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Chamber “One Region, One Voice” Mission to Washington, D.C. A Success

The San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce's 2008 "One Region, One Voice" mission to Washington, D.C. was held from Monday, September 22, 2008, to Wednesday, September 24, 2008. Chamber members had the rare opportunity to meet with high-level Washington, D.C. officials to advocate for regional business issues including transportation, border infrastructure, healthcare, water, alternative energy and the military.  The trip proved to be widely successful and productive, particularly on the issues of cross-border efficiency and transportation.  

One of the most notable breakthroughs on the trip was the delegation’s meeting with Secretary Mary Peters at the Department of Transportation to discuss the re-authorization of the highway bill, public-private partnerships, federal assistance to help reduce traffic congestion on San Diego's highways, and most importantly, the proposed Otay Mesa East third border crossing.  Chamber delegates were given strong indication that the Otay Mesa project will move forward and secure a Presidential Permit before the end of the year.

This is great news for a key initiative of the Chamber’s Mexico Business Center.  Wait times at existing border crossings of up to three hours have a significant negative economic impact on the San Diego region as well as the national economies of the U.S. and Mexico.  Caltrans and SANDAG studies have shown that that a total of $8.58 billion are lost to the U.S.-Mexico economies due to excessive border delays. Once built, the new Otay Mesa border crossing is expected to help alleviate the long border wait times that hinder commerce and adversely affect the environment, and is estimated to have an economic impact of over $31.6 billion over the first 10 years of operation for our region.

The delegation also discussed the new border crossing at the Department of State with U.S./Mexico Border Affairs Coordinator Dan Darrach, in addition to the cross border facility at the Tijuana International Airport and improved efficiency at the existing ports-of-entry.

Department of Energy Chief Operating Officer Paul Dickerson gave the group positive news on extending the tax credit for renewable energy investment, an initiative the group also brought to the congressional delegation. Federal tax credits for renewable energy investment are set to expire at the end of 2008, at which time renewable energy technology companies will struggle to survive and substantial “green collar” jobs may be eliminated if the renewable energy investment and production tax credits are not extended.  The Chamber supports extending the 30% investment tax credit for both business and residential users and the production tax credit for a minimum of eight years to encourage development of solar, wind, and fuel cell manufacturing facilities and utility scale projects, which require long lead times for completion.

The delegation met with Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Steve Preston to discuss the housing and mortgage finance crisis, implications for San Diego, and grant relief available to regions like ours. The Chamber plans to follow up with HUD to help expedite funding opportunities for our municipalities and nonprofits, to stabilize our housing market and increase investments.

The delegation also met with Assistant Secretary of the Navy B. J. Penn in the Pentagon to discuss the importance of the military's impact on San Diego's economy. Specifically, the delegation discussed support for the Navy Broadway Complex, a project that would create a world-class Navy headquarters in San Diego.  The Chamber has been a strong advocate for this project, which is expected to generate as much as $2.7 billion and add over 22,000 jobs to the local economy. 

The mission concluded with meetings on Capitol Hill including Senator Dianne Feinstein, Senator Barbara Boxer, and San Diego's Congressional delegation: Congressmen Duncan Hunter, Brian Bilbray, Bob Filner, Darrell Issa and Congresswoman Susan Davis.

 “The trip was very successful.   We made many specific breakthroughs on a number of regional priorities – particularly, on cross-border and transportation issues.  Our mission to D.C. has proved instrumental in giving delegates a voice to advocate for business-friendly legislation for the San Diego region.” Said Chamber President and CEO Ruben Barrales.