Big growth predicted for environmental exports to Mexico U.S. environmental technology exports to Mexico are expected to grow by 24% per year, reaching $2.6 billion in 1995, according to a market analysis by the Depart ment of Commerce. Because of the North Ameri can Free Trade Agreement side agreements and U.S. proximity to and familiarity with Mexico, Mex ico is expected to be one of the United States' most lucrative en vironmental export markets. The market analysis lays out a plan for gaining a greater market share for U.S. environmental products and is the first of sev eral such plans the Department expects to complete over the next few months, according to Anne L. Alonzo, Commerce De partment deputy assistant secre tary for environmental technolo gies export. Alonzo, formerly EPA representative in the U.S. Em bassy in Mexico, heads the De partment's efforts to increase the export of U.S. environmental technologies. Yet to come, she says, are export analyses of Chile and Argentina; South Korea; Eastern Europe, Poland, and the Czech Republic; and the China economic area. Alonzo describes a major turn around within the Commerce De partment as it now begins to offer greater aid to small and large po tential exporters of environmental technologies and equipment. That aid includes helping line up financial sources, organizing in ternational trade shows and mis sions, overcoming trade barriers, and identifying potential buyers. The Mexico market plan dis cusses the need to open avenues of communication between po tential Mexican buyers of envi ronmental products and U.S. manufacturers. To that end, Alonzo says, there now is a tech nology point person, Sean Kelley, within the U.S. Embassy's Com mercial Section in Mexico to as sist U.S. firms in finding invest ments and trade opportunities in the environmental sector. There also are some 15 trade offices op-
Anne L. Alonzo, deputy assistant secre tary for environmental technologies ex port, Department of Commerce
erating in Mexico. Their role is to look for leads and to pass them to the private sector. On this side of the border, the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Ser vice has 32 environmental tech nology officers in its 69 offices across the country. These are the Department's "eyes and ears" in states and regions, she says, who counsel companies on export possibilities. If exporters are in terested in a particular country, Alonzo says, they can use a "gold key service" within each embassy,
which will set up appointments with potential technology buyers. The report notes that the United States is by far the leader in environmental exports to Mex ico; Germany is the closest com petitor with 18% market share in air and water sectors. It examines several sectors of the Mexican environmental mar ket, including (1993 figures): • Solid waste handling equip ment, with a total market of $723 million and a U.S. share of 46%; • Hazardous waste manage ment equipment and services, with a total market of $455 mil lion and a U.S. share of 79%; • Water pollution instruments, equipment, and services, with a total market of $174 million and a U.S. share of 51%; • Air pollution control equip ment, with a total market of $71 million and a U.S. share of 58%; and, • Renewable energy equip ment and services, with a total market of $71 million, of which 39% is controlled by the United States. For more information contact the Department's Trade Informa tion Center at 1-800-872-8723 or Office of Environmental Technol ogies Exports at (202) 482-5225. —JEFF JOHNSON
ΝΕΡΑ Under Review by CEQ One of the public's principal tools for raising environmental con cerns about proposed federally funded projects is undergoing a high-level internal review, set to be finished in March. While the overall effectiveness of the 25year-old National Environmental Policy Act (ΝΕΡΑ) is being exam ined, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), which oversees ΝΕΡΑ and is con ducting the study, is focusing on requirements that trigger an envi ronmental impact statement (EIS) and public comment. Before a large federally funded
project—a highway or dam, for instance—can be constructed, the approving agency must prepare an environmental assessment (EA) and, if the project is found to a have a major environmental impact, a formal EIS as well. Pub lic comment is required with an EIS but not an EA. About 50,000 EAs are done each year versus 3000 EISs. Environmental groups have charged that some agencies use EAs as a way to avoid public comment requirements, and this is among questions being exam ined in the study. —J. J.
VOL. 29, NO. 1, 1995/ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY • 2 3 A
