WHEREAS, the New England states and Eastern Canadian provinces share a proud tradition of continuous friendship and cooperation; and

WHEREAS, the governors of the New England states and the premiers of the Eastern Canadian provinces formed the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers in 1973; and

WHEREAS, the Conference has met for this, the 25^th time since its formation; and

WHEREAS, the mission of the Conference is to advance the interests of the six states and five provinces through cooperation involving the public and private sectors in the region; and

WHEREAS, interests of the Conference over the years have spanned the following sectors: trade, energy, environment, oceans, forestry, agriculture, fisheries, transportation, information highway, tourism and urban development, among many other sectors;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers recognizes the contributions made by individuals, organizations, institutions, businesses, departments, etc. to the successes of the Conference; and

BE IT FURTER RESOLVED THAT the governors of the six New England states and premiers of the five Eastern Canadian provinces strongly encourage cooperation among their jurisdictions in both the private and public sectors; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers is desirous of continuing its strong tradition of friendship and cooperation for many years to come.

Adopted at the 25^th Annual Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers, July 16-18, 2000.

RESOLUTION 25-2
RESOLUTION CONCERNING TRANSPORTATION CORRIDORS AND LINKS

WHEREAS the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers encourages initiatives furthering economic cooperation and trade development within the region; and

WHEREAS the Conference recognizes the vital importance of effective and efficient transportation links in furthering economic cooperation and trade development; and

WHEREAS improvement in the road, rail, marine, and air transportation links between the Eastern provinces and the New England states would contribute to a better and more integrated transportation system, and that transportation services would benefit from better harmonized, simplified and efficient standards and regulations supporting a competitive economy and trade development;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers fully recognize multimodal transportation systems, transportation corridors and links, as strategic issues to be addressed in the mandate and work plan of the Trade and Globalization Committee and encourage road, rail, marine and air operators to assist the Committee towards strengthening transportation services and infrastructure.

RESOLUTION 25-3
RESOLUTION CONCERNING THE KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY

WHEREAS, the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers recognizes the importance of the continued development of a knowledge economy in the Northeast based on innovation, research and education; and

WHEREAS, the Conference acknowledges the importance of reducing unnecessary government and intergovernmental impediments which may challenge the continued growth of the knowledge economy; and

WHEREAS, the Conference considers it important to foster collaborative, commercial and research efforts among Northeastern entities involved in the knowledge economy;

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT each member government of the Conference consult with relevant organizations within their respective jurisdictions to identify and wherever feasible, remove unnecessary impediments which may be restricting the further development of the knowledge economy; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers, through the Standing Committee on Trade and Globalization, consider the establishment of a forum of key knowledge economy innovators to facilitate information sharing and the creation of potential linkages and joint collaborative efforts.

RESOLUTION 25-4
RESOLUTION CONCERNING THE IMMIGRATION AND
NATURALIZATION SERVICE DATA MANAGEMENT ACT OF 2000

WHEREAS, Resolutions 23-8 and 24-1 were adopted by the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers in 1998 and 1999 respectively, calling for the full repeal of Section 110 of the U.S. Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996; and

WHEREAS, the implementation of Section 110, which was set to take effect March 30, 2001, would have required the installation of an automated entry-exit control system at U.S. ports of entry which would have disrupted the flow of goods, services, and people that occurs every day between New England and Eastern Canada; and

WHEREAS, the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers pledged to work vigorously and cooperatively to encourage their respective federal legislatures and governments to remove any requirement to implement entry-exit control beyond airports; and

WHEREAS, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have overwhelmingly adopted legislation, the Immigration and Naturalization Service Data Management Act of 2000, amending Section 110, requiring the Attorney General of the United States to implement an integrated entry and exit data system using information already collected at U.S. ports of entry, and not requiring the collection of new types of documents or data from aliens;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers commend the U.S. Congress for passing, and President Clinton for signing this legislation into law, thus ensuring that the United States and Canada can continue to maintain the close economic and trade links we currently enjoy.

Adopted at the 25^th Annual Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers, July 16-18, 2000.

RESOLUTION 25-6
RESOLUTION CONCERNING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A STANDING COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND GLOBALIZATION

WHEREAS the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers appreciates the significant trading relationship between the New England states and the Eastern Canadian provinces; and

WHEREAS the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers recognize that globalization of the world economy will impact on their respective economies; and

WHEREAS the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers wish to co-operate in identifying and pursuing specific actions on a regional basis that would maximize social and economic benefits related to trade and globalization trends; and

WHEREAS the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers recognizes the importance of strategic infrastructure in delivering the benefits of trade and globalization to their respective economies; and

WHEREAS the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers adopted Resolution 24-2 at the Twenty-fourth Annual Conference of the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers calling upon officials to develop a mandate and terms of reference for a Standing Committee on Trade and Globalization; and

WHEREAS the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers appreciates the effectiveness of the first Governors� and Premiers� Business Forum held in Halifax during the 25^th Annual Conference in conveying the ideas of the New England and Eastern Canadian business community regarding transportation, the knowledge economy and energy development in the Northeast region;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers hereby establishes the Standing Committee on Trade and Globalization, hereafter referred to as "the Committee".

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Committee, in compliance with the Terms of Reference hereby adopted and in reference to the work plan items submitted, be directed to develop and submit a work plan and budget proposal within four months to Secretariats and Coordinating Committee, and report on progress achieved at the next meeting of Governors and Premiers.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Committee be comprised of two representatives from each jurisdiction and co-chaired in its first year by the State of Maine and the Province of New Brunswick.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Committee take into account the findings of the Governors� and Premiers� Business Forum and the views of other members of the Northeastern regional business community in the construction of its workplan and seek further opportunities for business community input to the Conferences� future activities.

2000 07 18                     10:10 a.m.