Chapter 19: International Trade and Border Planning

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Section 1: Overview

Introduction

International trade and border planning by the department plays a proactive role in binational transportation infrastructure planning and economic development strategies to strengthen the state of Texas' economic competitiveness along the Texas-Mexico international border.

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International Trade and Border Planning Team Responsibilities

The International Trade and Border Planning team has several responsibilities, from drafting planning documents that establish or strengthen Texas-Mexico bilateral cooperation, to collecting and analyzing data that allows regional individuals and entities to better plan and target infrastructure investment. The team advocates for diplomatic and economic policy approaches that will create economic growth, and enhance binational relations and infrastructure development along the Texas-Mexico border. The team works closely with multiple binational public and private entities for continued collaboration and coordination to ensure the movement of people and goods and improvement of border infrastructure within the border region in a safe and efficient manner.

Additional responsibilities include:

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the development and implementation of the Texas-Mexico Border Transportation Master Plan,

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collecting, analyzing, and forecasting border crossings along the state's 29 inland ports of entry and border crossings (there are 28 inland ports in Texas, however, the Santa Teresa Crossing in New Mexico is listed under the El Paso MPO, so it is also included),

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representing the agency on binational committees like the US-Mexico Joint Working Committee (JWC) and the Binational Bridges and Border Crossings Group (BBBXG),

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coordination of the Border Trade Advisory Committee (BTAC), a legislatively mandated committee that serves as a forum for agency transportation decisions affecting trade and the movement of freight at the Texas border,

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developing and submitting legislative reports that support international trade and freight activities in Texas,

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playing a supportive role with the facilitation of the federal presidential permit process for the construction and maintenance of international bridges along the Texas-Mexico border, and

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program management of the Coordinated Border Infrastructure (CBI) and BNSF (Rider 11b) funds allocation towards border district projects that facilitate the support of international trade, connectivity, and multimodal transportation.