San Diego Congressional Delegation Call for Action on Transboundary Sewage Crisis in Renewed Trade Negotiations

Washington, DC - Today, Congressman Scott Peters (CA-50) led his colleagues Reps. Juan Vargas (CA-52), Mike Levin (CA-49), and Sara Jacobs (CA-51) in a letter to Ambassador Jamieson Greer to highlight the continued urgency and need for cooperation with Mexico to address the Tijuana River Valley environmental crisis. The renegotiation of the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) must move forward and be utilized as an opportunity to secure additional funding and bi-national commitments to prevent further health and environmental impacts from cross-border sewage pollution in the Tijuana River Valley.

The USMCA has been pivotal for San Diego, a city long plagued by cross-border pollution and chronic sewage spills largely caused by Mexico's failing infrastructure, which threatens our beaches, public health, and local economy. President Trump's decision to not renew the Agreement risks undoing hard-won progress and leaves San Diego exposed to more pollution and economic setbacks. In the letter, the lawmakers reiterate the commitments made to repair and upgrade wastewater treatment infrastructure on both sides of the border in the 2019 USMCA and add that moving forward, "the United States must develop enforceable environmental standards and a rapid response mechanism for violations of the minute treaties and wastewater spills that can and should be avoided with every possible measure available."

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and North American Development Bank (NADBank) have outlined the work that still must be done to reduce transboundary flows and associated pollution. These include:

• Multi-year funding commitment from the Mexican government on infrastructure projects.
• Enable the use and allocation of funds for the U.S.-Mexico Border Water Infrastructure Grant Program (BWIP) to Mexico.
• Increase agility in how NADBank can lend money to infrastructure projects and work more closely with EPA.
• Plan and fund construction for river diversion projects and advanced treatment plants.
• Permanent funding mechanism for Tijuana River Valley infrastructure.
• Formalize the role of the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) and Comisión Internacional de Límites y Aguas (CILA) in the USMCA.

As the U.S. Trade Representative, Ambassador Greer is a critical advocate to strengthen the existing agreements and secure additional solutions to end this crisis. The lawmakers concluded, "our delegation looks forward to continuing to work with you to ensure existing agreements are held in place, and progress is made to address this transnational public health emergency."

Read the full letter here.

Further Background:

Representative Peters has, for years, worked to address the cross-border pollution fouling San Diego's coastal waters, including pushing for additional funding to fix and expand the dilapidated SBIWTP. The following are some recent actions:

2025

1. In March, Rep. Peters introduced legislation to authorize the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) to accept funding from federal and non-federal entities for wastewater treatment, flood control projects, or other water conservation efforts.

2024

1. In January, Rep. Peters took to the House floor to demand that the President's requested $310 million to fix and expand the dilapidated SBIWTP be included in any upcoming spending deal.
2. In February, Rep. Peters joined members of San Diego's Congressional delegation to ask U.S. Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro about the effects of cross-border pollution on Navy operations.
3. In March, Rep. Peters celebrated the inclusion of $156 million, at his request, for the International Boundary and Water Commission's (IBWC) construction budget in the Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations bill. The IBWC is the federal agency tasked with operating and maintaining the SBIWTP.
4. In May, Rep. Peters joined Rep. Veronica Escobar (TX-16) in a bipartisan request for $278 million for the IBWC's construction budget in the Fiscal Year 2025 Appropriations bill.
5. In August, Rep. Peters hosted Deputy Secretary of State Richard Verma on a tour of the broken wastewater treatment plant.
6. In September, Rep. Peters joined members of San Diego's Congressional delegation to reiterate their call for a federal state of emergency declaration amid high levels of toxic gases.
7. In December, Rep. Peters and the Congressional delegation successfully fought to include an additional $250 million to fully repair and expand the capacity of the SBIWTP in the government funding bill. This brought the total amount of funds secured to $650 million.

2023

1. In June, Rep. Peters led a letter with other members of the San Diego Congressional delegation to the governor of Baja California urging accountability for the Mexican government's commitments to build wastewater treatment infrastructure.
2. In July, members of the San Diego congressional delegation requested that the Environmental Protection Agency assist with directing environmental justice funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act to help stop the flow of pollutants and urged Secretary of State Antony Blinken to tour the broken plant.
3. Also in July, they sent a letter to President Biden and submitted an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024, calling on the administration to declare this crisis a federal emergency.
4. In August, he led two letters to the Office of Management and Budget and to OMB and the State Department, calling for urgent additional funding to confront this crisis.
5. In September, he proposed an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2024 Interior, Environment, and Related Programs Appropriations Bill to boost U.S.- Mexico Border Water Infrastructure Grant Program funding. Additionally, he proposed two amendments to the Fiscal Year 2024 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Bill to boost annual construction funding to the USIBWC to $100 million.
6. In October, Rep. Peters led a bipartisan letter to the Department of State demanding a complete account of how the SBIWTP fell into such a severe state of disrepair.
7. In December, he led a letter urging leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate to include President Biden's $310 million supplemental budget request to repair the SBIWTP in any upcoming funding package.

In previous years, Peters and colleagues have secured funding, introduced legislation, called for investigations, and arranged a visit by EPA Administrator Regan in response to the wastewater contamination crisis.

###