Originally Posted by bcbailey65

As I've been stating on this forum for some time, the proposed US regulations requiring passports for Canadian and US citizens crossing the border are stupid, ill-thought out and a disaster in the making. Someone in homeland security should lose their job!

WASHINGTON (AP) - New York state businesses warned the U.S. Congress on Thursday requiring passports at the Canadian border will disrupt trade and hurt tourism, while one official tried to reassure legislators an alternative ID would probably cost about $50 US.

Howard Zemsky, leader of a Buffalo-area business group, warned legislators: "Don't turn the war on terrorism into the war on tourism."

He and other witnesses outlined their fears a new rule to require passports at all land crossings into the United States by 2008 would clog up commerce with the country's biggest trading partner, Canada, and keep out critical tourism dollars.

As part of the U.S. government's post-Sept. 11, 2001 tightening of security measures, the Department of Homeland Security and Department of State announced the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which requires passports or one of four other secure documents at border crossings.

Officials on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border argue the passport rule would reduce trade and leisure travel between the two countries. The government, however, maintains it is necessary to prevent terrorists from entering the country.

Legislators sounded almost as concerned as the witnesses, with many on the committee questioning if driver's licences could be upgraded to substitute for passports.

"This is a looming crisis at our borders," said committee chairman Donald Manzullo, an Illinois Republican

Representatives Louise Slaughter and Brian Higgins said just the talk of the rule is already having a chilling effect on travel back and forth, and a passport requirement would essentially throw a bureaucratic wall up between tightly connected communities.

Janice Kephart, a lawyer for the now-defunct 9/11 Commission, said the new rules are critical to keeping out terrorists who can obtain fake drivers licences or other forms of ID.

She also said the U.S. State Department is creating a North American travel card, a cheaper alternative to a $97 passport.

"This card will be about half the cost of a passport, fit into a wallet like a driver's licence, protect privacy, (and) can be vetted against national security information," Kephart said.

A Detroit-based manager for DaimlerChrysler told legislators his supply chain runs right over the border, part of a "just-in-time" manufacturing system that reduces costs by rapid deliveries of inventory.

Under that system, the carmaker moves 700 truckloads a day between Detroit and Windsor, Ont., said the manager, William Cook.

He urged Congress to make sure whatever changes are implemented, they don't turn the border into a giant bottleneck for his company's production line.

The head of a national manufacturing group said businesses are already navigating a maze of options for different government identification cards.

"We've got so many different pieces of new ID that we're creating," said Engler, also a former governor of Michigan.

"Everybody's designing a piece of it and the pieces don't fit very well."