State legislatures poised to fill leadership void on border, but education needed
While well intentioned, a bill in the Texas Legislature calling for the establishment of southbound checkpoints within 250 yards of the border would have ensnared border citizens on their way to work, to shop or to school who had no intention of traveling to Mexico. In the name of security, SB 43 could have turned communities like Brownsville, Eagle Pass and El Paso into parking lots. Read more.
Encouraging signs for cross-border rail industry, NADBank
When we discuss cross-border trade transportation in North America, it's usually the trucking industry that gets all the headlines. With the U.S. and Mexico attempting to resolve a longstanding dispute over cross-border trucking, and with the trade community lobbying Washington to increase capacity at our land ports and to boost staffing to keep the trucks moving, it's easy to forget the important role that cross-border rail plays in NAFTA surface trade. Read more.
U.S. Chamber report on U.S.-Mexico border a welcome addition to pro-border trade chorus
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the country's largest and most respected pro-business advocacy organization, just released an important look at the U.S.-Mexico border. The report, Steps to a 21st Century U.S.-Mexico Border, which was produced in conjunction with the American Chamber of Commerce Mexico, focuses on some key areas for U.S. policymakers to direct their attention. I'm sure you'll agree that the report's findings are consistent with the 25-year mission of the Border Trade Alliance. Read more.
Transportation funding key to improving cross-border trade efficiency, country's economic health
We find ourselves in a time of razor-thin federal budgets, and we're in the midst of a national conversation over how to slash spending in order to avoid an economic doomsday scenario. But if we cut areas related to trade efficiency – imports and exports – such as technology, infrastructure, and human resources, then, in the name of fiscal restraint, we could be doing more harm than good. Such is the tenuous case of Consolidated Border Infrastructure (CBI) funding, which plays such a critical role in the trade community's ability to efficiently move cargo across our borders. Read more.
Visit with San Diego stakeholders raises concerns over Washington's plans for port redesign
Oftentimes those issues that might seem parochial at first glance are really just an example of policymakers at a federal level who aren't listening to our needs on the border, north or south. Consider the case of the San Ysidro port of entry, connecting San Ysidro, Calif., just south of San Diego, with Tijuana. Read more.
