Waste Site Protests Called in Mexico

Later this month, residents of Tijuana and other northern Mexican communities will protest hazardous and nuclear waste dumps proposed for several sites just north of the U.S.-Mexico border, a federal deputy said.

Liliana Flores Benides, of the leftist opposition Revolutionary Democratic Party, told La Jornada that citizens will take their protests March 21 to four Mexican border cities: Tijuana, Ciudad Juarez, Ciudad Acuna and Piedras Negras.

Tijuana is the site of a chemical waste incinerator, operated by a subsidiary of Waste Management Inc., that is scheduled to begin taking solvent wastes on a commercial basis this summer.

The three cities on the Texas border are all near proposed sites for nuclear, hazardous and medical waste treatment and storage facilities.

Mexico has asked to meet with officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to discuss the proposed facilities. A 1983 bilateral agreement requires either country to consult with the other before implementing a project that could harm the environment.

Mexican environmental authorities accuse the U.S. of ignoring that requirement.

“Up to now, the posture of the Mexican government has been lukewarm” about protecting the health of Mexicans who could be affected by the projects, Flores charged.