Trucks lined up at Mariposa/Nogales Port of Entry
Cross-Border Trade Contribution Critical to National Economy as California Land Port Congestion Alone Cost US 55,675 Jobs
Border Trade Alliance (BTA) and The Heritage Foundation are jointly hosting the event, “Facilitating Trade and Travel at America’s Ports of Entry,” to continue building bi-partisan support in addressing the urgent need to alleviate congestion at our nation’s underfunded and overburdened land border ports of entry (POEs), on Monday, February 9, 2009 from 11:00 am -12:00 pm EST at the Heritage Foundation’s Allison Auditorium in Washington, D.C.
Despite supporting nearly $800 billion in annual cross-border economic activity, years of inattention and underinvestment, have resulted in POEs along both the northern and southern borders that are clogged and inefficient. Trade is stifled, North American relations are strained, security is compromised, and the economic vitality of the border regions and our nation is being impaired.
In 2007, cross-border delays at California land ports alone, resulted in an annual “Output Loss” in “personal travel and freight movements” at a cost of 5.35 billion dollars and 55,675 jobs for the United States, according to the California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS).
This hour long event will address specific border infrastructure and resource issues contributing to congestion, as well as possible solutions and funding options, by coupling input from primary on-the-ground stakeholders from selected Ports of Entry along both the northern and southern borders with policy experts and decision-makers in Washington.
Speakers include: Lurita Doan, Former Administrator of the General Services Administration; Ron Rienas, General Manager, Peace Bridge Authority, New York; Victor Carrillo Supervisor, Imperial County, California; and Ronald D. Utt, Ph.D. Herbert and Joyce Morgan Senior Research Fellow, Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies, The Heritage Foundation.
Participants attending the event will gain a better understanding of how improvements in border infrastructure designed for the sole intent of facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel across the border are a national priority, which when accomplished, will help spark greater economic growth.
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