This year’s report, the Board’s Ninth Report to the
President and Congress, provides advice from two angles
on maintaining healthy environmental quality along the
U.S.-Mexico border. First, it examines the relationship
between the region’s air quality and the transportation
activities upon which its economy — indeed, the nation’s
economy — depends. The second topic, equally complex,
is the interplay among ecosystem conditions, natural
resources, and the state of the region’s invaluable cultural
resources such as its archaeological sites and its tribal
sacred springs and mountains. For both topics, the Board’s
recommendations reflect its continued call for action from
strong partnerships, equipped with adequate resources,
that span sectors and geographic boundaries.
Following the main section is this year’s Business
Report, which contains several articles that are a departure
from tradition. For example, readers are provided with an
informative snapshot of 2005 border-region environmental
activities carried out by all nine federal agencies that
are represented on the Board. In addition, the Board’s
Performance Measures Workgroup provides an update
on its efforts to measure the impact of the Board’s voice.
Also, an article on the Consejos Consultivos de Desarrollo
Sustentable (Consejos) — public advisory boards in Mexico
that mirror the role of the Board in the United States
— provides an overview of their structure and activities.
Finally, in addition to the regular feature of Board meeting
summaries, this year the summaries are followed by a
listing of the more than 100 members of the public and
speakers who attended these meetings. As in previous
years, the Board benefited enormously from the opportunity
to talk directly with border-community officials and
residents, and its advice continues to be enriched by these
exchanges.
For the coming year, the Board will deliberate
what, perhaps, is among the most challenging topics the
border region faces: the delicate but essential balancing
act of maintaining strong border-region security, while
also vigilantly continuing to protect the region’s often
fragile environment. The outcome of these deliberations
will be published in its Tenth Report to the President and
Congress, due out in the spring of 2007.
President and Congress, provides advice from two angles
on maintaining healthy environmental quality along the
U.S.-Mexico border. First, it examines the relationship
between the region’s air quality and the transportation
activities upon which its economy — indeed, the nation’s
economy — depends. The second topic, equally complex,
is the interplay among ecosystem conditions, natural
resources, and the state of the region’s invaluable cultural
resources such as its archaeological sites and its tribal
sacred springs and mountains. For both topics, the Board’s
recommendations reflect its continued call for action from
strong partnerships, equipped with adequate resources,
that span sectors and geographic boundaries.
Following the main section is this year’s Business
Report, which contains several articles that are a departure
from tradition. For example, readers are provided with an
informative snapshot of 2005 border-region environmental
activities carried out by all nine federal agencies that
are represented on the Board. In addition, the Board’s
Performance Measures Workgroup provides an update
on its efforts to measure the impact of the Board’s voice.
Also, an article on the Consejos Consultivos de Desarrollo
Sustentable (Consejos) — public advisory boards in Mexico
that mirror the role of the Board in the United States
— provides an overview of their structure and activities.
Finally, in addition to the regular feature of Board meeting
summaries, this year the summaries are followed by a
listing of the more than 100 members of the public and
speakers who attended these meetings. As in previous
years, the Board benefited enormously from the opportunity
to talk directly with border-community officials and
residents, and its advice continues to be enriched by these
exchanges.
For the coming year, the Board will deliberate
what, perhaps, is among the most challenging topics the
border region faces: the delicate but essential balancing
act of maintaining strong border-region security, while
also vigilantly continuing to protect the region’s often
fragile environment. The outcome of these deliberations
will be published in its Tenth Report to the President and
Congress, due out in the spring of 2007.
