0001|                       HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 17
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0002|     43RD LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - SECOND SESSION, 1998
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0003|                            INTRODUCED BY
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0004|                            G. X. MCSHERRY
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0005|                                   
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0006|                                   
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0007|     
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0008|       FOR THE NEW MEXICO FINANCE AUTHORITY OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE
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0009|     
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0010|                      A JOINT MEMORIAL
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0011|     REQUESTING THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ALLOW LOCAL AND STATE
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0012|     GOVERNMENT, RANCHING, AGRICULTURAL, INDUSTRIAL AND COMMUNITY
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0013|     REPRESENTATION AND PARTICIPATION IN BORDER ISSUES SUCH AS
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0014|     THOSE PROPOSED BY THE UNITED STATES-MEXICO BORDER 21 PROGRAM.
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0015|     
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0016|          WHEREAS, in 1983, the United States-Mexico La Paz
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0017|     Agreement established work groups to address environmental
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0018|     issues in the border area, including water, air, hazardous
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0019|     waste, emergency response, enforcement and pollution
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0020|     prevention; and
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0021|          WHEREAS, the United States-Mexico Border 21 program is
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0022|     the next phase of binational planning in the border area, and
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0023|     the program's goal is to work cooperatively in the border
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0024|     region for the protection of human health and the environment;
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0025|     and
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0001|          WHEREAS, the work groups that were formed under the
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0002|     Border 21 program are to implement the program and "ensure
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0003|     effective coordination of bilateral efforts by bringing
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0004|     together federal agencies from both countries with a wide
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0005|     array of environmental interests and perspectives"; and
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0006|          WHEREAS, according to the executive summary of the Border
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0007|     21 program, all of the work groups are committed to actively
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0008|     encouraging state and local participation in their endeavors;
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0009|     and
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0010|          WHEREAS, the work groups are supposed to be in the
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0011|     process of exploring the development of subgroups and other
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0012|     mechanisms to ensure the participation of border communities
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0013|     in the implementation of the program;
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0014|          NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE
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0015|     STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the federal government be asked to
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0016|     allow local and state government, ranching, agricultural,
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0017|     industrial and community representatives to participate in the
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0018|     work groups that have been formed under the proposed Border 21
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0019|     program; and
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0020|          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the federal government be
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0021|     asked to require that work group meetings be held within the
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0022|     affected border area and provide adequate notice to local
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0023|     communities of the meetings and work product of the work
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0024|     groups formed under the proposed Border 21 program, and that
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0025|     the federal government take the lead in providing timely,
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0001|     accurate and complete information to local communities; and
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0002|          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be
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0003|     sent to the members of the New Mexico congressional
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0004|     delegation.
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0005|                              
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