GEOGRAPHY GIVES EL PASO IMPORTANT VOICE ON BORDER, TRADE ISSUES

During the past 15 years, I've visited El Paso frequently to gain a
first-hand understanding of our nation's border infrastructure and
security challenges.

With Mexico serving as the United States' third-largest trade
partner, one of the greatest issues facing Texas's border and
transportation systems is the ongoing challenge to enhance border
security while providing safe and efficient movement of people and
goods across the border.

While the violence in Mexican border communities and states has
surged in recent years as the Mexican government mounts a full-court
press against powerful drug cartels, El Paso and other U.S. towns
along the border have been spared from significant spillover violence.

In fact, El Paso maintains its ranking as one of the safest large
cities in the United States. Baltimore, a similar-sized city, has 10
times as many murders each year.

There is another reason for measured optimism.

Consensus is increasing in Mexico that corruption and weak rule of
law undermine the nation's competitiveness and are impediments to its
economic development.

Critical U.S. security and economic interests also are at stake in
Mexico. Two-way trade between our two nations has quadrupled since
the passage of NAFTA to some $1 billion per day.

With approximately 27 percent of the U.S. economy dependent on trade,
stability in Mexico is good for our economy.

While the $1.3 billion in counterdrug and anticrime assistance to
Mexico through the Merida Initiative is a step in the right
direction, the U.S. government must do more to support our partners in Mexico.

This is a drop in the bucket when compared with the $8 billion spent
each month in Afghanistan.

El Paso and other gateway cities in Texas are critical to U.S.-Mexico
trade. Texas is the largest trade route between Mexico and the United
States with two-thirds of commerce entering at El Paso continuing on
to other states.

Unfortunately, the federal government's investment in border trade
infrastructure is not keeping pace with trade demands.

The cost of upgrading just one major port of entry is more than twice
what the federal government spends on border infrastructure each year.

States and municipal planning organizations are facing the reality
that they must find their own solutions to address border congestion
problems. We're already seeing examples of local leadership by the
Texas Department of Transportation with the El Paso Regional Port of
Entry Operations plan currently under way to identify cross-border
mobility improvements.

State, federal and private stakeholders also are weighing in on new
rail crossings.

While the jury is still out on the solution, one thing is certain:
additional rail capacity is desperately needed to alleviate
cross-border trade congestion.

Freight rail must increase by at least ten-fold over the next decade
in order to effectively manage anticipated demand. Today, a single
rail freight line, BNSF, manages more than half of the freight volume.

In order to improve secure trade along the border, we must consider
other alternatives such as increasing private-public-partnerships and
attracting investment through expanded user fees and congestion
pricing during peak hours.

El Paso's strategic geographic significance and its link to Mexico's
economic and political success will continue to allow the city to
have a voice in border and trade policy and planning on the state and
national stage.