| | |  Americas & Beyond | August 2008 
Border Governors’ Resolve to Address Border Infrastructure and Resource Issues
 Border Trade Alliance
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 |  | In June, the BTA was among the first ever non-governmental organizations to address the U.S. and Mexican Legislators at the 47th Interparliamentary Meeting in Mexico. |  | | | |
At the 26th Border Governors Conference recently held on August 13-15, 2008 in Hollywood, California, leaders from the ten bi-national southwest border states met to discuss a number of shared issues. A number of specific recommendations were put forth regarding facilitation of cross-border trade and travel during the meeting of the Logistics and International Crossings subcommittee at the Border Governors Conference. Among the recommendations put forward in the Border Governors’ resolution:
• Substantially reduce cross border wait times by 2013 and complete bi-national state-to-state regional border master plans amongst the 10 border states within three years.
• Request that both federal governments (U.S. and Mexico) incorporate these plans into a U.S.-Mexico Border Master Plan by the XXXI Border Governors Conference in 2013.
• Support border state requests for presidential permits for international crossings that utilize alternative financing mechanisms to minimize cross border wait times. Use these mechanisms as demonstration projects as appropriate.
The Border Governors’ resolution reflects much of the policy recommendations and project efforts undertaken by the Border Trade Alliance during recent years. During the past year, the BTA has brought forward a groundswell of momentum behind the growing concern of increased delays at land border crossings throughout the U.S-Canada and U.S.–Mexico borders. BTA advocacy efforts toward Congress, federal agencies and national media have resulted in numerous Congressional hearings, countless national media articles, and the introduction of several major bills designed to address the underlying issues driving cross-border delays. In June, the BTA was among the first ever non-governmental organizations to address the U.S. and Mexican Legislators at the 47th Interparliamentary Meeting in Mexico, during the long and prestigious history of this annual, bi-national event.
Several years ago, the BTA was able to lead federal and state governments in securing a presidential permit in one year and leverage funds to build an extra lane for secured cargo in Nogales, Arizona. Nogales land border crossings account for the importation of 60 percent of the winter produce consumed in the United States. However, prior to the construction of the FAST lane as a result of the BTA’s initiative, Nogales’ port infrastructure had not been updated since 1989. This was a historic achievement brought about by the private/public partnership led by the BTA.
Currently, the Border Trade Alliance (BTA), along with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) have contracted with the Texas Transportation Institute to implement a system to accurately measure border crossing times, which is critical to facilitate the movement of people and goods across our borders. Last year, nearly $800 billion in goods crossed at U.S. land ports of entry along the U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico borders. During 2006, more than 11.3 million trucks, over 118 million personal vehicles, and more than 93 million pedestrians crossed into the United States from these same land border crossings.
As the leading tri-national border advocacy group, the BTA has been proactive in bringing the issue of border delays to national attention. BTA continues to work with government agencies and stakeholders to find solutions to alleviate the arduous delays at our borders and improve the border crossing experience. |
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