Few of the 21st century’s great challenges can be adequately addressed by individual jurisdictions; drought, heat, inundation and storms will not be contained by borders. Ten Across offers a platform for thinking beyond conventional boundaries, allowing for collaboration at scales commensurate with expansive issues.
The Ten Across transect includes the three most populous states, each in different phases of demographic and economic change. They play an outsized role, with other states and business sectors following their lead based on policy decisions. As they go, so goes the nation.
portion of U.S. House of Representatives from CA, TX, and FL
CA and TX present contrasting notions of American governance. With diametrically opposed models of inclusion, taxation and regulation, the trajectories of these two states reflect a dynamic tension which will inform the future of the nation.
Respective rankings by GDP, if CA and TX were countries
Expansive growth in Ten Across metro areas is increasing tensions along the widening urban/rural divide. A reflection of national political circumstances, the discord is apparent in the composition of state legislatures within the corridor that are frequently misaligned with fast-growing metropolitan populations.
Photo: gal2.org/David July
The folly of setting political boundaries without regard for the natural systems upon which daily life depends—particularly watersheds—leads to predictable conflicts. Intense and long-standing disputes are inevitable, some requiring federal intervention.
Age of Colorado River Compact between CO, CA, AZ, NV, UT, NM, WY (1922)
Source Colorado River Compact. Congress of the United States. 1922.
Age of the Rio Grande Compact between CO, TX and NM (1938)
Source Rio Grande Compact. Congress of the United States. 1938.
Age of Apalachicola- Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin Compact between AL, FL and GA (1997)
Source Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin Compact. Congress of the United States. 1997.
Gerrymandering is especially evident along the I-10. Demographic changes and political intrigue have produced convoluted legislative boundaries intended to constrain the political influence of segments of the population.
Florida included among states in which gerrymandering had measurable impact on 2016 election
Governance necessarily produces boundaries, probably none more profound than U.S./Mexico border. Yet farmers in Mesilla Valley, New Mexico and Conchos River, Chihuahua are similarly dependent on climate-threatened Rio Grande water. The historically strong cooperative relationship between the countries must address challenges that belong exclusively to neither.
‘This is a War’: Cross-Border Fight Over Water Erupts in Mexico. New York Times (Natalie Kitroeff), Oct. 14, 2020.
The Supreme Court Has Waded into the Southwest’s Water Wars. Mother Jones (Sarah Tory), Jan. 25, 2018.
signing date of landmark water treaty between Mexico and U.S.
Source Treaties Between the U.S. and Mexico. International Boundary and Water Commission.
