FORZA Supports Binational Air Monitoring Initiative to Advance Air Quality Awareness Across the Laredo–Nuevo Laredo Border
LAREDO, TX — September 11, 2026 — Forza Transportation Services and Force One Transport are supporting a new phase of the Binational Community Air Monitoring Project, an initiative led by the Rio Grande International Study Center (RGISC) and the Binational Air Council (BAC) to expand community-level air quality monitoring across Laredo, Texas, and Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas.
Phase II will significantly expand the binational monitoring network, reaching 54 PM2.5 monitoring locations, building on the 19 locations established during Phase I, while also adding four black carbon monitors to measure pollution associated with diesel and other combustion sources.
The project provides communities on both sides of the border with greater access to localized air quality information. Monitoring locations include neighborhoods and areas where residents live, work, and attend school, helping build a more detailed understanding of air pollution patterns across the binational region.
“Transportation companies have a role to play in protecting the environment and supporting healthier communities,” said Victor Cavazos, BAC member with Forza Transportation Services and Force One Transport. “As a transportation company operating across the U.S.–Mexico border, we recognize the importance of understanding air quality conditions in the communities where we operate. Access to reliable local data allows businesses, communities, and public institutions to better understand environmental conditions and work together toward practical solutions.”
The expansion includes monitoring for PM2.5, fine particulate matter capable of penetrating deep into the lungs and entering the bloodstream, as well as black carbon, a pollutant associated with combustion and particularly relevant to transportation and diesel emissions.
The project brings together scientific experts, community members, academic institutions, public health professionals, government representatives, and industry partners. Local households and businesses are also participating by hosting air quality sensors at their properties.
Phase II builds on the initial work supported by the North American Development Bank (NADBank), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (SEMARNAT). The second phase is supported by the EJ Data Fund, continuing the project’s emphasis on community-based environmental data and binational collaboration.
The initiative comes as new national PM2.5 standards create additional air quality considerations for Webb County and the broader Laredo–Nuevo Laredo region. By expanding monitoring at the community level, the project can provide additional information to help residents, researchers, businesses, and public agencies understand localized pollution levels and patterns.
As project technical expert Dr. Richard Peltier, air scientist at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, noted, air pollution does not stop at international borders. The binational approach therefore recognizes the shared environmental conditions of communities connected by the Rio Grande and by extensive commercial, industrial, and transportation activity.
Forza’s participation reflects the transportation sector’s role in broader regional sustainability efforts. The company has incorporated environmental initiatives into its operations, including programs focused on fuel efficiency, emissions reduction, renewable energy, fleet optimization, and environmental monitoring.
The project’s monitoring data will be updated regularly through an online dashboard, providing residents and stakeholders with access to localized air quality information and allowing communities to observe pollution levels and patterns over time.
Forza views participation in initiatives such as the Binational Community Air Monitoring Project as an opportunity to collaborate with community organizations, researchers, government institutions, and other private-sector stakeholders to better understand environmental challenges and support data-driven sustainability efforts across the border region.
About Forza Transportation Services
Forza Transportation Services is a North American transportation and logistics company providing integrated cross-border and domestic transportation services between the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Through its transportation operations and sustainability initiatives, Forza works to improve operational efficiency while reducing the environmental impact of its logistics activities and supporting the communities in which it operates.
