It will take their money.
Mexico to escape strict pollution laws. A similar agency was
In the grand tradition of bureaucratic sprawl, the CEC is
created for employnient issues. · .
..
·
. busying itself with the creation of its own Resource and Public
.. Everyone remembers presidential candidate Ross Perot's · Infonnation Center which will "smooth the flow of informacomment that the "giant sl.icki.ng sound" you hear is NAFTA tion across borders". Apparently no one's told these characjobs going south to Mexico.. But there's another sucking ters that the infonnation highway (their words) already flows
sound that's audible these days: policy wonk mouths at the véry smoothly across the.Internet without traffic controls from
goveníment teat The NAFTA environment corrvrussion has civil servant;s in search of new programs to administer.
degenerated into a spendthrift "feel
·
It seems there's no trend too shalgood" agency with no teeth;·a sort of
low for CEC officials to jump into.
mini-United Nations (and everything
"There's another sucking sound that's
Most embarrassing is their commitdreadful that implies).
audible these days: policy wonk
ment to "boost investffient in green
The CEC vacuums up $12-rnilmouthsat the government teat."
technology" and export i:narkets. At
lion a year from the three NAFTA
an environment industry association
countries and employs 30 people.
breakfast in Toronto last year, execuYet, it's handled only one complaint against Mexico, two tive director Líchtinger was asked what specific actions the
against the Uruted States, and one against Canada Sorne agency has taken against the NAFTA countries who are·flawere disrnissed because they didn't fit the CEC mandate; oth- grantly ignoring sorne of their environmental láws. Eyes
ers were simply refuted by the countzy in question. The only · rolled when he quickly changed the topic to the CEC's plan
Canadian complaint carne from a fellow in Alberta con- to ass.emble consoft:iums of environmental companies to bid
cerned about pollution of a wetland. Thms out Alberta is the on overseas projects. Isn't this the same dream merchandiz. only province whichhas ratified the agency, meaning that it's ·ing we've heard from every ótber government environment
powerless in all the other provinces, including Quebec where department in recent years? Paced with deep budget cuts to
· the CEC is based (in Mo~treal) because Sheila Copps moved domestic progarns, Environment Canada and lndustry.
it there for political reasons (despite a study which showed · Canada officials have attempted to justify their existence by
that Toronto was the most logicallocation of the 25 cities organizing iri.ternational ''Team Canada" junkets to promote
which bid).
·
·
Canadian companies overseas which are floundering at
Victor Lichtinger, exec;:utive director of the rudderless borne. (Note the humiliating dernise of government darling
CEC, has adrnitted in the press that "If we get a complaint, Halozone Technologies, shut down by the banks in May
·we are not able to ask the provincial governments to respond des pite years of Ottawa funding and publicity.)
because [they] have not signed on." Sounding a bit like the
The CEC isjumping on the ISO 14000 bandwagon, sign. ·:·., Maytag repairman, he irtSists that'"a lot cif energies" from the · ip.g flaccid Memorandum" •.!f .Under.staniiing (MOUs) with
30 employees is devoted to doing studies such as air monitor- industry, and issuing press releases about its plans to target "a
ing in the three countries. Arid a lot of energy that must be.
· list of specific pollutants for joint action". All stuff that dupliln any event, the CEC is only empowered to order an cates the ineffectual gestures of other government-sponsored
investigation of transgressions (called a "factual record"). Its groups. Sounding like a cross between an NGO spokesperdoubtful that environment adrninistrators are sh.i.vering in son and a rnanagement consultant, the CEC ta1ks about biotheir boots at this prospect, given the "wiggle room" afforded diversity, "linkages" and the "precautionary approach": (How
by cbmplex environmental issues. Also, like the fox guarding much longer before they say they will "walk the talk"?) The
the henhouse, the CEC Council itself is comprised of the very CEC even funded the production of a vaJ1~ty TV program for
same environment department bosses from the three member World Environment Day which featured celebrities and
countries who would endure the Council's wrath! Aware that musicians including Grandma Twylah of the Seneca Nation
the "emperor has no clothes" at borne, does anyone imagine telling stories of"how we are all interconnected".
