[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 355 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 355

  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with regard to 
 negotiations between the United States Government and the governments 
of Mexico and Canada with regard to the North American Development Bank 
          and the Border Environmental Cooperation Commission.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 5, 2002

Mr. Gonzalez (for himself, Mr. Bonilla, Mr. LaFalce, Mr. Menendez, Mr. 
 Smith of Texas, Mr. Rodriguez, Mr. Sandlin, Mr. Bentsen, Mr. Green of 
Texas, Mr. Hinojosa, and Mr. Ortiz) submitted the following resolution; 
       which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with regard to 
 negotiations between the United States Government and the governments 
of Mexico and Canada with regard to the North American Development Bank 
          and the Border Environmental Cooperation Commission.

    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that, in negotiations with the governments of Mexico and Canada with 
regard to the North American Development Bank (NADB) and the Border 
Environmental Cooperation Commission (BECC), the United States 
Government should seek to achieve the following goals:
            (1) Functions and responsibilities of the institutions.--
                    (A) Maintain the NADB and the BECC as separate 
                entities.
                    (B) Review the certification process to lay the 
                groundwork for possible simplification and improvement 
                of the certification process, with an opportunity for 
                all interested parties to participate.
                    (C) Use the review of the procurement process to 
                improve the quality and efficiency of project 
                development and lower the costs of technical 
                assistance, and ensure early NADB involvement in 
                project development to avoid later conflicts.
                    (D) Require the boards of the BECC and the NADB to 
                consult with interested parties in exploring options 
                for better follow-up of projects.
            (2) Unused nadb lending capacity.--
                    (A) Devote $150,000,000 to $200,000,000 of paid-in 
                capital to the low-interest financing facility to 
                provide lower interest rates for border environmental 
                infrastructure projects.
                    (B) Increase the United States contribution to the 
                Border Environmental Infrastructure Grant Fund, 
                consistent with the 5-year outlook needs assessment of 
                the NADB.
                    (C) Allow most remaining paid-in capital and 
                callable capital of the NADB to be used for lending to 
                other infrastructure projects. The United States and 
                Mexico should invite Canada to participate in this 
                aspect of NADB operations. BECC certification should 
                not be required of such other infrastructure projects. 
                However, the NADB should develop a set of procedures, 
                in consultation with interested parties, to provide for 
                transparency and public participation in development 
                and approval of such projects, and for environmental 
                assessment and mitigation.
            (3) Performance review of the institutions.--
                    (A) Require a third-party to conduct a 
                comprehensive review of the NADB and the BECC to study 
                where structural inefficiencies should be improved in 
                the NADB and the BECC.
                    (B) The review should include an assessment of 
                expanding the mandate of the NADB and the BECC with 
                respect to infrastructure projects with an 
                environmental focus, and a management audit, 
                performance audit, procurement audit, and financial 
                analysis.
                    (C) The review should also include an analysis of 
                the potential effects of any changes made to the 
                process for certification by the BECC, and funding by 
                the NADB of border environmental infrastructure 
                projects.
                    (D) The review should be conducted in consultation 
                with all the stakeholders in the NADB and the BECC, 
                including border states and municipalities, the Good 
                Neighbor Environmental Board, Consejo Consultivo Region 
                I, project applicants, nongovernmental organizations 
                involved in border issues, and academics.
                                 <all>