15 minutes with ... Victor Lichtinger: Mexico's Environment Secretary talks about contaminated corn, polluted rivers and the plans he has to clean it all up.

There are many environmental concerns in Mexico, and coordination between private and public sectors is required if any of the crucial issues are to be resolved. The refreshing news is that Environment Secretary Victor Lichtinger sees each problem area as a challenge, and has pledged to work with industry while keeping the common citizen's concerns at the forefront of his agenda. Here, Lichtinger discusses the recent contamination of Mexican corn varieties with genetically engineered DNA, toxic-waste legislation and his long-term goals as Environment Secretary.

What are the ramifications of the recent contamination of Mexican corn crops with genetically modified varieties?

First of all, we are still considering what the damage is. We don't know how much it has spread, where it comes from, and what companies are mainly producing it. And the most important question is how it got there because it is forbidden to plant genetically modified corn in Mexico. Once we better understand the situation, we will analyze all the options. The most important thing is that any solution should go directly to the causes of the problem.

A geneticist I spoke to says the potential damage to Mexican corn, if left unchecked, could be immense. What's the real risk?

The real risk is environmental, not to health, because we know that it has been used in the United States, Argentina and Asia without any impact on human health. We worry because Mexico is the original region where corn was conceived and born, and this is something we believe we have a responsibility to keep intact. It is important for Mexico because it is part of our culture. Even though we believe in scientific development and working at being more productive, we also think that we should keep the original seed of corn as intact as possible.

Are there plans to make companies more responsible for toxic waste from the time they arrange its transportation to the time it is safely disposed of?

Actually, under Mexican and international law it is clear that if you produce and generate hazardous waste, you are still liable wherever it is. So they should not just give it to transportation companies and feel that they are rid of the problem. They need to check that there is a safe and secure disposal of the hazardous waste.

And what of the saying "not in my back yard"?

There is a tendency everywhere in the world to say, "we need hazardous waste disposals and facilities to recycle and treat waste, but they should not be near our homes or towns." However, in Mexico we need to develop a new infrastructure for dealing with hazardous waste, and we need to do it in several regions. In the short- and medium-term we need at least four new hazardous waste disposal and treatment sites in Mexico. This is a big opportunity for Mexican and international investors to share their technologies.

The Green Party has severed its alliance with the government. How does this affect you?

It is something that developed politically, and didn't come mainly or only from environmental policies. The party had many other considerations for making this decision. The Green Party in Mexico still needs to mature a lot. It is not like the green parties in Europe or some of the other green parties. We certainly hope that it will develop into a party that has a clear position, so that we can really talk with them to reach solutions, and (they can explain) how they want policy to change. It is a party with very good people who want to learn and want to do things together with us, and we will use those opportunities.

The vast majority of rivers in this country are heavily polluted, and a lot of the culprits are within industry. What can be done to alleviate this situation?

Actually, our studies show us that the most important source of water pollution is municipal waste water, but certainly industry contributes. We are already putting a very comprehensive program together to construct water treatment plants and to make sure we begin to pay for sanitation services and that we begin to do it efficiently. I think that in a few years we are going to clean up a lot of the rivers that are currently so polluted.

Do you see the refinement of fuels and talks with Pemex concerning this as an important issue?

Improving fuels is key for Mexico. I must say that not having leaded gasoline has been a big step forward. The same goes for the quality of the fuel, which has been improving. Now what we need to attack is the sulfur content in gasoline. Pemex has announced it is going to reduce the amount of sulfur in gasoline in Mexico City, and then we are going to do the same all over Mexico. With the investments that were made in the last administration and new investments that are currently being planned, in the medium-term we are going to be at the same level as the United States in the quality of fuels.

The older the car, the greater its pollution capacity. What can be done about older cars and what incentives are there to replace them with new models?

We understand that if there are no public transportation alternatives, people will have problems getting to work, school, etc. if they sell their car. So we need to invest a lot in public transportation in Mexican cities. Public transportation is not well-developed or organized, so there is a need for two policies: to develop the public transportation system and to give incentives for people to sell their old cars, such as offering financing plans so they can buy inexpensive new cars.

How far has the research and practical development of alternative energy progressed?

There are some options, but they have only been pilot studies. There has not been a concrete and precise policy to develop (alternative energies in) public transportation. That is one of the biggest gaps in the administration of Mexican cities. I'm not just talking about Mexico City, I'm talking about Guadalajara and Monterrey. If we do not develop the possibility of public transportation for the middle class, who are the ones that have the cars, these kinds of cities will be unsustainable in the future.

The Fox administration has publicly put a high priority on the environment. What are you aiming for?

We have a tendency for very fast degradation of environmental and natural resources in Mexico. What we need to do in the coming years is to stop those tendencies and at least begin to aim toward a positive road to sustainability. We need to work with all the sectors in the economy. For the first time this Secretariat makes up part of the Cabinet, and we are intervening and changing plans and influencing decisions of other sectors, such as agriculture and energy. The possibilities and infrastructure that we are creating will be very important.

What is your main goal as Environment Secretary?

The main issue is water. If I can leave a system of pricing and charging for water between the federal level, states and municipalities; if working together with Congress I can bring about a new law (for water management), that is an achievement that will really contribute to the sustainability of Mexico.

James Blears is a Mexico City-based freelance writer and a correspondent for Standard Radio News in Mexico.