Although I am a staunch pro-99-percent Democrat, I am nonetheless enthusiastically endorsing Senator Schumer’s position, also shared by Governor Cuomo and Congresswoman Slaughter, to launch a pilot project which effectively moves the truck inspection facilities into Fort Erie. My reasons are thus environmental, economic, and political:

From the environmental point of view, moving the idling trucks into Canada would eliminate HOURS of heavy trucks emitting small particles from their exhaust tail pipes. What it means is that all the tiny microscopic particles that would normally cause asthma, bronchitis and other ailments would stop constituting an ongoing air pollution, therefore saving neighborhood residents from inhaling them.

From the economic stance, moving the trucks into Canada would save an enormous ammount of time on border delays, thereby saving hundreds of millions of dollars otherwise lost by waiting for hours before being thoroughly inspected at the actual border itself. This delay hurts the WNY economy because it delays the supply and production chains for JIT (just-in-time) production.

Politically, it is a smart move, first championed in 2004 as part of the original Shared Border Management plan. Now that Canadian border guard are legally equipped with firearms as are American ones, and with pro-continental itegration Harper as Canada’s Prime Minister, chances are that enhancing the cross-border partnership would push Canada into a more US-integrated stance.

Last but not least, cross-border tourism can only thrive by taking away the idling trucks from the long lines and thus cutting wait time on legitimate travelers. By so doing, it will encourage same-day shoppers, who account for six percent of Erie County/Buffalo-Niagara sales.

> Steve Norris, Buffalo

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