Mexican business leaders keep pushing to keep commercial traffic at ‘BOTA’
JUÁREZ, Chihuahua (KVIA) -- The Mexican Association of Importers and Exporters (ANIERM) submitted a petition to the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC). The organization works in parallel with the Mexico-United States-Canada Free Trade Agreement (USMCA) and ANIERM, along with other business and industry associations, want to oppose the removal of commercial cargo crossings from the Bridge of the Americas (BOTA); they now say the request was accepted and are awaiting a response.
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has initiated a modernization project for 'BOTA,' set to start next year. The project involves closing the commercial cargo crossing, which, according to ANIERM, could have several potential economic and environmental impacts in Juárez and on the border.
"One of the things we did to prevent the closure of the cargo crossing at 'BOTA' was to file a petition with the CEC, and we asked this organization to review whether the United States conducted the necessary studies to ensure that there would be no environmental impact on the border region," said ANIERM Chihuahua delegate Marcelo Vázquez Tovar.
"We requested this because the 190,000 cargo shipments that cross through 'BOTA' annually will obviously be diverted to Ysleta-Zaragoza, shifting the pollution to that area, which is more densely populated on the Juárez side," delegate Vázquez added. "Well, this environmental organization told us that it has already begun its investigation to determine whether the decision to close cargo traffic at 'BOTA' would affect tens of thousands of Juárez residents."
Chihuahua Delegate Vázquez believes there is a lack of understanding about what closing this crossing entails, in environmental, economic, and logistical terms, and that is why they wanted to communicate it with the CEC.
According to ANIERM, if the commercial cargo crossing at 'BOTA' is closed, neither the city of El Paso nor Juárez has the infrastructure to handle the 190,000 annual truck shipments through Zaragoza, because they would hardly go to the Marcelino Serna Port of Entry in Tornillo-Guadalupe or the Santa Teresa bridge.
"The Bridge of the Americas is the only one equipped with certifications for the crossing of certain goods that cannot be crossed through the other bridges," delegate Vázquez said. The GSA project would significantly increase pollution because it involves eliminating the commercial cargo crossing but increasing the number of inspection booths for private vehicles from the current 14 to 40."
Data ANIERM shows that 34,000 private vehicles cross daily with the current 14 booths at 'BOTA,' and increasing to 40 booths would mean approximately 97,000 vehicles crossing there daily.
So far, there has been no binational dialogue between federal authorities to announce the closure of the commercial crossing on which hundreds of maquiladoras depend.
"We have seen some protests from people in El Paso demanding the closure of the cargo crossing because it pollutes their neighborhoods. Of course, they have the right to do so, but we find it somewhat irresponsible that they are doing it without adequate information," Delegate Vázquez said.
"It's like a neighbor sweeping their house, gathering all the trash, and dumping it on the next-door neighbor; that's how we see it," Vázquez added. "They want to send all that pollution to the east side."
ABC-7 spoke with Familias Unidas del Chamizal earlier this month; they said they never asked to send all commercial traffic to the Ysleta-Zaragoza Port of Entry, they would like to have them cross through Tornillo or Santa Teresa.
"For us to be able to cross and for the people of Juárez-El Paso to be able to eat, clothe themselves, and have jobs, it is necessary to transport cargo across the border. Today, it is impossible to live without this impact, which we call a carbon footprint," he added. "Of course, we can look for alternatives to reduce pollution, but it's not about shifting the problem to our neighbors or closing a bridge without the corresponding studies."
ANIERM is currently waiting for the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) to take action.
"We believe they will stop this project because it is not environmentally viable, it generates much more pollution, and at the same time, it hinders the economy of our two cities," Vázquez also said.
