U.S. and Mexico Partner in the First Bi-National Border Finance Conference
Innovative
Solutions to Challenges to
Border Finance
Projects is
the theme for
the first-ever
Border Finance
Conference that
will be hosted
in San Antonio,
Texas, on August
16-18, 2005. As
the Federal Highway
Administration
(FHWA) has long
supported the
use of alternative
project development
and financing
arrangements to
advance critical
border projects,
this conference
has developed
from the emergent
needs of State
and local decision
makers along the
ten-state U.S./Mexico
border region.
The partnership
between the
United States
and Mexico
has been a
growing entity
since 1994
when NAFTA
stimulated
the formation
of the U.S./Mexico
Joint Working Committee
(JWC) to serve
as a bi-national
surface transportation
workgroup that
improves the planning, financing,
coordination, and development
of critically needed border
projects designed to facilitate
the safe and secure movement
of goods and people between
the United States and Mexico.
Eleven years after its inception
and under the direction
of the U.S.
Federal Highway
Administration
and Mexico's Secretariat
of Communication and Transportation,
the JWC looks forward to
this collaborative effort
and collection of shared
information and best practices
for the entire region.
The Border Finance Conference
will review and address
strategic financing options
to include the use of public-private
partnerships, TIFIA credit,
tax-exempt private activity
bonds, the new SEP-15 process,
and other financing approaches
not typically found in
the FHWA financing toolbox.
The objectives of this
conference will be to emphasize
the importance of accelerating
border projects to meet
the FHWA's global connectivity
goal, facilitate growing NAFTA
commerce, and improve ties
between the U.S. and Mexico
consistent with President Bush's
recently announced Security
Prosperity Partnership
initiative. Guests for
this conference should
expect to gain innovative
tactics to the following:
- Identifying
and eliminating
obstacles to advance "stalled" projects.
- Emerging approaches for financing border projects, including public-private partnerships, government credit programs, multilateral agency credit programs, concession arrangements, and innovative revenues.
- Public finance industry options for advancing projects, including bank credit, credit guarantees, and bonding.
- Best practices and case studies for project planning and finance.
Though the financing tools and information exchanged at the conference will primarily provide pertinent information to the ten-state U.S./Mexico border region, the technical information and best practices are applicable to projects in other regions.
In addition to the general partnership between the FHWA and Mexico's Secretariat of Communication and Transportation, the FHWA's Office of Planning, Environment, and Realty along with the Finance Technical Service Team and Mexico's Toll Highway Unit make up the visionary leadership team for this event. Anticipated speakers at the Border Finance Conference include Governor Perry of Texas, Governor Richardson of New Mexico, and Governor Waltham of the Mexican State of Baja California. With an expected attendance of 150 to 200 participants, guests will range from the public and private sector to include Federal, State, and local governments, with concentrations in the finance and policy disciplines; border region interest and advocacy groups, such as the I-35 Corridor and Ports to Plains advocacy groups; bilateral and multilateral entities, such as the North American Development Bank, the Export-Import Bank, and the Interamerican Development Bank; the public finance sector including investment banks, bond rating agencies, bond insurers, law firms, and consulting firms; and the project development and construction sector.
A full conference agenda, hotel accommodations, and registration for the conference can be found by visiting the Border Finance Conference website.
To learn more about innovative financing tools utilized by the FHWA or this upcoming event, contact the FHWA Resource Center's Finance Technical Service Team.
For more information, contact:
Frederick Werner
Innovative Finance Specialist
FHWA Finance Technical Service Team
(404) 562-3680
frederick.werner@fhwa.dot.gov
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