[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]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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]
BILLING CODE 4710-29-P