Sergio Marchi will pressure Mexican environment minister
The CEC must stop pretending to be •:a11 things to all peoJulia Carabias or EPA adrninistrator Carol Browner to clean ple" and focus on its watchdog functiqn. How many more
up their mess? Unlikely. ·
empty multistakeholder, multilateral, multibamboozling
The wording of.the CEC's mandate itself is an exercise in committee meetings, photo ops, song bird studies, communiprevarication. The agency will "strive to ensure" that "efforts ty grants, ribbon cutting ceremonies and TV shows will the
to encourage" free trade are "enriched by sound and viable public tolerate before it pulls the plug on this expensive
environmental practices'~. It will "work towards coopera- debating society? Hopefully, nota lot. +
Ó Hazardous Materials Management
}une 1 July 1996
... ·'· ·~~ .
te
,
Newspaper
• J~Ilia _C,arabiasLscnrio~i sQcios -d~siguaies yrio es algo fáCil.
M·éxic() .u;·()"·:~s :herni~1rio~ Inerror·d·e EU ·y. Canadá
• Acuerdan los tres·p'aíse8.mantener · normas ·ecoló.gica8 • Conduyó reunión de· la CCA
Angélica Enciso,- en~ad~,: Tqi'onto, 2 de ·con nuestro~ s~cios co~~rciales.
. .· presunto incumplimiento de la legis.lación
agosto O MéxiCo nó . se: siente como el
Al dar a conocer ~~~ acu_erdo~ finales de . am.biental por.parte de las autoriclades.
"herriuino menor ~ ~ · i:ie' Estados' Unidos· y · la tercera reunión ordinaria de la Comi- · Carabias ilgregó que se discutieron los
Cariad~;·: somos ·socios desigUales y no ·es . sión de . Cooperación Ambiental .(CCA); mecanismos para lograr una mejor calidad
algo fácil,. respondió·aquUulia Carabias, los ·ministros' ambientales de· América del . ambierital ·en México, ya· que este país es
titular de la Secretaría de Medio:Ambien- · nortf!· acqrdaton, entre otros •aspectos, el de mayor biodiversidad en la región, y
te, Recursos.Naturales .y' Pesca, a pregun- mantener las,norinas ecológicas y no per- la protección ambiental se debe hacer enta expr.esa mientras .'e) ministro .de Medio · mitir que éstas sean más laxas así como tre las tres naciones. ·
·
Ambiente de Canadá, Sergio Marchi, si- · sostener la relación entre sociedad y autoAsimismo; anunciaron que a fin de año
mulaba golpearla c.an el brazo. ·• ·. . .
.ridades con mecanismos nov·edosos.
habrá' una reunión ·f!ntre los tres ministros
.Interrogada por UJ): reportero.canadiense · :ouninte los dos días·que duró la reunión de medio .ambiente y los de comercio de
respecto a si México era el ...hermano me- · siempre estuvo presen~e· la resolución de estos países; para analizar !'a experiencia
nor" en la región, la funcionaria dijo: ~.'no · la q:A anunciada ayer de que' México se¡- · de la integración de 'las políticas comersentimos· que seamos hennanos, y .mucho rá el primer país al que se le integrará un · ciales y ambientales.
m~nos . ~en ores". Sin erribargo, !\iempre expediente de hechos sobre una denuncia
Jjn el mar<,:o .del programa de eliminareconoCió la relación desigual que"existe presentada porgrupos ecologistas ante eJ ción de sustancias tóxicas, México se
compn:~metÍó. a dejár de importar en ~n
lapso de seis .meses el cl_ordano, d cual es
uqlizado como pe~ticida.
·
Además de la resolución de· que se elabore un expediente de hechos sobre el
, proyecto Puerta Maya de Cozumel y de
que el consejo consultivo de la CCA llevé
·a cabo la revisión de los artículos 14 y 15
del Acuerdo de Cooperación Ambiental
del lLC, los ministros acordaron fortalecer la protección del medio' ambiente y la
salud. públjca cori el fin ·de mejorar las
práct1cas del sector público y del privado,
"más allá de la legislación interna'.' en la
materia.
