BGC News

Arizona Governor Brewer and former Nuevo Leon Governor Natividad Gonzalez Paras met in numerous occasions to discuss the responsibilities of the Chair and Co-Chair of the XXVII Border Governors Conference in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon.

During these meetings, Governor Brewer was brought to date on a very important binational plan that was unveiled during the conference known as the Strategic Guidelines of the Competitive and Sustainable Development of the U.S.-Mexico Transborder Region.  This plan delineates the needs of the border region, and will serve as the mapguide for local, state and federal stakeholders to address such needs.

Governor Brewer will bring this plan to life at the XXVIII Border Governors Conference in Phoenix, Arizona on September 8-10, 2010, by implementing policy initiatives under the four policy areas introduced within the plan: Competitiveness, Sustainability, Security and Quality of Life.  

    
XXVII Border Governors Conference plenary session in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon

Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico —U.S. and Mexico border governors convened this week in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico for the XXVII Border Governors Conference (BGC), the largest binational annual venue, which brings together border leaders to address and resolve some of the most important issues affecting the United States and Mexico. This annual conference allows border governors to present to the federal governments in Washington, D.C. and Mexico City a uniform voice for the borderlands.

Arizona Governor Janice K. Brewer was forced to cancel her planned trip to Monterrey as a constitutionally mandated Sept. 5th deadline on action for state budget bills presented to her last week by the Arizona Legislature loomed. She was represented by Joe Kanefield, General Council to Governor Brewer and by Margie Emmermann, Governor Brewer’s Policy Advisor for Mexico and Latin America and Executive Director of the Arizona Mexico Commission.

“The Border Governors Conference provides an excellent forum for bilateral cooperation in addressing key issues affecting the U.S.-Mexico border region at a local, state and federal level,” said Vice Chair and Arizona Governor Janice K. Brewer. “The U.S. and Mexico share the busiest international border in the world, and it is imperative that we foster and grow this binational partnership. The BGC provides this opportunity. I am incredibility disappointed to have missed this year’s event, but look forward to hosting next year’s conference in Arizona.”

During this year’s conference, the Strategic Guidelines for the Competitive and Sustainable Development of the U.S.-Mexico Transborder Region was unveiled. This initiative proposes and outlines in detail an ambitious development strategy for the U.S.-Mexico border region through 2030. It’s non-binding for participant border states and its purpose is to serve as a mechanism for cooperation and coordination in the transborder region. This report developed a unified vision for the region centered on four strategic guidelines where the transborder region will be:

• Competitiveness – a space where innovation, knowledge, entrepreneurialism, and synergistic cooperation will engender a competitive economy
• Sustainability – home to sustainable economies and societies committed to protecting biodiversity and nature
• Security – a secure place for residents, businesses and visitors as a result of coordinated effort between Mexico and the U.S. to fight crime and protect the people living in the region
• Quality of Life – a place of opportunity where residents will have access to more and better education, healthcare and housing

During the conference, Arizona led the way in the establishment of Public-Private Partnerships that will help border states meet the long-term infrastructure needs, particularly when it comes to ports of entry and their connectivity to the federal highway systems. Through the BGC, the U.S. and Mexico federal governments were asked to explore the possibility of creating special grants or incentives to promote this program along the border and within all industry sectors.

An agreement, Partnership with the Council of State Governments, was signed by the Border Governors Conference Border Security Work Table, the Conference of Western Attorney Generals, the Council of State Governments – WEST, and the U.S.-Mexico State Alliance Partnership that will further strengthen the relationship with the Council of State Governments by directing the BGC worktables to work closely with them to maximize resources, jointly manage projects and work collectively to address issues of mutual concern. This will set the stage for a strong partnership for Arizona when we host the upcoming conference. Each year, the conference is hosted by border state on a rotating basis. In 2010, it will be hosted by Arizona where it will become chair of the XXVIII Border Governors Conference. More details will be made available on our Web site in 2010.

Participants who attended this year’s Border Governors Conference included Secretary of Foreign Relations for Mexico Patricia Espinosa; U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security, Border Czar, Alan Bersin; Gil Kerlikowske, Drug Czar; U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Carlos Pascual; Mexican Ambassador to the U.S. Arturo Sarukhan; Deputy Assistant Secretary for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement John Torres; Nuevo Leon Gov. Natividad Gonzalez; New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson; Tamaulipas Gov. Eugenio Hernandez Flores; Coahuila Gov. Humberto Moreira Valdes; Chihuahua Gov. Jose Reyes; Sonora Gov. Eduardo Bours Castelo; Baja California Gov. Jose Guadalupe Osuna Millan; Mr. Victor Carrillo, Stand-in for Texas Gov. Rick Perry, and Mr. Ricardo Martinez, Stand-in for California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Margie A. Emmermann, XXVIII Border Governors Conference (BGC) Technical Secretariat and Conference Coordinator, represented Arizona Governor Janice K. Brewer, XXVIII BGC Chair, led the delegation through an intense 3-day meeting agenda, meeting with federal agencies and with Capitol Hill. 

“The Border Governors Conference (BGC) has been in the forefront of the U.S.-Mexico bilateral relationship in addressing issues affecting both nations, and BGC recognizes the need to further collaborate with the federal government to implement immediate and efficient policies that impact the competitiveness of the border region” said Ms. Emmermann. “BGC offers the opportunity to bring a unified voice to federal entities on behalf of the region, and our message to the federal government during this trip was to develop policies to create a more competitive, sustainable and secure border region that can offer quality of life to its border residents.”

The border states developed a list of priorities that were addressed throughout their federal visits aligned within four strategic areas: Competitiveness, Sustainability, Security and Quality of Life.

• Funding for Ports of Entry Infrastructure and additional staffing at all ports of entry
• Focused programs to reduce border wait times in both north- and south-bound directions
• Foster joint planning for U.S.-Mexico border infrastructure
• U.S.-Mexico Fund to promote the competitiveness of the region based on knowledge, science, technology and innovation. 
• Establishment of Homeland Security Technology Incubator for technologies developed in the US-Mexico border region
• Establish a BGC Advisory Council designed to create smart border projects such as SBINet and Project 28
• Expand use of E-Trace and Operation Gunrunner to enhance security efforts
• The formalization and ratification of a compact for cross-border emergency response
• Increase federal action to assist in securing U.S. borders
• Promote programs for energy efficiency
• Expand programs that will enhance management of shared water resources
• Exchange of Transboundary Environmental Impact Assessment (TEIA) findings
• Increase funding to fight tuberculosis in the border region
• Continue and expand funding to develop a robust joint infectious disease surveillance, epidemiology and laboratory network in the U.S.-Mexico border region
• Promote programs that foster green sources of energy and energy conservation
• Promote the exploration and production of low cost domestic energy sources
• Increase Funding for substance abuse services in the border region

The BGC Representatives initiated their 3 day visit with a meeting with Administrator Victor Mendez, Federal Highway Administration; Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan, Mexican Embassy in the U.S.; and it culminated in a meeting with the new Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Alan Bersin. Additionally, we met with the Department of Transportation, Department of Justice – Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Labor, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Agriculture – Rural Development, Council of Environmental Quality, Department of Homeland Security, General Service Administration, Department of State, National Science Foundation, Woodrow Wilson Institute, and the Congressional Border Caucus.  

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