Reps. Peters, Vargas, Levin, Jacobs, and Sens. Padilla, Schiff Urge Trump Administration to Use Trade Deal for Long-term Solutions to Transboundary Sewage

Washington, DC- Today, Reps. Scott Peters (CA-50), Juan Vargas (CA-52), Mike Levin (CA-49), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), and U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA)and Adam Schiff (D-CA) sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer regarding the Trump Administration's upcoming review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). TheUSMCA allocated$300 million to treat wastewater flows in the Tijuana River Valley, and the U.S. and Mexico signed an international treaty known as Minute 328 which also commits Mexico to wastewater infrastructure investments. In recent years, Congress has also providedmore than $300 million to addressongoing funding shortfallssince March 2024. Still, more effort isneeded.

"As the Administration begins its review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), we strongly urge you to use this opportunity to pursue further investments and cross-border cooperation to curb the transboundary sewage crisis in the Tijuana River Valley," the members wrote.

The members continued, sharing infrastructure initiatives and additionalprojects needed to ensure long-term solutions to this public health emergency in the San Diego-Tijuana region:"The EPA and North American Development Bank (NADBank) have outlined further wastewater treatment, conservation, and remediation projects that further reduce transboundary flows and associated pollution."

These recommendations 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 NADBankcan lend money to infrastructure projects.

• Permanent funding mechanism for Tijuana River Valley infrastructure.

• Formalize the role of the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) and Comisión Internacional de Límitesy Aguas (CILA) in the USMCA.

The members concluded, "These recommendations align with the Administration's broader goals of enhancing regional competitiveness and fostering national prosperity. The USTR served as a critical advocate for this transboundary wastewater crisis in the last USMCA negotiations, and we hope that commitment remains."

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.

1. 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.

1. 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 maintainingthe SBIWTP.

1. 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.

1. In August, Rep. Peters hosted Deputy Secretary of State Richard Verma on a tour of the broken wastewater treatment plant.

1. 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 levelsof toxic gases.

1. 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.

1. 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.

1. 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.

1. In August, he led two letters to the Office of Management and Budget and to OMB and the State Department, calling for urgent additionalfunding to confront this crisis.

1. 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.

1. 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.

1. 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.

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