Alaska puts B.C. ferry terminal in Buy America dispute on hold

[Newsjock]

Source: Reuters

The government of Alaska said on Wednesday that it had canceled the overhaul of a ferry terminal in British Columbia “for the time being,” after the project became a trade dispute with Canada over “Buy America” provisions.

The state, which operates the terminal as part of its Alaska Marine Highway System, said it will maintain operations at the existing facilities at normal standards until the issue can be resolved.

The Canadian government invoked rarely used anti-sanction laws earlier this week in an effort to prevent bidders on the construction project, which is located in Canada, from agreeing to use only U.S.-made iron and steel.

Read more: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/alaska-puts-canada-ferry-terminal-in-buy-america-dispute-on-hold/article22571665/

[Recursion]

1. Since it's actually in Canada I understand Canada's complaint (nt)

[cstanleytech]

2. I can kinda understand it to but other hand wasnt the upgrade

being paid by the US and the state of Alaska? If so then I could understand why the state might want to try to source what they can from within the US.

[Recursion]

7. I suppose the fundamental question is why AK is paying to upgrade a port in BC?

[Ken Burch]

8. Well, it's because the terminal is used solely by the Alaska ferry system.

B.C. Ferries has a terminal right next to ours(when one of their boats and one of ours are moored simultaneously, they are tied up about forty feet or so away from each other).

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

3. This whole project is insane in the first place

This isn't exactly a high traffic sea port, they should be sharing a facility with BC Ferries.

[Ken Burch]

4. At one point, the two lines coordinated their schedules

(full disclosure: I am a steward on the Alaska Marine Highway System), but they haven't done so for years (there was some sort of falling out between AMHS and the BC Ferries in the Eighties or Nineties, before I started working there).

I suppose the argument against sharing facilities is based on customs and border control issues.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

5. I didn't realize there was preclearance there

When I did the trip twenty years ago I'm pretty sure there was no US Customs till Ketchikan.

[Ken Burch]

9. The idea is that you clear U.S. customs in the terminal, then you're good to go.

Last edited Thu Jan 22, 2015, 09:25 AM - Edit history (1)

Canadian customs are in the AMHS terminal building.

And it's been like that since at least 2000, the year I started with AMHS and the first time I sailed into Prince Rupert.

I'm guessing the idea is that, if you have the Canadian and American customs folks in the same building, they can coordinate with each other(our boat brings the U.S. customs people down from Ketchikan to Rupert.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

10. I would have guessed the US Customs people would be Prince Rupert based

I would be curious as to the relationship between Alaska and Washington State ferries and BC Ferries. BC Ferries seems to have delusions of being a cruise line rather than an extension of the state/provincial highways.

[Ken Burch]

11. I think they're based in Ketchikan in order to have them also work at the Ketchikan airport

(which has a few international flights, and also sees some foreign yachts-often owned by Russian bazillionaires-pull into the harbor).

It's probably a budget issue-that, and if they were based in Rupert, they'd probably have to be Canadian citizens, and that gets into some weird issues of its own, I'd suspect.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

12. There is a law in Canada called the Preclearance Act

It allows US jurisdiction over US bound travelers while still on Canadian soil. Most Canadian airports of any consequence have full US immigration facilities. Other than Canadian law enforcement on hand to deal with drug traffikers or outstanding warrants or whatever other criminal issues arise, they're staffed by Americans.

[Ken Burch]

13. Didn't know that.

It's probably more about not wanting to subsudize U.S. customs workers living in Prince Rupert.

Pernaps also they've found that they wouldn't be able to retain customs agents in the area if they were required to live in Prince Rupert(I've visited the place a few times...it does NOT seem like it would be considered a desirable posting for any customs agent, U.S. OR Canadian-it's a tiny little town in the middle of nowhere.

I'm guessing Canada Customs sends its people there if they've displayed less-than-stellar job performance in places like Vancouver, Toronto, or Montreal.

But all of this is conjecture on my part.

What I do know is that we've taken the U.S. customs folks down with us from Ketchikan to Rupert for as long as I've worked at AMHS-and that's going back to June of 2000.

[Blue_In_AK]

6. Ken, did you listen to Bill Walker's state-of-the-state address tonight?

I was actually able to listen to the whole thing, unlike when Seanoco was governor. I'd usually turn him off after about the first minute and a half. I think Walker is going to bring some positive changes to the state. I like that he's not quite so cozy with the corrupt bastards.

Of course, I'll be keeping an eye on him.

[Ken Burch]

14. Walker sounds interesting so far.

The "road to Haines" types here have been blasting him for cancelling that project, including Win Gruening-the late Ernest Gruening's Republican banker grandson, who's had two columns in the Juneau Empire about it in the last week.

[Blue_In_AK]

15. I was happy he put a halt to the eminent domain

stuff going on in Anchorage's Government Hill neighborhood for the Knik Arm Bridge. That little project needs to die once and for all, in my opinion.

[Ken Burch]

16. Indeed. n/t.

[Bandit]

17. The road won't actually go to Haines

It was never intended to go to Haines. The road was supposed to go to Skagway but some problems came up that made them decide to end the road at a small inlet and provide ferry service from there to both Haines and Skagway, and in all reality the road was intended to provide Kennicott Mine with road access so they could move their goods more easily and less costly. That would NEVER sell to the public though so they decided to make it a road that would connect Alaska's Capital City with the rest of the nation. Personally I would love to see the road built, but most on the "Liberal" side of politics, (including my wife), want it halted and for the state to provide better ferry service. I think for the next year Alaska state workers, departments, and programs, are going to be hard hit. But at least the air is clean and I am thinking about planting some palm trees.

[Ken Burch]

18. I know that...the term "road to Haines" was intended as a shorthand term. n/t.