SAN DIEGO, CA — Representative Scott Peters (CA-50) delivered the following remarks at the groundbreaking for the rehabilitation and expansion of the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant (SBIWTP):

“For years now, I’ve called this cross-border sewage crisis one of the most serious environmental disasters in the Western Hemisphere – one that threatens everything from tourism, surfing, national security, and nature to general public health. The problem hit its most recent pinnacle in 2017 when hundreds of millions of gallons began spilling across the border as infrastructure in Mexico failed. Spills that had been frequent but smaller became every day and bigger. This was different, and we had to act more quickly.

"When Juan and I first came to Congress in 2013, funding for the Border Water Infrastructure Program had diminished to $5 million per year - for the ENTIRE border region. At its peak, in 1997, these accounts had been funded at $100 million per year. But the previous Congress had let it diminish to peanuts.

"Juan and I, with the help of our colleagues in the House and our senators, worked to raise it up again. In 2018, we doubled it to $10 million; in 2019, $15 million, then $30 million.
That may have been good progress before, but after 2017, it was clearly not enough to address this crisis. I started pushing then-U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to support strong, enforceable environmental mandates in updates to our trade agreements with Mexico.

"In 2019, we had the chance to do just that. A new US-Mexico-Canada trade Agreement – or USMCA - was being negotiated, and President Trump needed Congress to approve the deal. That year, I participated in a meeting of a U.S.-Mexico Parliamentary group attended by American and Mexican members of Congress. I urged that we pass a new USMCA that tackled cross-border sewage. Also, we convened a meeting of our congressional delegation with Speaker Pelosi to encourage her to ask for funding to combat cross-border sewage as part of the approval of the USMCA. Then, during the International Climate Conference known as COP 25, Speaker Pelosi told us that she had been able to agree with the administration on $300 million to address sewage pollution on the U.S.-Mexico border. We followed this up with a minute treaty that we signed with Mexico in 2022 that obligated them to do their part by fixing their own infrastructure, especially their broken plant at Punta Bandera. Fortunately, that project is on track to open early next year.

"Even after the infusion of cash from USMCA, we knew we’d still need more money to finish all the projects required on our side of the border, but we thought we had enough to expand and upgrade the Treatment Plant. EPA finished the environmental review and analyzed what needed to be done at the plant. And, well, it felt like a terrible gut punch when, in the Spring of 2023, EPA and IBWC advised us that the $300 million we’d secured from USMCA was only half of what was needed. They told us the plant had not been maintained by our federal government and fallen into such disrepair; we needed another $310 million.

"It’s famously hard to get me to lose my temper, but this did it. I had some tough conversations with Commissioner Giner, who came to my office shortly after she had to deliver the bad news. She, by the way, has been a terrific breath of fresh air with her persistence and talent. We owe a lot of our recent progress to her and her team, who have demonstrated the commitment this crisis demands.

"With that tough news last year, we went back to work. We engaged the help of our local mayors, the County Board of Supervisors and other local officials and activists, who sent letters of support and made phone calls. We engaged the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Governor, and the Navy SEALs community. I contacted every member of Congress who was a retired SEAL. They remembered what it was like to train in this mess off of Coronado and agreed to help. We also secured federal funding to pay our scientists at UCSD and San Diego State to show the health risks associated with the sewage. With the help of many of you here today, we got the attention of the highest levels of government on both sides of the border. And this Congressional delegation secured another $110 million.

"Which brings us to today. While this project will take time, it won’t take long to see the impact. Each phase will bring tangible improvements, and as Mexico completes their own wastewater treatment plant—expected to be operational this spring—we’ll see further progress.

"I wish we could move faster. But the reality is that this plant doesn’t get a break from the millions of gallons that flow through it every day. It’s like trying to fix a crumbling bridge while traffic keeps pouring across it—an enormous challenge, but one we are committed to solving.

"Thank you again to everyone who has spoken up. Your voices have been rightfully and righteously relentless. I look forward to continuing this work alongside you. We still need more money to finish the job, and I, working with my colleagues, intend to get it.

"Thank also to the State Department, the EPA, Governor Newsom and his administration, and President Biden. There is more work ahead, but today, we take a big step forward. And we are grateful."

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