Project Title:
 
Enforce vehicle importation regulations.
 

Project Description: Background information: The Paso del Norte air basin currently exceeds U.S. and Mexican ambient air quality standards for carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3) and particulates with a diameter less than 10 micrometers (PM 10).Mobile source emissions are a principle contributor to these O3 and CO air quality problems, representing 65% of basin-wide VOC (HC) emissions, 50% of basin-wide NOx emissions and 90% of basin-wide CO emissions. The vehicle fleet is comprised of older vehicles: 63% and 34% of cars are pre - 1987 in Ciudad Juarez and El Paso, respectively. We need to have on hand the Do?a Ana, New Mexico vehicle fleet profile. 

A large portion of the average 140 vehicles imported every day in Ciudad Juarez, are not in compliance with the current transportation and safety standards in the neighboring states along the border with Mexico, which makes it impossible to legalize the car's documentation and to exchange the title and registration. Texas state law, applicable to El Paso, does not permit owners of used car lots to sell and/or display vehicles that do not have all of the emission control devices. The cars must also be equipped to combust and use energy efficiently. 

The Ciudad Juarez Municipal Regulation of Ecology stipulates in the mobile sources chapter, section two, articles 32 and 33, that every vehicle that circulates in Ciudad Juarez must have passed the vehicle emissions verification and should have an ecological sticker corresponding to the current fiscal year. Similarly, on April 15, 1997, the regulatory ordinances for vehicles in circulation were put into effect and are included in Article 20 of the Transit Law for the State of Chihuahua. This project proposes vehicle inspection for emissions control device and tail - pipe emissions at the time of importation. Such a program could be executed by Automotive Instructors from Ce Ca T I - 19 within an agreement with the corresponding federal agencies from the Ministries of Treasury and Commerce. 

Cost / Cost Effectiveness:  Requiring compliance with vehicle importation laws may result in marginal increases in the real price of the vehicle. Nonetheless, this is beneficial for the car's new owner, who will have purchased a car with a better fuel economy and with a greater chance of passing the ecological inspections, as long as the vehicle is mechanically well maintained. Inspection and compliance with the law can be conducted by the Diagnostic Center of the school Ce Ca T I - 19 with a cost per vehicle equal to the current daily wage in Juarez (i.e. 31.00 pesos). This represents an annual expenditure of $1,100, 000 Mexican pesos ($122,000 US), considering 140 vehicles imported each day. 

Significance of Impact: Given that on average 140 vehicles are imported daily in Cd. Juarez and using data from the emissions inventory, we were able to deduce that each imported vehicle annually contributes 1.22 tons of CO and 0.15 tons of HC into the atmosphere. The Cd. Juarez Air Quality Management Plan assumes this measure will achieve 25% reduction of CO and HC. This represents emissions reductions of approximately 13,000 tons of CO and 1,600 tons of HC per year.  

Feasibility: The mobile sources program in Cd. Juarez has the administrative structure to apply the law that addresses this issue. Moreover, agreements can be made with the Training Center for Industrial Work (Centro de Capacitaci?n para el Trabajo Industrial -Ce Ca T I - 19), so that their technicians can conduct mechanical and vehicle emissions inspections. TNRCC and El Paso City - County Health and Environmental District currently inspect vehicles in use car lots for emissions control devices andtampering. Certain administrative obstacles are foreseen with Mexican customs, as well as from the organization of used car salesmen.