On the recordJuly 10, 2012
The Peace Bridge is the second-busiest crossing at the U.S.-Canada border. Expediting traffic at the bridge is essential to the economic future of western New York. The historic Beyond the Border agreement between the United States and Canada raises the possibility of pre-inspecting much of the U.S.- bound cargo traffic on the Canadian side of the border crossing. I have repeatedly advocated that the Department of Homeland Security initiate a pilot program for commercial pre-inspection at the Peace Bridge. Last week, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo added his strong support for this proposal. What Governor Cuomo understands, Madam Speaker, is that the pre- inspection at the Peace Bridge would go a long way toward improving congestion at the bridge and, thereby, further integrating the western New York economy with that of southern Ontario. The success of the western New York economy is undoubtedly tied to predictable, reliable access into and out of Canada. Let's take the steps necessary to open up this bottleneck. ____________________
