An agreement between the United States and Mexico could significantly improve the air quality for 12 million residents along the border, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Officials with the U.S. EPA and Mexico´s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources met Oct. 19 in Tijuana, Mexico, to announce Mexico´s plan to reduce sulfur levels in gasoline and diesel fuel beginning in 2006. Mexico hopes to introduce these cleaner fuels first in key areas of the country, including along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The U.S. EPA has regulated highway diesel fuel quality since 1993 and recently established low-sulfur requirements in diesel fuel starting in 2006.