BILATERALIST

From a conference call with reporters yesterday with Asst. Secretary of State, Kerri-Ann Jones:   QUESTION: Hi. Thank you for holding this call. TransCanada, in its statement today, said that they expect to – that they plan to reapply. And one of the things that they said is that they “expect a new application” – I’m…

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US Chamber of Commerce president Thomas Donahue delivered the Chamber’s “State of American Business” speech today. He laid out the Chamber’s policy agenda for 2012: Let’s start with a big one—energy: Our nation is on the cusp of an energy boom that is already creating hundreds of thousands of jobs, revitalizing entire communities, and reinvigorating…

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At last night’s Fox News Republican presidential debate in Iowa, the potential rivals spent a fair bit of time discussing Keystone XL — there wasn’t much disagreement among them on the subject. (Note — Gingrich says the Iranians are practicing closing the Straits of Hormuz. Not so, despite some earlier rhetoric about it. Also, the…

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  John Barrasso, US senator from Wyoming and vice chair of the Senate Republican conference, spoke in favor of the Keystone XL pipeline on the floor of the Senate. (He claimed 20,000 jobs would be created. The number of jobs is disputed.)   WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) spoke on the…

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Chris Sands, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute here in DC,  describes his provocative idea for a new approach to continental infrastructure projects such as Keystone, or the Detroit-Windsor project: a North American Infrastructure Planning Commission: An equal number of representatives of the three federal governments could consider scientific and engineering evidence and select among…

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Press Office U.S. Department of Homeland Security     Press Release Dec. 9, 2011 Contact: DHS Press Office, (202) 282-8010   READOUT OF SECRETARY NAPOLITANO’S MEETING WITH SECRETARY LAHOOD AND CANADIAN MINISTER LEBEL   WASHINGTON, D.C.—Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano today joined Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Ray LaHood to meet with Canadian Minister…

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Date: December 8, 2011 For immediate release   PRIME MINISTER STEPHEN HARPER ANNOUNCES CHANGES IN THE SENIOR RANKS OF THE PUBLIC SERVICE   OTTAWA – Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced today the following changes in the senior ranks of the Public Service.   David Moloney, currently Executive Vice-President of the Canadian International Development Agency, becomes Senior Advisor…

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Civil liberties groups have put out a joint press release critical of the border deal. One of their concerns is that Canada’s Privacy Commissioner does not have a role to play. I would note that in my interview with US ambassador David Jacobson this morning, he explicitly noted that the Commissioner would be involved in…

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Over at Macleans.ca, I spoke with US ambassador David Jacobson about the new border agreement. For the record, let me say that the ambassador rejects the football analogy – “game of inches” – used in my previous post to describe the incremental progress on border issues that this agreement represents. Jacobson, a long-suffering Chicago Cubs fan, says it’s better…

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Amid the pageantry of a joint appearance at the White House alongside President Obama, the prime minister on Wednesday touted the new border security agreement in grandiose terms: the “most significant steps forward in Canada-U.S. cooperation since the North American Free Trade Agreement.” The agreement, though, is less a single leap than a series of…

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From her press release: Congresswoman Candice S. Miller Michigan’s 10th Congressional District House Homeland Security Committee Chairman – Subcommittee on Border & Maritime Security House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Rep. Miller: A Great New Day for the Blue Water Bridge   WASHINGTON – U.S. Congresswoman Candice Miller (MI-10), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Border and Maritime…

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From their press release: Canadian Truckers Say Canada-US Border Agreement Delivers Leaders’ announcement is historic, helps create 21st century border OTTAWA — The Canadian Trucking Alliance is hailing today’s Canada-US border agreement announced by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and US President Barack Obama as a historic achievement that takes meaningful steps to bringing the Canada-US border…

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In his press conference today with Prime Minister Harper, President Obama said he would veto any legislation to extend the payroll tax cut he has been pushing for — if it includes a rider to speed up the decision on the Keystone XL pipeline. Obama said: “First of all, any effort to try to tie…

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From their statement: OTTAWA (December 7, 2011) – Fewer border stops and smarter regulations as a result of today’s Canada-US perimeter agreement could save Canadian companies between $15 billion and $30 billion annually, and will dramatically reduce the wall of data separating the world’s two largest trading partners, according to Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME). The…

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Their press release: MEDIA RELEASE December 7, 2011 Council of Canadians rejects basis of border deal: Regulatory and security policy convergence puts people at unnecessary risk Ottawa – The “border action plan” signed by Prime Minister Harper and President Obama in Washington, D.C. today creates new privacy and public health risks, is everything big business asked for, and should be debated…

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Her press release: Rep. Louise M. Slaughter Ranking Member, House Committee on Rules Representing New York’s 28th District   “Canadians are the best neighbors we could ask for. These improvements are long overdue and will benefit my friends on both sides of the border.” Slaughter Applauds Initiative to Ease Movement of People and Products Across U.S.-Canada…

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