Some California state lawmakers are asking the Trump administration to declare a state of emergency to address pollution in the Tijuana River, which has led people in the San Diego area to leave due to the persistent and pungent smell.
According to Border Report, legislation known as AJR 16 received unanimous support in the state Assembly's Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee. It will now go to the full assembly for a vote.
Assemblymember David Alvarez, one of the sponsors of the bill, said the declaration is needed to address "environmental injustice facing communities, which have endured beach closures, air and water contamination, and diminished economic activity."
Alvarez added that there is a need to solve "ongoing impacts on public health, the environment, and the local economy caused by transboundary flow pollution in South San Diego and Imperial Valley."
"This is not just a water issue. Study upon study have found that it is a public health emergency, which demands a national response. We are calling on President Donald J. Trump and Congress to act with the urgency and scale that this disaster demands," Alvarez added.
Among other things, the bill calls for: full funding of an EPA infrastructure plan to stop sewage spills and end beach closures, which have lasted more than three years in some places; long-term operation and maintenance support for treatment facilities; federal investment to address pollution in the New River.
Assemblymember Alvarez represents some of the most affected areas, including Imperial Beach, whose officials have been continuously raising alarms about the matter. Its beach was recently deemed one of the most polluted in the country.
Earlier this year, Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre slammed the Biden administration for refusing to declare an emergency, saying she and a delegation visited the White House three times this year with this purpose.
"It's extremely concerning that we have the largest health crisis, the biggest environmental injustice in the nation and we haven't seen that leadership from both our state and federal governments," Aguirre told the outlet, remarking that California Gov. Gavin Newsom took the same stance as Biden.
Newsom visited the area for the first time in late October to take part in a groundbreaking ceremony for the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant in San Diego. However, Aguirre told the outlet back then that the "plant is not going to reduce our crisis."
Lee Zeldin, President Trump's EPA administrator, said in April that he would be traveling to the area soon to get a look at "where disgusting Mexican sewage is harming our precious environment in the United States." He said that Mexico must quickly implement solutions, a statement praised by Aguirre. Zelding did visit the area on April 23 and urged Mexico to help address the crisis.
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