The Business Council is creating a "working group" of members and representatives of state and regional government agencies to consider a range of border issues that affect commerce between New York State and Canada.
The goal of this ad hoc committee is to develop a legislative and regulatory agenda for enriching commerce involving trading partners in both New York State and Canada, said Johnny Evers, The Business Council's legislative analyst specializing in transportation.
Business interests that will be represented on the group will include: manufacturers; railroads, shippers, and other transportation-related companies; and chambers of commerce from the Buffalo-Niagara, Watertown, and north-country regions.
Government participants on the working group will include the state Department of Transportation (DOT), the state Thruway Authority, and various regional transportation authorities in border regions.
Specific issues on which the group will focus include:
- Issues that affect border crossings at the Peace Bridge in western New York and all other bridges to Canada.
- The possible benefits of electronic systems comparable to the Thruway Authority's E-Z Pass system for enhancing commercial border crossing.
- The identification of infrastructure investments needed to enhance cross-border commerce.
- The possibility of seeking federal funding for those projects when the federal Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) is considered for renewal in 2003.