.
'
·
En el aspecto .de legislación de los tres
países, la CCA determinó constituir un
grupo permane~te. de trabajo para la aplica~ló.n y cumphm1entq de la ley; entre los
obJetivos está,. rastreat el movimiento ilegal transfronterizo de sustancias y dese- .
.chos tóxicos,. mejor¡rr la aplicación de la
ley para identificar el contrabando de clo- .
rofluorocarbonos y la, CQOperación en e)
cumplimiento de las disposiciones de la
convención sobre el comercio internado~
nal de especies en peligro de extinción. .
El consejo signó un memorándum de en. tendimie.nto cqn tres organismos para la
elaborac1ón de un servicio de información ·
sobre tecnología ambiental; el cual difun,
dirá información·sobre el rubro para que
tanto el se_ctor público como e! ·privado
tengan op.cloRes tentables y adecuadas para el med1o amb1ente. ··
· .
La CCA éstablecerá programas de co~•peración en ~o ni toreo y en proyectos piloto en la reg1ón con el .fin de reducir la
emisión de contamina'ntes; con relación al
inventario de emisiones contaminantes en
la ~ona, el consejo anunció que el inventano se dará aconqcer en febrero de 1997 .
.· Sobr~ la protección de las especies rrilgratonas la CCA anunció otie en breve se
establecerá tma red de Areas Importantes ·
· para la Conservación de las Aves la cual
·con~ideiará el bosque de Pinos El,Carricito·del: Huichol en Jalisc_o; Long Point en
Ontarw, y el área de conservación San Pedro en Arizona.
· ~·.
::-·;t ·
1
o
z
Environment~lists pit N AETA against CanaQa
a
damaged because the federal go.;¡~· . . As evidénce to bolster its case;
. The federal government agreed . . as pa¡;t" of trend towacl dev<;>lu- .
·
·
ernment is ·not doing "its job, n said the Friends of the Oldrn.ai:t Dam to loók a:Hwo stream Ctossi.ngS; · tion offooerai pqwers.CALGARY - An Alberta environ- .Martha ·Kostuch of the FI:iends of gathered information about a pro- but not the 19 other5. It stiÜ ·haS . . Envirimmentálists ·.· are . conposa! by Sunpine Forest Products not ruled on whether the project éemed that thiS will result in riamental group has launched a com- the Oldman Dam.
She ~d h~r group's main con- to build a logging road west of ought to trigger a full environmen- . tional .standardS· ·bemg · enfoixed ·
plaint with a seldom-used body
across:Canada.
· : .· '
c¡:eated by. the North American tenti.on iS that in 1995 the federal Rocky Mountain Housé, A!ta.; that tal ·assessment. In the ineantime,
If .the romplaint dé:>es laurich a .·.
'free-hade agreement, accusing the · governmeilt . effectively amended wiii cross 21 streams. · The group .Ms.· KostUch said, the road · has
full NAFTA iilvestigation, and .if
federal government of failing to the ·Fisheries A,ct to ·prevent con- a8ked the province of · Alberta to been largely CÜmpleted.
The complaint to the Colll.Illis: · · Canada is foUild not to be enforc- ·
comply with its own environmen- struction projects that affect wa- assess environmental impacts of
terways from triggering the Cana- the.road if it were to be built
sion for Environmental Co-opera~ . ing·its own iaws; it does not mean
tallaws.
.
