The U.S. Department of Transportation is optimistic that it will have everything ready to open the southern border to Mexican trucks by mid-summer.
Speaking at a DOT-sponsored North American Free Trade Agreement Land Transportation Conference in San Antonio, Michael Jackson, deputy secretary of transportation, said the agency is “on the cusp of success,” despite the complexity of making the long-delayed border opening a reality.
Officials have not set an exact date for the opening, but it it is expected it will be sometime next month.
The border originally was supposed to open in December 1995 under the terms of NAFTA. However, the Teamsters and highway safety advocates convinced the Clinton administration to delay the opening. Late last year, Congress approved legislation to finally grant Mexican carriers U.S. operating authority. That legislation called for strict safety precautions, including more inspections at the border, and safety audits and compliance reviews of Mexican trucking companies before they can U.S. access.
Jackson told the conference that the agency is close to being ready. A DOT report by Inspector General Kenneth Mead, due June 15, is expected to report that most cross-border truck safety requirements are set.
Meanwhile, some border communities aren’t happy about the new arrangements. The Fort Worth Star Telegram reports that the mayor of Laredo, Texas, the largest inland port in the U.S., complains that the decision to build inspection stations at eight border-crossing points in the state was made without local input, yet will bring congestion and pollution to his community.
“This is wrong and tyrannical behavior,” Mayor Betty Flores said in a statement. She and others have lobbied in Washington to let Mexico inspect its own trucks, according to the paper.
Flores’ statement followed an announcement that Texas will receive more than 75 percent of $54 million in funds awarded to border states to help pay for the increased inspection burden. More than 80 percent of U.S.-Mexico commerce crosses the border in Texas, half of that through Laredo.
Speaking at a DOT-sponsored North American Free Trade Agreement Land Transportation Conference in San Antonio, Michael Jackson, deputy secretary of transportation, said the agency is “on the cusp of success,” despite the complexity of making the long-delayed border opening a reality.
Officials have not set an exact date for the opening, but it it is expected it will be sometime next month.
The border originally was supposed to open in December 1995 under the terms of NAFTA. However, the Teamsters and highway safety advocates convinced the Clinton administration to delay the opening. Late last year, Congress approved legislation to finally grant Mexican carriers U.S. operating authority. That legislation called for strict safety precautions, including more inspections at the border, and safety audits and compliance reviews of Mexican trucking companies before they can U.S. access.
Jackson told the conference that the agency is close to being ready. A DOT report by Inspector General Kenneth Mead, due June 15, is expected to report that most cross-border truck safety requirements are set.
Meanwhile, some border communities aren’t happy about the new arrangements. The Fort Worth Star Telegram reports that the mayor of Laredo, Texas, the largest inland port in the U.S., complains that the decision to build inspection stations at eight border-crossing points in the state was made without local input, yet will bring congestion and pollution to his community.
“This is wrong and tyrannical behavior,” Mayor Betty Flores said in a statement. She and others have lobbied in Washington to let Mexico inspect its own trucks, according to the paper.
Flores’ statement followed an announcement that Texas will receive more than 75 percent of $54 million in funds awarded to border states to help pay for the increased inspection burden. More than 80 percent of U.S.-Mexico commerce crosses the border in Texas, half of that through Laredo.
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