Other AreasAssistance to Cities and CountiesThe NMEFC provides independent analysis rate studies and assistance to cities and counties in New Mexico. Public Management Finance Program The NM EFC has continued to work with the Syracuse EFC on the Public Management and Finance Program. The NM EFC believes that this approach is one that could benefit NM communities and strongly desires to bring this program to the state and region. The NM EFC participation in the Syracuse EFC events is intended to provide several benefits: 1) demonstrate the collaborative ability of the individual centers, 2) build the skills of the NM EFC to be able to bring this project to NM, and 3) share expertise gained in Region 6 with Region 2 and vice versa. This past year, the NM EFC participated in the April PMFP event in Minnowbrook, New York. The NM EFC presented a session on rate setting and participated in the community simulations. Air The NM EFC teamed with EFC9 to determine the feasibility of setting up a Clean Air Investment fund for the Paso del Norte airshed. This area includes the cities of El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico, as well as Dona Ana County, New Mexico. This area has been non-attainment for three pollutants and experiences the added difficulties that result from the varying regulations on the U.S. and Mexican sides of the Border. A local bi-national group -The Joint Advisory Committee for Paso del Norte - was seeking various options to address the air pollution issues that occur in the region. One option that was suggested was the use of EPA's Economic Incentive Program (EIP) guidance to implement a Clean Air Investment fund (CAIF.) A CAIF is a type of EIP that allows sources facing control costs that exceed a designated cost-per-ton benchmark to pay into the fund in lieu of installing the required controls. While sources participating in a CAIF have not installed the required controls, they are otherwise obligated to meet all other regulatory requirements that apply to them. The fees in the fund are managed by a separate entity. The fund manager may be a regulatory agency or a third party. The fund manager uses the pooled payments collected by the fund to seek equivalent and presumably less costly emission reductions. (Economic Incentive Program Guidance, Environmental Protection Agency, January 2001.) The EFC team prepared a final procedures document for implementation of the CAIF for the area in December 2002. The procedures document specified the fund manager, the oversight framework, stakeholder involvement, compliance with EIP guidance, and potential uses for the fund. New Mexico EFC 2445 Alamo SE Suite 300 Albuquerque, NM 87106 The New Mexico Environmental Finance Center is a program of the Institute of Engineering Research and Applications at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. 
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Environmental Finance Advisory Board EPA Environmental Finance Program EPA Region 6 Drinking Water Program |
