factors that will often outweigh the potential long-term effects of environmental contamination. Thus, for most politicians and public administrators, short-term expediency may be expected to prevail over long-term imperatives.
This research examines the problem of air pollution along the international border between Mexico and the United States. The focus of this examination is on the air pollution problems in the El Paso, Texas area.
As environmental awareness and sensitivity to the consequences of ecological degradation continue to grow within the American public, and as a more environmentally active administration begins to flex its muscles, many companies in the United States are becoming aware of the need to protect themselves against increasingly stern penalties for violations of environmental laws and regulations. Many companies are learning that the adoption of environmentally sensitive business strategies and operational procedures is the best defense against the imposition of such penalties. To be able to develop and adopt such strategies and procedures, however, it is necessary to both become aware of the various aspect of environmental protection that hold the potential to exert a significant impact on the operation of companies, and to develop organizational philosophies and cultures to support environmental protection. Unfortunately, the majority of companies in the United States continue to expend most of their energies in the area of environmental concern on efforts contesting environmental laws and regulations. Even more unfortunately for communities located along the international border between Mexico and the United States, American companies with manufacturing plants operating on the Mexican side of the border feel free to pollute the air and water on both sides of the border with impunity. One outcome of this situation is that the City of El Paso which should have ex...