08/13/2008 GAAS:605:08 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Print Version | Email / Share
Governor Schwarzenegger Hosts Roundtable to Collaborate with Federal Secretaries on National Priorities for Border Region
Today at the XXVI Annual
Border Governors Conference (BGC) at Universal Studios Hollywood, Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger hosted a roundtable discussion with border governors and
secretaries from the U.S. and
Mexico to discuss border region
priorities and follow up on commitments made during previous delegation visits.
Federal secretaries participating included U.S. Homeland Security Secretary
Michael Chertoff, U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne,
Mexican Interior Secretary Juan Camilo Mouriño and Mexican Environment and
Natural Resources Secretary Juan Rafael Elvira.
"Our federal partners
are key to moving our agenda forward in the border region, and today we are
continuing with that important mission," Governor Schwarzenegger said. "We have
many of the same priorities-from improving infrastructure at the border for more
efficient crossings to cracking down on illegal drugs and weapons
trafficking-which is why it's so crucial that we collaborate with our federal
governments on these shared issues."
The 10 Border States are strong
partners in making sure our mutual concerns are heard at the federal level. As
this year's chairman of the BGC, Governor Schwarzenegger has kept his commitment
to bringing the region's priorities to the federal governments of
Mexico and the
U.S. In February, the Governor
invited U.S. and Mexican
states to come to Washington, D.C. where they met with President
Bush and federal secretaries, including Secretary Chertoff, Secretary
Kempthorne, U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez and U.S. Treasury Secretary
Henry Paulson, to discuss national priorities for the border region. And in
May, they convened again in
Mexico City with
President Calderón and his cabinet secretaries.
Today's roundtable
provided an opportunity for the federal secretaries in attendance to highlight
progress made on issues discussed during previous delegation visits, including
border infrastructure and security, environmental issues, water management,
economic development and emergency response and disaster
preparedness.
Border governors
participating in the roundtable discussion included Nuevo Leon Governor and BGC
Co-Chair José Natividad González Parás, Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, Baja
California Governor José Guadalupe Osuna Millán, Chihuahua Governor Jose Reyes,
Coahuila Governor Humberto Moreira Valdés, Sonora Governor Eduardo Bours
Castelo, Tamaulipas Governor Eugenio Hernández Flores and Texas Governor Rick
Perry.
