Letter to Andrew McGilvray, Executive Secretary of Foreign-Trade Zones Board of U.S. Department of Commerce - in Support of Oneida County's Application to Foreign-Trade Zone
Letter
Dear Mr. McGilvray,
We write in support of Oneida County's application to the U.S. Foreign-Trade Zones Board for Foreign-Trade Zone (FTZ) #172 to reorganize under the Alternative Site Framework (ASF). Oneida County's FTZ #172 currently consists of six active general-purpose zone sites and one deactivated subzone. Approval of this application would allow Oneida County businesses to tap into duty savings opportunities throughout the region by streamlining the process for businesses to apply for FTZ benefits and creating FTZ magnet sites.
Oneida County is located in the heart of the Mohawk Valley Region of upstate New York, an area currently undergoing an economic transformation due to investments in nanotechnology and electronics manufacturing. Extending the County's FTZ to cover these new investments would help the region sustain good-paying manufacturing jobs through duty reduction savings.
The current Traditional Site Framework used by Oneida County's FTZ burdens businesses with a lengthy and complex application process, which has led many to shy away from FTZ benefits. If approved, this application would grant businesses in magnet sites immediate FTZ benefits and give Oneida County the ability to designate usage-driven sites anywhere within the County within 30 days for warehouse/distribution activities and 120 days for production activities rather than the current subzone application process, which can take seven months or longer. To remain competitive with other locations, Oneida County and its economic development organizations understand that time is often a key element to the success of businesses in today's economy. The speed and flexibility of ASF for FTZ #172 would be a critical component to economic development efforts throughout Oneida County.
Thank you for your attention to this issue. We ask that you please give this application your full consideration.
Sincerely,
Charles E. Schumer
United States Senator
Kristen Gillibrand
United States Senator
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