The Buffalo Niagara Partnership, representing business in Buffalo, has announced its support of the pre-clearance initiative at the Peace Bridge in Fort Erie. Like the GNCC, the Partnership recognizes the importance of international trade and cooperation to business communities on both sides of the border, and we are working together on this and other projects. The Partnership sent letters of support to city and regional councils, MPs, and MPPs in Niagara in a show of American support for this important initiative. Goods exported to the United States are worth over $300 billion per year, while goods imported are worth almost $350 billion. With a volume of trade like this, the Partnership and the GNCC both recognize how important a thin and fluid border crossing is.