Washington – Today, U.S. Representative Gary Peters welcomed the support for his measure, the Customs Plaza Construction Act of 2014, from various business organizations and leaders across Michigan. Since his bill to construct a Federal Customs Plazas at critical trade crossings like the New International Trade Crossing (NITC) at the U.S. – Canada border was introduced last month, the legislation has been endorsed by several chamber associations in Michigan. The NITC has also received support from members of the Michigan Congressional Delegation as well as Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. With support for the project and Peters’ measure growing both in Congress and among stakeholders in Michigan, Peters is pushing for a hearing in the House Committee on Homeland Security. Peters statement follows.

Peters said, “The Detroit-Windsor border is one of the busiest and most important trade crossings in North America. Business leaders, labor organizations and leaders across our state are coming together in support of this project because we all know that a new bridge here will create thousands of jobs in Southeast Michigan, transform Michigan into a global transportation hub and grow our economy. We need to continue to work together in a bipartisan way to make this project a reality, and I look forward to an informative and productive hearing on this critical bill.”

The Peters measure to fund the critical infrastructure project has received support from the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, the Detroit Regional Chamber, the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce, the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce, the Michigan Farm Bureau, the Michigan Manufacturers Association and Business Leaders for Michigan. In a coalition letter sent to House Speaker John Boehner and Leader Nancy Pelosi, the above groups praised, “Peters’ efforts to ensure the federal government meets its obligation to fund the construction of a customs plaza that can facilitate trade and keep Americans safe.”

The NITC has broad, bipartisan support from leaders across the state of Michigan as well as business and labor organizations. Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, “applauded the Congressman for introducing this legislation,” last month. Since introduction, the Peters’ measure has been cosponsored by Michigan Reps. John Dingell, John Conyers, Dan Kildee and Sander Levin. The bill was also endorsed in letters of support by Grand Rapids Mayor George K. Heartwell and the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG).

A coalition of organizations including the National Association of Manufacturers, the Southeast Michigan Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America and the American Council of Engineering Companies of Michigan wrote a letter to President Obama also urging swift action to resolve funding for Detroit-Windsor Bridge Customs Facility.

The proposed NITC calls for a six-lane bridge spanning the Detroit River between Detroit and Windsor, enhancing a vital trade corridor by linking I-75 and I-94 in Michigan to Highway 401 in Ontario. The Government of Canada has agreed to fund construction and land acquisition of the $2.1 billion project, per an agreement with the State of Michigan to be repaid by tolls. This project will play a critical role in creating jobs throughout the Midwest and increasing U.S. exports.

Peters is Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Canada and a member of the House Financial Services Committee. He has made it a top priority to facilitate greater trade and tourism between the United States and Canada. Recognizing Canada as our number one trade and tourism partner, Peters has advanced several initiatives to strengthen relations between the greater Detroit region and Windsor and support hundreds of thousands of jobs.

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