The change of administration is a good time to rethink our current strategy on border infrastructure investment. The North American Center for Transborder Studies (NACTS) at Arizona State University has actively worked to address these issues in anticipation of the new administration.  “North America Next: A Memo to the New President” is a year long effort spearheaded by NACTS with the input of a large number of public and private sector actors.  The Memo addresses North American trade and transportation, borders and security, and energy and environmental challenges. The official unveiling of the Memo is in Washington D.C. on Feb 10 at which time NACTS will kick off the second in its annual North American Border Cross Talk series: “Building Common Security in North America.” 

nacts@asu.edu
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Governor has worked tirelessly on border security and trade issues with a large number of key stakeholders in the U.S. and Mexico and is well-versed in these complex issues.

Specifically, the governor has long been a proponent of investment in port of entry infrastructure to facilitate trade and tourism; an advocate that the federal government take fiscal responsibility for local, tribal and state government costs “hosting” irregular migrant in its hospitals, jails and courts; and a rational voice for better securing the border. Her recognition of the border region’s half trillion dollar infrastructure deficit is encouraging in that she would expedite funding not only for the long-neglected ports but also for the essential corridors that enable NAFTA trade and North American competiveness. She recognizes the need to assess risk with our neighbors, to exchange intelligence with them, and use technology to “move the border away from the border” to the farms and factories that produce goods for consumers in the United States. 

This new report from the Brookings Institution, "Re-Thinking U.S.-Latin American Relations: A Hemispheric Partnership for a Turbulent World" is an important input on the new Administration's Latin America policy.

A large number of local and national news outlets have been reporting that Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano will be nominated by President-elect Obama to head the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. NACTS was asked to comment on this possibility by several Phoenix media outlets, including 12 News, Univision 33, and radio stations KTAR and KFYI.

It is important to remember that the auto industry in the U.S. is really a North American industry, with components criss-crossing our borders with Canada and Mexico several times before the manufacturing process is complete. Time has an article on the suffering going on north of the border in the province of Ontario.

Congratulations to Julia Rosen and the entire team at ASU's SkySong Innovation Center for their success in attracting one of the Mexican government's TechBa centers to SkySong. TechBA Arizona will bring Mexican high-tech startups to Arizona, providing them with support to enter the U.S. and global marketplaces.
The article quotes ASU president Michael Crow: "Mexico is Arizona's largest trading partner, and TechBA provides a new mechanism to create mutually beneficial economic linkages." The accelerator joins five already functioning accelerators located in Austin, Silicon Valley, Detroit, Montreal and Madrid.
Read more about this initiative on the ASU website and on the Arizona Republic's site as well.

We have been working on some technical revisions to our blog. We apologize for the delay in posting new items!

An important article on the new megaport at Punta Colonet, Baja California by Marla Dickerson is in this morning's LA Times:

Mexico's government is setting sail with the largest infrastructure project in the nation's history, a $4-billion seaport that it hopes will one day rival those of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

President Felipe Calderon is scheduled to travel to northern Baja California today to open bidding on a development that his administration hopes will catapult Mexico into a major player in North American logistics.

San Diego Union Tribune reporter Sandra Dibble asked NACTS to provide some background and commentary on a potential new binational air quality control program between the U.S. and Mexico. The initiative was announced by Mexico's Secretary for the Environment, Juan Rafael Elvira Quesada, at the 2008 Border Governor's Conference held this week in Hollywood and hosted by California Governor Arnold Schwarzennegger.

The binational districts would “give us clearer control over emissions and allow us as a fundamental goal to have cleaner air,” Elvira said in a telephone interview from the conference.

We extend our hearty congratulations to the Chair of NACTS Board of Advisors, Raul Rodriguez, who was just named to represent the state of Tamaulipas before an important new group, the Council of Economic Advisors for the Border Governor's Conference. The Border Governors Conference (BGC) is an important binational venue made up of the ten U.S. and Mexico border states.California, Arizona, Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, New Mexico, Sonora, Tamaulipas and Texas make up the 10 Border States that participate in the Border Governors Conference. Muchas felicidades, Raul!

Read the entire news release from the State of California here and a bio of Raul here.