Transboundary flow pollution: United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

Plain English Breakdown

The exact consequences of Mexico failing to meet its commitments are not detailed.

Pollution Control in Rivers Near Mexico

This resolution requests the United States to secure commitments from Canada and Mexico during a review of their agreement to eliminate chronic sewage discharges into two rivers near the U.S. border.

What This Bill Does

• Requests that the United States, at the 2026 joint review of the USMCA, secure measurable and sustained commitments from parties to eliminate chronic transboundary sewage discharges into the Tijuana River watershed and the New River.
• Commits the United States to automatic nonrenewal of the USMCA if Mexico fails to establish benchmarks, timelines, and numeric discharge-reduction targets for reducing pollution in these rivers.
• Requests annual public reporting on compliance with pollution reduction commitments.

Who It Names or Affects

• People living near the Tijuana River watershed and the New River
• The United States, Mexico, and Canada

Terms To Know

Transboundary flow

Water that flows across borders between countries.

USMCA

United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a trade agreement between the three countries.

Limits and Unknowns

• The resolution does not specify what will happen if Mexico fails to meet its commitments.
• It is unclear how other parts of the USMCA might be affected by this change.

Official Summary Text

SJR 13, as introduced, Padilla.
Transboundary flow pollution: United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
This measure would request the United States, at the 2026 joint review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), to secure and publicly adopt measurable and sustained commitments from the parties to eliminate chronic transboundary sewage discharges into the Tijuana River watershed and the flow of untreated sewage, industrial effluent, and toxic pollutants through the New River from Mexicali into the County of Imperial. The measure would further request that the United States commit to automatic nonrenewal of the USMCA should there be a failure of establishing commitments, benchmarks, and timelines relating to specific numeric discharge-reduction benchmarks for both the Tijuana River watershed and the New River, investment into and enforceable timelines for completion of wastewater infrastructure projects, and annual public reporting on compliance.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF