Seal the Border! Oh, wait. $18 Billion in annual exports? More bridges!
Cargo and passenger vehicle traffic made their way across the Bridge of the Americas noon Tuesday. (Victor Calzada / El Paso Times)
The El Paso City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to send a letter to State Comptroller Susan Combs, requesting her assistance in evaluating the negative impacts that excessive waits at ports of entry have on El Paso’s and Texas’ economies.
The action comes after city Rep. Cortney Niland and other council members declared a state of emergency around this issue in December.
Council members are asking Combs to help them allocate state funding for infrastructure improvements at the ports of entry. This would help expedite crossing times of both commerce and individuals into the United States.
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According to a study by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration, projected economic losses by 2017 due to increased waits in El Paso — if no action is taken — are $300 million in tax revenues, 11,500 jobs, $600 million in wages and $2.6 billion in export of goods.
Exports to Mexico through El Paso totaled $18 billion in 2008, according to the study.
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“One of our solutions is more international bridges,” Cal laghan said. “There has been not enough new infrastructure built to handle the increased demand for trade, retail and commuters who do business on both sides of the border.”
The last time an international bridge was built in the El Paso area was in 1969.
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