Letter to The Honorable Alan Bersin Commissioner, U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Letter

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer called on Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to schedule a public meeting in Buffalo so that local leaders and residents from the Buffalo-Niagara area can participate in discussions on the upcoming Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for Northern Border Activities. Customs and Border Protection is holding a series of meetings to allow for public input into the Draft PEIS that could result in new infrastructure and technology being deployed along the border. While meetings have been scheduled in Detroit, Erie, PA, Rochester & Massena, no meeting has been scheduled for Buffalo. Northern border issues play a key role in the economy of western New York, so Schumer is pressing Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Bersin to hold a public meeting in the Buffalo-Niagara region to discuss the potential changes in border activity that could come from the PEIS.

"Border policies impact the everyday lives of everyone who lives in Buffalo-Niagara region and their voice should be heard loud and clear on any proposed changes in border policies," said Schumer. "I thank CPB for hosting these public meetings in Rochester and Massena, but holding a meeting in Buffalo is absolutely essential. With four major border crossings in the Buffalo area, it's clear that the city and region has skin in the game. I will push the CPB to schedule an additional meeting to make sure that the Buffalo-Niagara region has the chance to review and discuss the border proposal."

According to Customs and Border Protection: CBP's Northern Border Security program currently consists of a mix of law enforcement measures, combining infrastructure (such as Land Ports of Entry facilities), technologies (such as aircraft and water craft), and thousands of trained professionals, working together to fulfill the CBP border security missions. The combinations of measures that are used differ somewhat in different regions, with more watercraft used in the Great Lakes area for example.

As CBP plans to further enhance border security in the years ahead, the combinations of existing tools and techniques will be refined. CBP does not anticipate either the abandonment of any of its proven border security measures, nor the wholesale implementation of any fundamentally new or different security measures.

Included in its planning is CBP's commitment to fulfill its NEPA responsibilities to help protect the natural and human environment. CBP has determined that a useful approach to doing that will be to analyze the environmental effects of its current border security measures, along with the potential effects of future program components, such as increased use of various technologies, or enhanced infrastructure. With this information about current and potential future environmental impacts, CBP planners will be able to refine the border security program in the years ahead in ways that both enhance security and protect the environment.

The PEIS is intended to:

* Provide CBP, the public, and other stakeholders with an understanding of the cumulative impacts from current CBP programs on the Northern Border;
* Evaluate the potential impacts of various action alternatives that would involve the expansion of those programs, which will inform CBP decision making going forward; and,
* Define the potential levels of impacts regarding CBP's security activities along the Northern Border.

Schumer's letter to Commissioner Bersin appears below:

The Honorable Alan Bersin
Commissioner, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20229

October 13, 2011

Dear Commissioner Bersin,

I write today to request that the CBP schedule a public meeting for the Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Northern Border Activities in Buffalo NY. It was recently announced by CBP that public meetings would be held to allow for public comment on the Draft PEIS. The list of cities to host public meetings includes Massena NY, Detroit MI, Rochester NY, and Erie PA. Given its significance as a border city, I urge CBP to add the Buffalo-Niagara region to the list of cities that will host public meetings.

As the chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees, and Border Security, I pay close attention to critical changes occurring at both our southern and northern borders. I applaud CBP for undertaking this PEIS process to assess the vital needs for multiple areas along the northern border. The process could result in an increase in border technology and infrastructure being deployed to many areas from Maine to Washington. Any worthwhile review of activities along the northern border will certainly include communities in upstate New York, most notably Massena, Rochester, and Buffalo. I am concerned that an area such as Buffalo, which sees millions of border crossings per year and features a significant CBP presence, would be left off the list of host cities for a public meeting, and therefore left out of the discussion of the draft PEIS. There are four border crossings in the Buffalo region. The Peace Bridge with more than 6 million crossings per year, the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge with more than 4.5 million crossings per year, the Rainbow Bridge with more than 4.5 million crossings per year, and the Whirlpool Bridge with more than 750,000 crossings per year. Clearly the Buffalo-Niagara region has a great deal at stake when it comes to this PEIS process.

There is still adequate time left during the draft PEIS 45-day comment period to schedule a public meeting in the Buffalo-Niagara region, and I urge CBP to do so. On matters of safety and CBP's presence along the Northern Border, Buffalo-Niagara's voice must be heard. Thank you for your consideration of this matter, and I look forward to your reply.

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