madam chairman , unfortunately i did not get a chance to offer an amendment with mr. reyes xz4003370 to provide an additional $ 10 million for a critical program in the interior-epa appropriations bill . 
the funds would have been used for `` architectural , engineering , planning , design , construction and related activities in connection with the construction of high priority water and wastewater facilities in the area of the united states-mexico border , after consultation with the appropriate border commission. '' this is the section of the epa 's state and tribal assistance grants program that funds the border environment infrastructure fund ( beif ) . 
the amendment would have transferred the $ 10 million out of the u.s. geological survey 's ( usgs ) $ 974.5 million appropriation . 
the usgs appropriation in this bill is currently $ 39 million more than the fy2005 appropriation , and $ 41 million more than the president 's request . 
the border program , on the other hand , has been flat-funded at $ 50 million for several years . 
the record should reflect that we did not intend for the usgs 's national water-quality assessment ( nawqa ) program to be impacted by the reduction in usgs 's appropriation . 
nawqa carries out very important work collecting and analyzing data and information in more than 50 major river basins and aquifers across the nation in order to develop long-term information on streams , ground water , and aquatic ecosystems in support of sound management and policy decisions . 
this critical program would have been shielded from the $ 10 million cut in usgs appropriations . 
in imperial county , california , the new river carries raw sewage from mexico through the town of calexico , and air pollution from mexicali contributes to the worst childhood asthma rates in the state . 
a modest increase in funding for the beif would begin to improve the situation . 
the beif , which was established by the north american development bank to administer grant resources provided by the epa , helps finance the construction of water and wastewater projects in the u.s.-mexico border region . 
the objective of the beif is to make environmental infrastructure projects affordable for communities throughout the u.s.-mexico border region by combining grant funds with loans or other forms of financing . 
it is designed to reduce project debt to a manageable level in cases where users would otherwise face undue financial hardship . 
we have seen what beif can accomplish when it has adequate funding . 
beif grants have played an important role in the successful construction of water conservation projects in the cameron irrigation district in texas ; a wastewater project in heber , california ; a wastewater collection and treatment project in patagonia , arizona ; and a sewer system and wastewater treatment plant in the salem and ogaz communities in new mexico . 
all projects supported by the beif must have a health and/or ecological benefit in communities on the u.s. side of the border . 
all projects must also be certified in a rigorous vetting process undertaken by the border environment cooperation commission . 
there is strong support for increasing beif funding . 
the bipartisan border governors ' joint declaration last year called for a `` substantial increase '' in funding for the program . 
while many important programs in the interior-epa appropriations bill have been shortchanged , the lack of funding for beif is particularly troubling . 
the border region is in desperate need of assistance . 
communities in the border region struggle with some of the highest poverty rates in the nation as well as air and water pollution -- often originating in northern mexico -- that contributes to severe public health problems . 
the region lacks basic infrastructure , such as water and sewer service , that most of the rest of the country takes for granted . 
the neglect of these largely low-income and hispanic communities , along with the dirty air and water they are forced to endure , represent a grave environmental injustice . 
according to the u.s.-mexico border health commission , the border region includes three of the ten poorest counties in the united states and twenty-one counties that have been designated as economically distressed areas . 
the commission also reports that approximately 432 , 000 people live in 1 , 200 colonias in texas and new mexico , which are unincorporated , semi-rural communities that are characterized by substandard housing and unsafe public drinking water or wastewater systems . 
if the border region were made the 51st state in the union , it would rank last in access to health care ; second in death rates due to hepatitis ; last in per capita income ; and first in the numbers of school children living in poverty , according to the commission the good neighbor environmental board , an independent u.s. presidential advisory committee that operates under the federal advisory committee act , recommends restoring beif to its mid-1990s funding level of $ 100 million dollars . 
there are currently 105 certified clean water projects in the pipeline waiting for funding . 
examples of the many certified projects that could be carried out in disadvantaged communities if the beif had an appropriate funding level include : water/wastewater systems improvements in brawley , california ; a wastewater project in nogales , arizona ; a solid waste project in don 6a ana county , new mexico ; and a water conservation project in brownsville , texas . 
supporters of this amendment include the border trade alliance , the border counties coalition , clean water action , national council of la raza and others . 
i will continue fighting to increase appropriations for the border environment infrastructure fund and protect communities in the border region . 
