EPA Collaboration with Peru
Explore our work with Peru:
- Highlights
- Activities
- Past Activities
- Agreements and Relevant Documents
- Key Partners
- Learn More About Peru
Highlights
On November 8, 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Peru's Environmental Assessment and Enforcement Agency (OEFA) United States and Peru ratified a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that aims to continue and strengthen cooperation in environmental compliance and enforcement.
The signing took place as part of the visit to Peru of EPA's Assistant Administrator for International and Tribal Affairs of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Jane Nishida.
The agreement is based on the U.S. Peru Trade Promotion signed in 2006, and areas of cooperation include the promotion of efficient environmental oversight and the use of geospatial technologies for environmental monitoring for to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, among others.
The MOU represents a mutual commitment to protect the environment and promote sustainable development for the benefit of both nations. Through this cooperation, we seek to strengthen environmental management and compliance with environmental laws in Peru and the United States, contributing to the protection of human health and the natural environment.
Activities
Environmental Governance
EPA works with Peruvian Ministries and Agencies, such as the Agency for Environmental Assessment and Enforcement (Organismo de Evaluación y Fiscalización Ambiental- OEFA) and the Ministry of Environment, to strengthen environmental enforcement and compliance of environmental laws and regulations. Activities include:
- Creating online training materials to support OEFA’s training web platform on environmental enforcement and compliance.
- Coordinating and delivering a train-the-trainer program on environmental compliance inspections to strengthen OEFA’s training capabilities.
- Collaborating with Peruvian inspectors in conducting an inspection of a regulated facility to add an “on-the-job” component to the inspection training program.
- Designing and delivering a Public Participation workshop.
- Delivering a workshop to Peruvian adjudicators and environmental officials to increase their capacity to adjudicate environmental cases.
Past Activities
Through the years, EPA’s collaboration with Peru has resulted in a number of achievements. Some significant results from recent years include the following:
- March 2020 - Webinar on the Raura Mine: EPA Region 9 staff participated in a successful webinar with more than 20 representatives from Peru’s Agency for Environmental Assessment and Enforcement (Organismo de Evaluación y Fiscalización Ambiental- OEFA)to discuss environmental impact and inspections reports for the Raura Mine in Peru. OEFA is the Peruvian entity responsible for enforcement of environmental laws and requested this exchange to improve their capacity in inspections and enforcement. During the webinar, OEFA staff made various presentations providing more context for the situation in the mine and following these presentations, and based on prior review of inspections documents for the mine, EPA staff provided recommendations for improvements in OEFA’s processes.
- September 2019 - Megacities Partnership for the Lima-Callao Region: EPA and the Peruvian Ministry of Environment (MINAM) launched the Megacities Partnership for the Lima-Callao region in September 2019, focusing on the transportation sector in the region. The Partnership was designed to enhance, adapt and share climate and air quality management tools, to help improve air quality, protect the climate and provide important public health benefits. One of the major milestones in this Partnership was a report that presents results from assessments of the current overall health impacts attributable to concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the region. Read the final report for the Lima Megacities Partnership.
- August 2019 - Workshop on Adjudication of Environmental Cases: A judge and two senior attorneys from EPA’s Environmental Appeals Board (EAB) presented a course concerning adjudication of environmental cases to an audience of approximately 30 participants from various Peruvian agencies with environmental responsibilities, including judges from the judicial branch. The workshop touched on areas such as: environmental principles, common tools, and administrative and judicial proceedings in the U.S., among others.
- June 2019: Workshop on Promoting Environmental Compliance. EPA presented theories and practices used to promote compliance and dissuade non-compliance, as well as calculate civil penalties. EPA also described model practices for communicating environmental actions and decisions, and for responding to emergency situations. (June 2019)
- August 2018: Workshop for OEFA on the use of the Water Quality Analysis Simulation Program (WASP) and AQUATOX models for water quality management. The discussion focused on introducing the models and how they can be used with different types of substances, and discussion of case studies.
- April 2018: Training on public participation and crisis communication to participants from OEFA. EPA demonstrated tools for consensus building and discussed the importance of building trust and using neutral facilitation, and emphasized the need to work with other stakeholders to create early opportunities for public participation.
- December 2017: Public-private stakeholder workshop. During the session, participants collaboratively developed priority action plans which have contributed to Peru’s Minamata Convention National Implementation Plan, particularly regarding the directives on mercury supply and trade, mercury storage, and mercury waste. Also in December 2017, a capacity-building workshop was organized for Peruvian adjudicators and environmental officials on adjudication of environmental cases.
- September 2017: Training on environmental compliance inspections to enhance OEFA’s capabilities. The inspection training program included an “on-the-job” component through the inspection of a regulated facility.
- September 2016: Pilot project in partnership with Peru’s Ministry of Environment, the Province of Chincha, local NGOs and community organizations, and the private sector to reduce and prevent marine litter using EPA’s Trash Free Waters approach. EPA partnered with Battelle and Peruvian NGO Ciudad Saludable to help the municipalities of El Carmen and Tambo de Mora prevent the entry of trash and litter into the ocean and waterways through increased recovery of recyclable materials.
Agreements and Relevant Documents
- U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (TPA)
- Environmental Cooperation Agreement
- 2015-2018 United States - Peru Environmental Cooperation Work Program
Key Partners
The following links exit the site
- US Department of State
- Peru Ministry of Environment
- Peru Agency for Environmental Assessment and Enforcement (OEFA)
- Peru Ministry of Energy and Mines
- Peru Ministry of Foreign Relations
- Battelle