Gov. Rick Snyder, Sen. Gary Peters applaud U.S.-Canada agreement on New International Trade Crossing
February 18, 2015 Lansing, Michigan
LANSING, MICHIGAN – Gov. Rick Snyder and U.S. Senator Gary Peter today applauded the announcement of an agreement reached by the United States and Canadian governments that will allow for the construction of the New International Trade Crossing that would connect Detroit and Windsor, Ontario.
Under the agreement, the public-private partnership will pay for the construction of customs plazas on both the American and Canadian sides of the bridge, and the U.S. will pay to staff, operate and maintain the customs plaza in Detroit.
“I’m appreciative of the work of our partners in Congress and in the Canadian government to ensure that the New International Trade Crossing – important to both of our countries – continues to move forward,” Snyder said. “I will continue to encourage the U.S. government to provide the necessary resources to fund U.S. customs facilities at the NITC project and the Blue Water bridge in Port Huron.”
Construction of the customs plaza was one the last unresolved issues surrounding the NITC.
"As a long-time advocate for the New International Trade Crossing, I am pleased that the United States and Canada have reached an agreement on construction of a new customs plaza, removing a significant obstacle that has delayed this critical infrastructure project from moving forward. The NITC will create thousands of Michigan jobs, enhance trade with Canada, our closest trading partner, and help transform Michigan into a transportation and logistics hub for trade, manufacturing and innovation,” Peters said.
"I am pleased that the United States has already committed to providing staff and equipment to operate the facility, something I have pushed the Administration to include in any agreement. As a member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, I will continue working with the Obama Administration, the Snyder Administration, the Canadian Government and my colleagues in Congress to ensure the U.S. fulfills our commitment to fully staff and operate this new border crossing that will have a significant economic impact for Michigan and states across the country."
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