[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 57 (Thursday, March 25, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14478-14479]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-6638]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 6930]


Executive Order 11423, as Amended; Notice of Receipt of 
Application To Amend the Presidential Permit for the Nogales-Mariposa 
International Border Crossing on the U.S.-Mexico Border

AGENCY: Department of State.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of State hereby gives notice that, on March 12, 
2010, it received from the General Services Administration (GSA) an 
application to amend the Presidential permit that the Department issued 
in 2005 to the Arizona Department of Transportation for the Nogales-
Mariposa port of entry (Mariposa) at Nogales, Arizona, and Nogales, 
Sonora, Mexico. GSA intends to remodel and expand the existing border 
crossing. GSA's application to the Department is in keeping with the 
determination that GSA is generally the appropriate permittee for at-
grade (i.e., those not located along the Rio Grande), federally owned 
border crossings along the U.S.-Mexico border. The Department and GSA 
agree that an amendment of the existing Presidential permit is required 
in this case because GSA's project would widen the piercing of the 
border and would formally establish Mariposa as a border crossing for 
pedestrians.
    According to the application, approximately 45% of the produce 
consumed in the United States during winter months crosses at Mariposa. 
In 2008, $12.85 billion of merchandise entered through the crossing, an 
increase of $8.25 billion over the total for 1995. The inadequacies of 
the existing facility cause long delays for commercial traffic during 
peak times. When it opened about 35 years ago, Mariposa was designed to 
accommodate 450 commercial vehicles per day. Currently, the port 
processes approximately 1,000 commercial vehicles per day. This figure 
is expected to increase to 1,730 per day by 2030. Furthermore, Mariposa 
was not designed to accommodate pedestrians and buses; lack of 
pedestrian facilities results in pedestrians crossing an active roadway 
to enter the U.S. facility. Inspection areas are too small to meet 
production standards, vehicle circulation routes are insufficient to 
efficiently move traffic, and critical security and operational 
facilities are poor and lacking. GSA's $199 million project is funded 
by the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 and is a priority 
project for both GSA and the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection 
(CBP) of the Department of Homeland Security because of the crossing's 
importance to trade and its inability to facilitate current traffic 
flows safely and efficiently.
    The Department's jurisdiction over this application is based upon 
Executive Order 11423 of August 16, 1968, as amended. As provided in 
E.O. 11423, the Department is circulating this application to relevant 
federal and state agencies for review and comment. Under E.O. 11423, 
the Department has the responsibility to determine, taking into account 
input from these agencies and other stakeholders, whether amending the 
Presidential permit for this border crossing would be in the U.S. 
national interest.

DATES: Interested members of the public are invited to submit written 
comments regarding this application on or before April 29, 2010 to 
Stewart Tuttle, U.S.-Mexico Border Affairs Coordinator via e-mail at 
[email protected] or by mail at Office of Mexican Affairs--
Room 3909, Department of State, 2201

[[Page 14479]]

C St., NW., Washington, DC 20520. Please note that internal processing 
often results in delayed delivery of standard mail.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stewart Tuttle, U.S.-Mexico Border 
Affairs Coordinator via e-mail at [email protected]; by phone 
at 202-647-9894; or by mail at Office of Mexican Affairs--Room 3909, 
Department of State, 2201 C St., NW., Washington, DC 20520. General 
information about Presidential Permits is available on the Internet at 
http://www.state.gov/p/wha/rt/permit/.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This application and supporting documents 
are available for review in the Office of Mexican Affairs during normal 
business hours.

    Dated: March 19, 2010.
Alex Lee,
Director, Office of Mexican Affairs, Department of State.
[FR Doc. 2010-6638 Filed 3-24-10; 8:45 am]
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