Senators Snowe & Collins Announces Foreign Trade Zone for Lewiston-Auburn

SENATORS SNOWE & COLLINS ANNOUNCES FOREIGN TRADE ZONE FOR LEWISTON-AUBURN

Washington, DC - Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins today announced that the Lewiston-Auburn area has been approved by the U.S. Department of Commerce to be designated a Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ). The new FTZ will include 760 acres encompassing the Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport, Auburn Intermodal Facility, the Safe Handling Inc. site at 123 Rodman Road in Auburn, and land to be used for industrial development. Senators Snowe and Collins had written to the Department of Commerce in support of the application submitted by the Lewiston-Auburn Economic Growth Council to establish a General Purpose FTZ in this area.

"The Foreign Trade Zone designation is a great economic boon to Lewiston-Auburn and the State of Maine," said Senators Snowe and Collins in a joint statement. "An FTZ designation opens the door to international trade. This is the next big step for the Twin Cities to grow into a major hub for goods being transported to and from shipping ports in Maine and Canada. This could lead to a dramatic increase in business in Lewiston-Auburn and a substantial boost to the local economy."