The Peru Gazette

From the Office of Congressman Bill Owens

WASHINGTON—Yesterday Congressman Bill Owens spoke at the Canadian/American Border Trade Alliance’s (Can/Am BTA) Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. The event focused on infrastructure improvements, trade facilitation reforms, and the effective management of the U.S./Canada border.

“Our northern border is the backbone of the largest economic relationship in the world,” said Owens. “Investing in improved border services with our Canadian partners and implementing technological innovations in border management encourage the uninhibited growth of secure trade and tourism, growing the U.S. economy and supporting local business communities on both sides of the border.”

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics, U.S.-Canada freight value totaled $55.2 billion in July 2014, a 10.5 percent increase over the previous year.

Rep. Owens currently serves as Co-Chair of the Congressional Northern Border Caucus and in that role has organized several discussions and events on border issues. Owens also sits on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security and has worked to streamline border services, encourage international investment and spur trade growth across the U.S.-Canadian border. This work recently includes the securing of $105 million for critical upgrades to the Alexandria Bay Land Port of Entry. He also led a 2014 Canada-U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group discussion on trade, introduced a bill in the 113th Congress to create public-private partnerships to invest in port of entry infrastructure, and co-sponsored legislation to ease customs thresholds for cross-border shipments to encourage trade growth. Owens has also published an article in the Canada-United States Law Journal titled “Beyond the Border: A New Chapter in North American Trade.”

The Can/Am BTA has participants from all U.S. states that border Canada and more than 60,000 member companies and organization