No clarity during Washington hearing on funding for new bridge
By Dave Battagello
The Windsor Star
Thursday, July 17, 2014

Republican U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, who largely represents the Port Huron area, is chair of the House Border and Maritime Security subcommittee. She scheduled federal officials to testify at the hearing to understand where the two border projects stand in the priority list of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Few answers were revealed during a U.S. federal border security committee hearing this week in Washington — a bid by a Michigan congress member to learn when funding will be secured for customs plazas at both the planned Detroit River bridge and Bluewater Bridge in Sarnia.

Republican U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, who largely represents the Port Huron area, is chair of the House Border and Maritime Security subcommittee. She scheduled federal officials to testify at the hearing to understand where the two border projects stand in the priority list of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The planned Detroit River International Crossing bridge has all permit approvals in place, but will not move forward until there is a funding commitment from U.S. Homeland Security to pay for the$250-million customs plaza for Detroit.

Customs plaza improvements in Port Huron have been delayed for a decade, also awaiting necessary funds.

“The goal of this hearing is to better understand CBP’s criteria for prioritizing land ports of entry, determine how they decide to fund projects and explore the role that public-private partnerships and other unique approaches to financing, may play in moving the process along,” Miller said at the hearing.

But Eugene Schied, an assistant commissioner for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said while the agency intends to find money for projects in Detroit and Port Huron, it might need outside help to do so, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Miller indicated she intends to help and hinted she may introduce legislation — such as bolstering public-private partnerships — to get the funds in place for both projects.

“Ports of entry across the nation are in dire need of modernization and expansion,” she told the committee. “I believe we need to tap into the expertise of the private sector and partner with them to come up with better, more cost-effective approaches to new port of entry construction.”

Miller told the committee she had a list of a U.S. Customs five-year priority plan, but it was dated in 2010. She wants an updated list.

Schied would not reveal where the DRIC bridge and Port Huron projects stand now, but that the plan should be updated next year, according to Free Press reports from the hearing.

Schied indicated in 2010 there was a need of $6 billion for U.S. customs infrastructure. U.S. President Barack Obama’s budget proposal this year only accounted for $420 million for customs projects — much of which is proposed to be spent on the U.S.-Mexico border.