· Ms: Kostuch says . sorne . of the tion is considered signifitant in that Canada will face ·any overt
The complaint to . the Commis- dian Environmental Assessment
sion for Environmental Co-Dpera- Act. This took the fo:rln ofa direc- province's oWn. fisheries and wild:· environmental circles for two tea- sanction. The force of any citízen
tion,. which was formed more than tive Iauncbing whaf is known as life biologists determined that the sons. · First, if it succeeds in complaint to the commission rests
road would have a negal;ive effect launchinga NAFrA invest;igation, ·.in its ability to embarrass a _gova year ago to deal with citizens' . the'"Ietter-of-a:dviceprt>gram.n
result -is· that ronstruction on fue ·fishezy·(which shé says ·sbe. . if may fOCÜS Canadian-and inter- enlinenUind ·build mterest iri an
concerns, is the first to challenge · or. The
devélopmerit .project~i that once · found out through the .provinclal .· nationai ·attention on: the ~i>or- · .. iSsueamongvoters. · : ·
·. ·.
the Canadian government on the wo~d ha.ve bee.Q s1lbject toa rig- Access to. information , Aci), but' tan:ce ·of the Fisheries Act as a
. The ~oinmission said·yestei-day
enforcement of its own environ- orous, tar-raligi.ng · environmental the provinee : approved . the . !oad . . pieeé of imvironmental-protection . that it h.3.d teceived ·a faxed copy ·
mentallaws.
.
assessment now . simply receive a ·anyway.
·
. ·.. . , . . .
.. , IegiSiation and híg:hligbt- what en- . . .of the .complaint .b ut that it won't
The 500:-member g:ioqp Friends letter of á.dviee on how to diminish
Since the biplogu¡ts believed the : virOmrientali.Sts see as the prob- . be officially tegistered· until the
of the Oldman Dam filed the com- .~aterways·· damage, her group projecl ·· would affect fish, the lem.S with the letter-óf-advice pro-· · original arrives by mail. Roger .
plain~ yesterday, accusing the fedcontends; .· Environmentalists say Friends of the Oldman Daln. then graxa
.
·White, a spokesman for federal _
eral govemment of . ~óring and tbaF:suclí . I~tters ·. of :.ad\iice · . are .. wrote ·to ·the fedenil. govermilent,
SecOrid; it may alert Canadians .• Eiivironment ¡\finister Sergio Marbypassing provisions of tlie Fisher- Sómetijri~ . '. ~iten," :·Without : the which has resi>onsibility for the to "thé facfthat the federal góvem- chi, was reluctant to comment on
. ies·Act and the Canadian Environ- governinent's . jnSpecting the · site · fishery, · and asked it to eXamine : .ment is on the verge of transfer- the · coinplaint yeste:rdliy beca.use
mental Assessment Act. ·
of ihe·..prQJeC(and Sünply rely on . the project and to invoke the pro- ririg . responsibility for enforcing his department had not received
"We're seeing the environment · seco.ndharid iiüonruition.. .· .· · ... · vision8 of the Fisheries Act. ·
· the Fisheries Act to the provinces the complaint.
BY ALANNA MITCHELL
Al berta Bureau
unévenly
.. ':- ·:>- .-.
.,
CD
::;:¿
(/)
u
OJ
u
CD
)ate
Newspaper . _
• Comisión ambiental
Se protegerán
áreas naturales en
América del Norte
. . .. ·,
·'
..
.
.
.
',
Angélica EncÍ~o~ enviada, To.ronto, 2 de
agosto [] Los tres países de América del
l'forte se comp~ometieron a llevar a cabo ·'
iniciativas conjuntas para establecer áreas
naturales protegidas y proyectos de turismo ecológico para la protección de los
hábitats de la mariposa monarca.
·
Eh el marco de la tercera reunión 't>r'dinaria de, la Comisión de Cooperación
Ampiental .(CCA)' del 1LC, los países
miembros determinaron estudiar la ruta
migratoria que realiza la mariposa con el
fin de protegerla no sólo en Canadá, donde pasa el vera.no, y en México, en el periodo .invernal; sino durante toda .la trayectoria que realiza.
En la ruta de la mariposa se ha encon~ ·
trado que a su paso por Estad6s Unidos se
ve· afectada debido a que se alimenta de
hierbas que están contaminadas con plaguicidas por lo que· se requiere analizar
toda su trayectoria y· no :sólo las zonas
donde reside, indicólván Restrepo, quien
forma parte del Comité Consultivo Público Conjunto de la 'CCA.
