Auburn nears approval for new customs center

AUBURN – The Port of Auburn could draw more international business, and eventually more jobs, once it gets approved for federal customs inspections.

In the works for a decade, the service came a step closer to reality last week when the U.S. Customs Service published notice of the plan in the Federal Register. Final implementation could begin in March, said U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe.

Customs inspections that would be conducted at the center are expected to increase rail traffic from Canada through the St. Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad’s intermodal facility, where rail shipments from throughout the United States and Canada are transferred to trucks and vice versa.

Currently, shipments from Canada must be transported to Portland by truck to get customs approval.

“It’s been a long time in coming,” said Robert Grossman, SL&A’s former president and now a vice president with the railroad’s parent corporation.

Customs inspection services at the intermodal facility could also lead to expanded inspections at the nearby airport, where foreign visitors could land and clear customs and immigration requirements on site, said city Development Director Roland Miller.

Having shippers able to clear customs in Auburn will lead to growth for the railroad, and eventually more jobs, according to Grossman.

Customs clearance in Auburn puts the city and the railroad on a competitive footing with other East Coast ports, including Boston’s, Grossman said.

Under the current plan, U.S. Customs Commissioner Robert C. Bonner has agreed to expand the limits of the Port of Portland Customs District to include the Auburn intermodal facility.

By expanding the district 32 miles, Auburn would be covered and the U.S. Customs Service could assign an inspector to the facility several times each week to inspect cargo in the city.