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EPA, Inter-American Development Bank Commit to Closer Cooperation

Release Date: 07/09/2007
Contact Information: Jennifer Wood, (202) 564-4355 / [email protected] ; En español: Lina Younes, (202) 564-4355 / [email protected]

(Washington, D.C. - July 9, 2007) Highlighting their shared commitment to economic growth and environmental progress in the Americas, EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson and Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) President Luis Alberto Moreno today signed a Letter of Intent in Washington to protect the environment while promoting economic growth. EPA and IDB are already exploring ways to cooperate on cleaner fuels, methane reduction, and improved environmental governance for the region.

A long-standing initiative of the Latin American countries, the Inter-American Development Bank was established in 1959 as a multilateral finance institution for the development of the region.

"The U.S. understands we must work together with our international partners as good global neighbors," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "Through this letter of Intent, EPA and IDB are ready to deliver the residents of the Americas a cleaner, healthier, more productive future."

The IDB and EPA may explore the possibility of cooperating in the following areas, among others: (1) Addressing regulatory quality control over fuel and energy use, with particular focus on the IDB member countries in Central America; and (2) Supporting environmental training programs for IDB staff and IDB member countries."

EPA and the IDB share a mutual interest in achieving effective and relevant policies and programs that improve human health and environmental quality in the region. The Letter of Intent offers EPA and IDB an opportunity to address these shared environmental and economic challenges.

Johnson joined host President Moreno at IDB Headquarters in Washington to initiate significant collaborations between EPA and IDB. Under the Letter of Intent, EPA stands ready to lend its environmental expertise to the IDB and participating member countries to address mutually shared environmental challenges in the region

More information about the IDB: http://www.iadb.org