·Esto también fue confirniado por el se-1
cretario de la .CCA, Vfc:tor Lichitnger; '
quien además consideró que el trabajo de
·protección de la especie no sólo es responsabilidad de México y Canadá, sino .
también' de Estados Unidos.
Los acuerdos que.se signaron aqu,f para
la protección de la especie, por primera
vez consideran las necesidades de la mariposa en su ruta migratoria, los sitios de
nacimiento y los· refugios de hibernación,
por lo .que los tres países comenzarán un
proceso'de monitoreo.
Sin embargo estos acuerdos no consideran, la,posicjón de.los.residentes de la Reserva Especial de . la Biosfera Mariposa
Monarca de Michoacán y estado de Mé. xico, cuyos representantes .no estuvieron
.
presentes aquí.·
El Centró de Ecología y Desarrollo tra- .
jo una propuesta en la que señala la necesidad de la creación de un santuario controlado -¡)ara lir mariposa monarca, en
terrenos de propiedad privada.
· .
Esa reserva se ubicaría cerca de Jos
campos· geotérmicos de Los Azufres, a .
dos horas y media de las ciudades de México y Guadalajara, se ubica en la ruta de
vuelo de las mariposas y ahí se constituyen pequeñas colonias.
·
El documentado elaborado por el 'investigador David ~arkin considera propuestas de inversión como campamentos ecoturistas. y naturales, hoteles turísticos, un
<;entro ejecutivo de convenciones "verde" y un área geotérmica~agroindustrial
con más de 25 diferentes unidades de pro. cesamiento de prqductQs !~cales.
,,
1
Datettfo<';f Newspaper
ZM
l"b?-·-·.-----l
Circulatio_n_ _.l Page 6 -j7JJ
.,
]Jig·~ltips draw
fast-food chains
COZUMEL continued
from 6D
Dora Uribe, a Cozumel
lawyer ·whO~Jtelped lead
the fight agai~~. .constr~c
wood will open by the end of tion of the ~onq criiiSe
the year along Avenida Rafael pier, fear one of the bestMelgar, the watertront's main known of those.below-thedrag. It will join such inass- surta~e attnictioQS is .
market icollS a.S Domino's Piz, der s1ege. ...
·
za, KFC and Dafry Queen, and
"We don'f; óbj~t to a.
their p~nce leaves longtime new pier;·We jt¡St wanted ·
visitors like Craig Munschy of it to be built 50mewhere .
Fresno,. Calit., debating wheth- else, away ftom Paradise
er to come back.
Réef," Uribe. says. \ "We .
"Photos by Laura Bly, USA TODA Y
"I'm disenchanted " ·com- need to keep a balance on . Hawking his wares: Street vendor
pliuns Múnschy, who -has visit· this island .. :. The pier is Renan Canul ,se)IIS dolphin necklaces.
ed CQzumel evety .year since killing the goose that laid
1988. "Whenever there ar~ at the golden egg."
· . . inated 5000. of first-time Caribleast two $ips in at the same · ·· Co~umel tourism officials, bean cruise passengers intend
time, it's very crowded in san meanwhile, argue that the por- to return . for a longer, landMiguel . . . the cruise · passen- tion ot the reef directly under · based ~it
gersreállytakeoverthetown." the riew pierhad alre;ady•be.en . ·Jim Nueslein, of Bel Air,
Munschy, ·liJte . more than · damaged by Hurricane Gilbert ·· Md., is one of thell).
halt of Cozumel's lOO,OOQ year: in 1989.
Nueslein visited Cozumel on
ly overnight visitors, iS a scuba
They saya recent decision to a cruise ship more than a decdiver attracted by the island's ban daytime parking along the. .ade ago. He returned this fall to
underwat~r geography. The . m?St conge8ted.¡}prtion ·9r -Sah >. scu1>~, qive the reefs he hadn't
coral reets along the south- Miguel's watertront has eased ~; had "time to explore the first
Westem shorellne, lauded by crowding during ·cruisé ship trip --: and to sample the simexplorer·Jacq¡¡es Cousteau tor . .calls. Outside ot town, the 11.at, ple plea5ures of San Miguel's
their unusual visibility and pro- · jungle-covered island remains Sunday night fiesta.
