U.S., Mexico Crack Down on Suspected Border Polluters

State and federal officials have launched their first crackdown against suspected polluters under a new plan to protect the environment along the U.S.-Mexican border.

Seventeen state and federal actions were conducted this week and late last month on the U.S. side of the 2,000-mile border, said Scott Fulton, the Environmental Protection Agency’s deputy assistant administrator for enforcement.

At the same time, Mexican officials were conducting a similar crackdown, temporarily closing eight facilities for not complying with environmental laws.

The U.S. actions, coordinated by the EPA with assistance from the U.S. Customs Service and border state agencies, involved violations of federal law, including improper shipments of hazardous waste or toxic substances, Fulton said.

Two criminal indictments and 15 civil actions resulted from the enforcement actions in California, Texas, Arizona and New Mexico, the EPA said.

The criminal indictments involve the alleged illegal export of hazardous waste from California to Mexico.

Sbicca of California Inc. of El Monte was indicted, along with three of its employees, after a tip from Mexican customs officials at the border crossing between San Ysidro and Tijuana, the EPA said.

Ignacio Lopez, operator of an Imperial County transportation company in Calexico, was indicted after an investigation that included Mexico’s environmental protection agency and the Imperial County Health Department.

The civil actions are for violations of federal air, toxic substance, community right-to-know or waste laws. Ten civil cases were brought by the EPA, four were filed by California and one by Arizona.

In California, federal civil actions were taken against RhoChem Corp. of Inglewood and Scripto-Tokai Corp. of Fontana.

The California Environmental Protection Agency proposed a $117,000 fine against bankrupt Nelco Oil Refining Corp. in National City for allegedly shipping waste oil across the border without permits. The agency also plans a $151,791 fine for Rohr Industries for allegedly treating cyanide without a permit.

State officials cited the Navy for mishandling hazardous waste at two sites in San Diego County.