[ADEQ Media] ADEQ Director Owens Assigns New Hazardous Waste Inspectors at Border

[media@lists.azdeq.gov]

ADEQ Director Owens Assigns New Hazardous Waste Inspectors at Border

PHOENIX (July 2, 2007) - Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
(ADEQ) Director Steve Owens announced today that ADEQ will be launching
an effort to inspect shipments of hazardous waste coming from Mexico
into Arizona at Arizona's three ports of entry in Nogales, San Luis and
Douglas, the state's busiest crossings from Mexico. 

Owens said that the state budget recently signed by Governor Napolitano
provides funding for ADEQ to hire three full-time hazardous waste
inspectors to review waste shipments coming into Arizona from Mexico to
ensure they are being transported safely in accordance with all
requirements of state and federal law. ADEQ will post an inspector at
each border crossing where the waste shipments are likely to occur.

"No one at either the federal or state level is inspecting hazardous
waste shipments coming into Arizona from Mexico," Director Owens said.
"We are pleased that we got the funding to perform this critical task."
ADEQ had unsuccessfully sought funding for the inspectors last year from
the Arizona legislature.  

Under federal law, U.S.-owned manufacturing plants in Mexico, known as
maquiladoras, are required to dispose of their waste in the United
States.  Federal law also permits other companies to bring their waste
into the United States for disposal.  Because Arizona has no hazardous
waste disposal facilities, any waste coming across the border will
ultimately end up in other states for disposal.     

The ADEQ inspectors will check Mexican hazardous waste shipments for
compliance with applicable hazardous waste laws; track the amount, types
and final destination of hazardous wastes; ensure that shipments are
destined for facilities authorized to accept the waste; and ensure that
the wastes are being securely shipped.
 
"Having full-time inspectors at the border crossings will help ensure
that any waste coming into Arizona from Mexico is being transported
through our state safely, legally and securely," Owens said. 

Owens noted that episodes involving waste shipments at the border in
previous years underlay ADEQ's desire to have inspectors at the border.
In 2004 at the Otay Mesa port of entry in California, opposite Tijuana,
three companies shipped two loads of sludge that burst into flames, one
at port and one on the open road near San Diego. And in 2005 a shipment
of furniture fumigated with a powerful pesticide was intercepted that
could have exposed Customs officials in Nogales to levels of the
chemical 50 times higher than U.S. law allows.

-30-

News media interested in additional information on this or any other
topic concerning the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality should
contact the Office of Communications at (602) 771-2215 or via email at
communications@azdeq.gov.

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