·
lific seaJite,"have helped make .. so undeveloped tha~ lizards can · "TlÍ~:is the kind of thing that
.qiiumett,iQ~ America's most . · ou~umb.et.~ on the road,
· nial\es ·.coru.mel _unique," says
popular .<\ive·.pestm,ation,:says .
And. Cozumel's, tourism pro- ··Nuésleiri; trying ·out a magic
Skin Diwr.mag8zine. ·
moters, like theli' counterparts trick before a wide-eyed audi. But dive shop operatOrs ~d elsewhere in the region, point ence of two preschoolers: "1
eilvironmentalists su eh as to surve}rs that sJ;10w an esti~ j~ hope it düesn't change."
Far from the crowds: The risa in the number and $ize of cruise ships may,have Cozumel's San Miguel
hopping, but the vast majority of the Mexican island remains undeveloped by the tourist industry.
.,.
j
, , ,.
.
.
By l..lwra Bly, USA TODAY
. · · Otl<the waterfrOnt: Hors~rawn carriages and a bicycle vendor · ·
; : selling cold.coconut milk cater to tourists in bustling San Miguel.
Á case in point the (iOQ-foot
as the world's .largest cruise
climb up Dunn's River Falls ship, the 100,000-ton Destiny ·
near the port of Ocho R.ios, Ja- carries up to 4,400 passengers
maica What has .loóg been · and crew.
· ·.: .
considered the countrY's j>re- . . -"When you bring in a níegamier destination has been ship, you need a 'megaexperspoiled, Douglas says, by a ience' to go along with it," notes
·crush of at least 300,000 cruise Broce . .Nierenberg. executive
ship pissengers a year - arid vice , president o(.- Norwegian
.
'··· .. · · :.·
. '·
.
BySte~M. Byines
Cruise Line. "You can't take
Underw~ i'riecca: Cozumel's Panildise Reef, one of the island's best-knO'NQ underwater attractions, . the paved walkways and 5ouvenir shops that cater to them. .
3,000 j>eople (to an island) and
. is threate·ried by the _construction of a second cruise ship pier, divers and environmentalistS say.
.
.
· A contributing factor is the
plit them irito a little bi.stró. . ..
industry's new breed of bebe-" · . You need something like a
2.5 riúllion this y"ear") is having Tourism -Organization in Bar- of Bermuda and the · Cayman
·
· .a drarnatic impact," says Joy bados.
Islands, ooth of which restrict moths, such as Carnival"Cruise Planet Hollywood."
Douglas, coordinator of the 3Line's just-launched Destiny,
"These islands are put under the number of ships, "very few
Cozumel's own Planet Hollyyear-old -· Caribbean Ecotour- a lot of pressure when ships of these islands ha ve done any which starts biweekly calls at
. ism Support Network, _an o1J- come into port."
long-term planning'' to deal Cózumel, Grand Cayman and
Please see COZUMEL
shoor- of the Caribbean
Jamaica in December. Billed
next page..,..
With the notable exceptions with !he influx, Douglas adds.
Cozumel's
..
.
.~\
;
.
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,·.··ar·e ~
~
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¡=·.\·(lJ.:))...~~ i·~~ t ·
~.
.
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'
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'
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]Jut ·iS paradise lost
.With ·cruise .fratfic?
:.'.
.
By Laura Bly
USATODAY
SAN MIGUEL DE COZU·
MEL, Mexico- Every Sunday .
evenlng. in a central · square
graced by shade trees, thi$ Car·
lbbean outpost reveals its ·
small-town Mexican heart.
