Houston Lawyer Named to Board of Directors by President Bush; Jacob M. Monty Named to the Border Environment Cooperation Commission -- North American Development Bank Board of Directors.

HOUSTON -- Jacob M. Monty, managing partner of Houston-based Monty Partners LLP, has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC) and North American Development Bank (NADB) by President Bush.

Jacob M. Monty will be part of a ten-member bi-national board of directors that includes representatives of state governments, as well as federal agencies in United States and Mexico. The Board of Directors is responsible for establishing institutional policies, approving BECC proposals for certification of projects, and approving projects for financing by the NADB.

"Jacob Monty is one of two persons chosen to represent the people at-large on the NADB and BECC Board. He will bring insights and expertise that will help the institutions succeed in their mission," said Jorge C. Garces, Managing Director, North American Development Bank.

The institutions, created under the auspices of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), are charged with the development, certification and financing of environmental infrastructure projects in the U.S.-Mexico border region. The institutions serve the area located within 100 kilometers (about 62 miles) north of the international boundary in the four U.S. states of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California, and the area within 300 kilometers (about 186 miles) south of the border in the six Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Sonora and Baja California.

The BECC and NADB typically evaluate infrastructure projects that aim to alleviate or avoid environmental problems within the U.S.-Mexico border region. Examples include projects in the areas of wastewater collection and treatment, potable water service, municipal waste collection and management, water conservation, clean and renewable energy development, and air quality improvement.

Jacob M. Monty resides in Houston, Texas, and is managing partner of Monty Partners LLP, a law firm specializing in employment, labor law and immigration issues. He is a board member of the Hispanic Alliance for Progress and Hispanics for Opportunity, Progress and Education, and is on the board of advisors for the Hispanic Alliance for Progress Institute. Mr. Monty represents the Association for Advancement of Mexican-Americans as its general counsel and serves as outside counsel for the Mexican Consulate in Houston on labor issues. Mr. Monty, born in El Paso, Texas, is a graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington and the University of Houston Law Center.

Started in 1998, Monty Partners LLP (www.montypartners.com) specializes in employment and labor law and immigration issues and is Houston's largest Hispanic-owned employment and immigration law firm. The firm is passionate about representing the interests of companies while assisting them with understanding their Hispanic work forces. The firm provides a full range of legal services to corporations ranging from Fortune 1000 and publicly-traded companies to major industry associations as well as governments and individuals.

The Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC) is an international organization established by the governments of the United States and Mexico that works to preserve, protect and enhance human health and the environment of the U.S.-Mexico border region, by strengthening cooperation among interested parties and supporting sustainable projects through a transparent binational process in close coordination with the North American Development Bank, federal, state and local agencies, the private sector and civil society. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please contact Liliana Chavira, publications specialist by e-mail to: [e-mail] or at BECC/COCEF, P.O. Box 221648, El Paso, TX 79913, Tel. [phone].

The North American Development Bank, created under the auspices of NAFTA, is a financial institution established and capitalized in equal parts by the United States and Mexico for the purpose of financing environmental infrastructure projects along their common border. As a pioneer institution in its field, the Bank is working to develop integrated, sustainable and fiscally responsible projects with broad community support in a framework of close cooperation and coordination between Mexico and the United States.