[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 176 (Tuesday, December 9, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2527-E2528]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              INTEGRATING THE GULF OF MEXICO BORDER REGION

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. KATHERINE HARRIS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, December 8, 2003

  Ms. HARRIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to announce that on November 5, 
2003, the Gulf of Mexico States Accord and its business counterpart, 
the Gulf of Mexico States Partnership, Inc. signed a Memorandum of 
Cooperation on Short Sea Shipping with the U.S. Department of 
Transportation's Maritime Administration. The Gulf of Mexico States 
Accord comprises a partnership between my home state of Florida, 
Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, and the six Mexican states that 
border the Gulf of Mexico.
  The signing ceremony for this Memorandum of Cooperation took place at 
the MARAD Short Sea Shipping Conference, which occurred in Sarasota, 
Florida, a city which is located in my District. Over 200 maritime 
industry professionals from the United States, Mexico, Canada and the 
European Union attended this event. In recognition of the outstanding 
work of the Maritime Administration, the Accord and the Partnership, I 
request that the English version of the agreement be inserted, with my 
comments, into the Record.
  The Memorandum of Cooperation, which constitutes the first such 
agreement in the Gulf of Mexico region, calls for information exchange, 
technical assistance and collaboration on issues related to the 
development of short sea shipping in the Gulf of Mexico. It represents 
a significant step toward full U.S.-Mexico collaboration on this vital 
trade issue.
  The adoption of an enhanced regional emphasis on the Gulf of Mexico 
border states is vital as the NAFTA enters its second decade. The 
initiatives set forth in the Memorandum of Cooperation will leverage 
resources to develop this ``water border,'' bolstering homeland 
security, spurring trade expansion, relieving transportation 
bottlenecks, and reducing pollution through the increased utilization 
of the Gulf of Mexico's ports and intermodal infrastructure.
  The Memorandum of Cooperation also calls for support of the ``Gulf of 
Mexico Trade Corridor Transportation Study'', which is being 
spearheaded by the business Partnership in collaboration with the 
Accord and its Working Group on Transportation, Infrastructure and 
Communications. The study is based on the premise that the development 
of the Gulf of Mexico border, with its 62 million inhabitants in eleven 
U.S. and Mexican states, will have immediate and enduring regional 
impact on efficient investment in homeland security, identification of 
and investment in ``critical'' physical infrastructure, tourism and 
educational development, environmental sustainability, and overall 
community and international economic development.
  The Gulf of Mexico basin constitutes a natural North American 
economic sub-region, comprising a seaborne NAFTA ``superhighway'' trade 
corridor, a common sustainable resource for tourism, agriculture, 
fisheries and aquaculture, and a common homeland security zone. The 
Gulf represents the ideal location for deepening and broadening the 
benefits of the NAFTA in preparation for the new flows of two-way trade 
that I believe will occur under the Free Trade Area of the Americas.

  Memorandum of Cooperation Among the Maritime Administration of the 
United States, the Gulf of Mexico States Accord, and the Gulf of Mexico 
                        States Partnership, Inc.


                               1. PARTIES

       a. The party to this agreement representing the Maritime 
     Administration (MARAD), is the Maritime Administrator or his 
     designated representative.
       b. The party to this agreement representing the Gulf of 
     Mexico States Accord (GOMSA) will be the President of the 
     Accord or his designated representative. GOMSA is a forum 
     that was created to foster, promote and implement cooperative 
     relationships between and for the eleven U.S. and Mexican 
     border states that adjoin the Gulf of Mexico.
       c. The party to this agreement representing the Gulf of 
     Mexico States Partnership, Inc. (the Partnership) will be the 
     President of the organization or his designated 
     representative. The Partnership is a non-profit private 
     sector Gulf States group that shares the GOMSA goal of 
     fostering and promoting interests of the member states and 
     region.

[[Page E2528]]

                               2. PURPOSE

       a. The purpose of this agreement is to recognize and 
     enhance the communications and working relationship among 
     MARAD, GOMSA, and the Partnership in order to address the 
     common goals of advancing short sea shipping in the Gulf of 
     Mexico and ensure that it is safe, secure, efficient and 
     environmentally sound.
       b. The agreement serves to facilitate periodic meetings 
     among MARAD, GOMSA and the Partnership to identify ways the 
     respective organizations can assist in the sharing of short 
     sea shipping policy, experience and related information.


                          3. RESPONSIBILITIES

       a. MARAD will share with GOMSA and Partnership MARAD's 
     short sea shipping
       i. goals, policies, and experience so as to allow these 
     organizations to use their extensive
       ii. state and business networks to improve maritime 
     efficiency, commercial viability, and
       iii. short sea shipping opportunities as they arise.
       b. GOMSA and the Partnership will share information and 
     experience with MARAD so that they can assist in the 
     accomplishment of MARAD objectives to ease traffic 
     congestion, improve transportation safety, and elevate the 
     quality of life in the Gulf States region through cooperative 
     short sea shipping efforts.
       c. MARAD, GOMSA and the Partnership will consult and share 
     information in support of a ``Gulf of Mexico Trade Corridor 
     Transportation Study'', a long-range Partnership project to 
     highlight new commercial opportunities, inventory Gulf of 
     Mexico infrastructure assets, and to identify and assess gaps 
     in existing transportation infrastructure.
       d. This agreement is effective upon the signature of the 
     parties. It is informal in nature and may be modified by 
     mutual agreement or terminated by any party at any time. The 
     parties pledge to act in good faith at all times and to use 
     their best efforts to accomplish the purposes summarized 
     herein. This partnership does not obligate MARAD to expend 
     any funds.
       Signed the 5th day of November 2003 in triplicate, in 
     Sarasota, Florida in the English and Spanish languages, each 
     version being equally valid.
       [Capt. William Schubert, Administrator, for the U.S. 
     Maritime Administration] [Gary L. Springer, Secretary-
     General, Gulf of Mexico States Accord] [Robert Hendry, 
     Director, Gulf of Mexico States Partnership, Inc.]

                          ____________________