·A$ a bánd strikes up I.a
Bamba :from a wrought U:on
gazebO, San Miguel's Plaza Juarez swells with exuberant local
~cers - . trom . a : MaYan .
grandmother, resplendent in a :.
qadltlonal .embr<;>idered dre5s,
to a small boy ·clutching a wad·
of -co.tton candy in one hand
and_a dribbling ice cr~ <;one ·
in the other. ·
· The next morning,_a ditrer- .
ent .kind of exuberance takes
USATODAY
hold. The dancers are replaced
by tbrongs of cruise ship pas- 430,000 just six years ago.
sengers slurping frozen margaThose numbers will increase
ritas at Fat Tuesday's, buying ne~pring, when a secopd
· T-shirts at the Hard Rock Cate cru· ship pier operis on a pbrand ogling rings at Diamond ·tion f Paradise Reef, one of
Creatlons - all of which have . Co
el's most popular diving,
opened. Within the .past ·two . an snorkeling destinations.
years. :
Consti:uction of the oier,
"It's. ha:rder to make mon- whÍCb lS abóut 70% complete,
ey,•: says San Miguel street ven~ . · ili':Jl!e= tocus of a firs~v.er
dor .Renan Canul, who sells North . American Free Trade
· plastic-dolp~ n~]paces from ..tgreement envrronmen(al
:a ~rtront pOst near the pier probe, .whícli lS mvestigajÍng
,for.the fet:JY t9 Playa del caí-- · whether N!exrco failed to en.men on the Mexican mmñland; teme us ei1vlronmental la~s.
;"Now, there ;-are ·toO· rnany . Ana 1t symboli2é§ a growing
shops.'l' . ·
·· controv~rsy over the physical
That transformatlon is mak· and social effects -of "fioating
.in& big waves on .~is 32-inile- . cities" on Caribbean islanqs
:· ·long island of 50,000 residents, desperate for the cash infili.otr the Yucatan ~ninsula. ·
sions their passengers repreOnce the n~ly exclusive . sent- an average of $124 per
province of scuba divers person per call, according toa
drawn by its transparent ·wa- . 1995 survey by the Floridaters, vibrant coral reefs ·and · Caribbean Cruise Association. .
. small, budget-priced hotels, Co- . ''There's no doubt that the
·zumel will · host an estimated · rise in cruise · ship . tmirism
•1.25 million cruise p~nger8 '· (from about 300,000 Caribbean
this year, up from about passengers in 1970 to almost
)ale Wo
Newspaper
Page
·Nafta working_g!Oup close~
to halting .use of 4 _chemicals
Environniental chiefs . had set co for malaria control. The
a short tim:e frame to get qmck draft áction plan saíd Mexico
action on reductioh · of the pes- last year also exported 21 tons ·
MEXICO CITY - . A special ticides DDT and · chlordane. of DDT. The pesticide is conNorth American Free Trade While those two issues were trolled and registered and has
Agreement ·environmental work- less · complicated; polychlorinat- been shipped to Colombia,
ing group · expects to finalize ed biphenyl and mercury ar~ . Panama and Guatemala.
The action plan commits .the
within weeks action plahs for more difficult. Mercury is a nat.elimination of mercury, PCBs, urally occurring element in the Mexican govemment to reduce
DDT and chlordane from the environment but is also a by- DDT use in anti-malaria efforts
product of .human activity such by 80% in five years and elimiNorth American environment.
The North American Working as fuel combustion, waste in- nate it iri 10 years'.
Group on Sound Mariagement of cineration and · metal smelting.
.Chl'ordane use will also · be
· groups phased out in Mexi<;:o. The pesChernicals held hearings last Non-govérnmental
.week in Mexico City to t*e wanted more time' for public \ticide is .used in five Mexican
public comrnent. on a:ction ·plans · input given the complex issues states to. treat wood products
for reducing the ·presence of the involving mercury and PCBs . .
against termites.
four environmentally harmful
Under the draft action plans,
. Under the action plan, the .
substances. The group was DDT and :chlordane are mostly · U.S. govemment would encourformed by the Comrnission on of concem to Mexico. DDT is age industry to phase . out pro. Co\)peration not used iri . the United States duction of chlordane and en-.
Environmental
(CEC), the .Montreal-based envi- or Cariada, but is used in Mexi- courage halt to those exports.
ronmental · watchdog ·agency of
the Nafta.
The head of the CEC's. science division was optimistic
that final action plans would be
sent to U.S., Mexican and Canadian environmental ·secretar. ies by Nov. ~5.
