Security, economic development and sustainability discussed during Lee’s visit to Chihuahua

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NACTS Associate Director Erik Lee traveled to the state of Chihuahua October 25-26 as part of NACTS' ongoing state outreach with the Border Legislative Conference. Together with BLC Director Paul Somerhausen, Lee engaged in a series of detailed public policy discussions over two days with members of the Chihuahua state congress and participated in two press conferences while in the city of Chihuahua.

Security continues to loom large as a critical public policy issue in Chihuahua, though the state has seen some improvement in this area. "All parties noted that the security situation in Cd. Juarez has improved considerably over the past year," noted Lee. Various legislators discussed life prison sentences for crimes such as multiple homicides, kidnapping and extortion as well as new education initiatives as possible reasons for this. 

Also discussed was the topic of economic development; much of the discussion here centered around assistance to the rural sector due to the ongoing drought, which continues to be a particularly daunting issue for the entire U.S.-Mexico border region.

Another area that was discussed was sustainability; Ciudad Juarez in particular has seen quite a bit of experimentation in sustainability (and particularly renewable energy) in recent years. Lee heard from key legislators regarding waste tires in Cd. Juarez. It is still the municipio (analogous to a U.S. county) that bears the brunt of the issue as tires still seem to be caught in a gray jurisdictional area between municipal solid waste and special management waste (which falls under the jurisdiction of Mexican states). 

In collaboration wtih the Border Legislative Conference and additional stakeholders, NACTS has produced or is in the process of producing reports focusing on human trafficking, renewable energy and scrap tire legislation and collaborative efforts in the U.S.-Mexico border region.