[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 24 (Wednesday, February 10, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E195-E196]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




INTRODUCTION OF THE NATIONAL MATERIALS CORRIDOR PARTNERSHIP ACT OF 1999

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. GEORGE E. BROWN, JR.

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 10, 1999

  Mr. BROWN of California. Mr. Speaker, today I want to introduce the 
National Materials Corridor Partnership Act of 1999. I am joined by Mr. 
Bingaman who will be introducing the same legislation in the Senate 
today as well.
  Members of the House are aware of my long-standing interest in 
improving scientific and technological cooperation between the United 
States and Mexico. The purpose of this bill is to promote joint 
research in materials science between research institutions in the 
border region.
  The shared border region between the United States and Mexico has 
become increasingly important to the economies of both countries. The 
border region is a center of manufacturing, mining, metal, ceramics, 
plastics, cement, and petrochemical industries. Materials and 
materials-related industries are a significant element of the 
industrial base(s) on both sides of the border, accounting for more 
than $7 billion in revenue on the Mexican side alone. In addition, 
there are more than 800 multinational ``maquiladora'' industries valued 
at more than $1 billion in the San Diego/Tijuana and El Paso/Juarez 
regions. These materials-related industries, providing tens of 
thousands of jobs in both countries, are critical to the economic 
health of the border region. However, these same industries, in 
conjunction with continued population growth, have placed severe stress 
on the environment, natural resources and the public health of the 
region.
  More needs to be done to harness the scientific and technical 
resources on both sides of the border to address these problems. 
Scientific and technological advances in the development and 
application of materials and materials processing provide major 
opportunities for significant improvements in minimizing industrial 
wastes and pollutants. Similar opportunities exist to eliminate or 
minimize emissions of global climate change gases and contaminants, to 
utilize recycled materials for production, and to allow for the more 
efficient use of energy. Recognizing these opportunities, academic and 
research institutions in the border region of both countries, together 
with private sector partners, recently proposed a Materials Corridor 
Partnership Initiative. This Initiative proposes joint collaborative 
efforts by more than 40 institutions to develop and promote the usage 
of clean eco-friendly and energy efficient sustainable materials 
technology in the border region. Organizations involved in the Material 
Corridor Partnerships Initiative include pre-eminent universities and 
national laboratories located on both sides of the border.
  While the Initiative envisions conducting a strong cooperative 
program between universities and national labs, private sector 
participation also will be an integral part of its activities. One 
model for such participation is the Business Council for Sustainable 
Development (BCSD). In addition to the BCSD model, special industrial 
outreach programs would be developed to aid industry in problem 
solving, especially related to materials limitations, environmental 
protection and energy efficiency. Another important element of the 
Materials Corridor proposal is the education and training of the next 
generation of researchers.
  Mexican institutions strongly support this initiative and have 
committed seed money to implement the program among Mexican 
institutions. I hope that the U.S. Government will also support this 
proposal. To this end, I am introducing the ``National Materials 
Corridor Partnership Act of 1999. The bill provides, among other 
things, authorization of $5 million for each of fiscal year 2000 
through 2004 to fund appropriate research and development in support of 
the Materials Corridor Partnership Initiative. The monies would be used 
to support joint programs and would leverage support from the private 
sector in both countries, as well as the Government of Mexico.
  I want to commend Senator Bingaman for his long-standing interest in 
improving scientific and technological cooperation between the United 
States and Mexico. And I look forward to working with him to realize 
the goals of this legislation.

[[Page E196]]

  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

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