July 9, 2007 - (PHOENIX) - The Border Trade Alliance, a tri-national advocacy group for border communities and businesses, has submitted the following comments on the recent Federal Register Notice by the U.S. Department of Transpiration (DOT) regarding its pilot program granting a limited number of Mexican trucks access to U.S. roadways. In March, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters addressed the proposed pilot program at the BTA Conference in Washington, D.C.
Recently, Congress imposed additional restrictions on the pilot program resulting in DOT’s publication of the Notice in the Federal Register. The
BTA submitted the following comments:
The Border Trade Alliance, founded in 1986, supported the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which has resulted in significant economic growth throughout North America and especially in border communities along both of our international borders. The BTA has long supported efforts to grant Mexican trucks access to U.S. roadways and similarly supports the removal of restrictions by the Mexican government that prevent U.S. carriers access to operate within Mexico.
The U.S. DOT’s pilot program granting Mexican carriers access to the U.S. fulfills a pending commitment as part of NAFTA and will provide U.S. trucks access to operate in Mexico. The BTA was disappointed by Congress’s decision to impose additional restrictions and covenants upon US-DOT’s pilot in an attempt to further delay its implementation.
For further details on the BTA’s efforts for border commerce and communities, and BTA’s upcoming International Conference, September 24 & 24 in Austin, TX. please call (800) 333-5523 or visit http://www.thebta.org.
About Border Trade Alliance
Since 1986, the BTA has served as a grassroots, non-profit organization that provides a forum for discussion and advocacy on issues pertaining to the environment, border development, quality of life and trade in the Americas. A network of public and private sector representatives from the United States, Mexico and Canada, BTA’s core values include a commitment to improving the quality of life in border communities through trade and commerce.
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The BTA reserves the right to post comments it feels are appropriate to creating a dialog around border issues. We are interested in hearing from all points of view and encourage those with unique, constructive perspectives to contribute their view points to help shape the future of our borders. BTA is a tri-national organization and will not accept posts that contain derogatory comments made towards citizens, groups, or organizations of any kind.