"1 think people will feel that
they have been taken into account," said Andrew Ham~on,
who noted the CEC expected to
.work in sorne concems raised.
Nafta environmental ministers called for action plans last
year. The effort began in earnest this year, and many of ,the
comments at tbe · Mexico City
meetings concei-ned insufficiimt
time for public participation. '
"It's not an inappropriate ·
..
triticism," said Mr. Hamilton;
noting that such comments will
probably mean more publie inpul in selection and action on
two additional substances next
year. "While I'm not apologizing, 1 am acknowle'dging they
have a good point." ·
BY KEVIN G. HALL
JOURNAI- OF COMMERCE STAFF
'.
i
a
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-· ··-~.({ f:t.i-Ü C-C_______¡ _ __.:~-~'----1
Circula lion
•'
. THE JOURNAL OF COMMERCE
WORLD
Nafta officials,.regulators .·
discuss environmental refonn
.• The trend::~6 .:·. .
tled "New D.frections in North environmental laws has been a
American
. Environmental Re- state responsibility for sorne
decentralization poses
form;" The meeting is signifi- time, Mexico is beginning to
. questions ah,.ou( ability to cartt b.ecause environmental · give states limited enforcement
enforce regulatio~ ·
ministers have ordered under" responsibility under a newly
·lings to· begin discussio.ns on passed law.
unifonrily. .
··
more uniforin regulatary· reIn Canada, environmentalists
JOURNAL ·OP COMMBRCB· STAPP
three . countries ___:
gimes
fear turning enforcement over
with enormous potential effects
U.S., Mexican: and Canadian . on intemational business and to provinces whose economy is.
dominated by a few key indusenvironmenta[officials and . ad~ local communities~
·
tries is asking for poor enforcevocates, working with the North
"If decentralization is pur- ment.
American Free · Trade . Agree- sued as state policy, . what
ment's environmental watchdog mechanisms . for accountability
Also discussed last week is
group, have ,begun ·discussing are in place to ensure that high the trend in all three countries
common principies for anti-pol- levels of protection are guaran- toward greater voluntary comlution and contamination regu- teed?" asked Greg Block, the pliance measures.
.lations.
CEC's director. "If the trend of
Mexico has recently moved
The gathering in Texas iden- decentralization continues · over
to
giving business more leeway
tified trends in.: environmental the next" severa! years and a lot
to
voluntarily
comply with enviregulation ·in the three coun- of power ~s devolved to the
ronmental
.
rules,
accompanying
tries, among theni greater de- . state, local or provincial govsuch
flexibility
with
auditing
centralization-: of · enforcenient emments, what · indicators will .
for
nonand
steep
penalties
powers to ·the . states oi: prov- be developed · to ensure that
compliance. Environmentalists
.
· .
inces;
this new levei of governrnent is
The ·Mantreal-based Com- · maintaining high levels of pro- have be en wary of su eh trusthle approaches in all three
mission for Environmerital Co- _tection?" ·
countries.
operation
held
meetings .
The
q~estion
becomes
more
Wednesday and Thursday .in
The discussions last week in
the Texas capital. city of Austin, pointed in an era of declining Austin are expected to set the
bringing together state, federal budgets for federal enviran- tone for talks most of next year
and local goveinment regula- mental enforcement in all three over the definition by the three
countries, he said.
tors from across the: Americas.
countries of "sound principies"
The event, coordinated with
While U.S. enforcement of for environmental regulatory rethe University of Texas, was ti- clean air, clean water and other form, Mr. Block said.
m.
JN"e~spape r
-··- -r¡ - - .
LCirculalion
1 Page
SIEI~RA V.CSm HERALO
SIERHA VISTA, AZ
!U, 392
UAIL Y ~ smm A\'
THUI{SOAY
JAH 23 1997 :/,
·$a,n·.Pedró fOcús
Of\NAF:rA···.inquif!L·.·
BILL HES~ 33d-f
Herald!ReVIew ·
. , · f~deral procedúres. · fE@!
