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SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 6
INTRODUCED BY K. HANSEN
A JOINT RESOLUTION OF THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MONTANA URGING 24-HOUR COMMERCIAL SERVICE AT THE PORT OF ENTRY-TURNER.
A JOINT RESOLUTION OF THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MONTANA URGING 24-HOUR COMMERCIAL SERVICE AT THE PORT OF ENTRY-TURNER.
WHEREAS, there is only one 24-hour commercial entry on the border between the State of Montana and the Canadian Province of Saskatchewan; and
WHEREAS, there is an escalating amount of commercial traffic serving the oil sands region in Canada and newly developed oil fields in the Bakken formation in Montana, as well as traffic serving other commercial opportunities in Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Manitoba; and
WHEREAS, increases in commercial traffic also include manufacturers and suppliers located in the midwestern, southern, and western United States hauling freight to Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Manitoba; and
WHEREAS, an organization promoting rural development in Saskatchewan and Montana has asked the province's government to encourage the use of Saskatchewan's Highway 37 from the Port of Entry-Turner/Port of Climax and Highway 4 north of Swift Current to Saskatoon as an alternate north-south transportation corridor from the United States; and
WHEREAS, Saskatchewan Highway 37 connects to Montana Secondary Highway 241 at the Port of Entry-Turner, which serves as an arterial connector to U.S. Highway 2 at Harlem, with U.S. Highway 2 connecting to Interstate 15 at Shelby, and Montana Secondary Highway 241 also leads to Montana Highway 66 at Fort Belknap, which connects to U.S. Highway 191 and eventually to Interstate 90 at Billings; and
WHEREAS, the practicality of developing this trade corridor is contingent on a 24-hour border crossing facility at the Port of Entry-Turner; and
WHEREAS, 24-hour service at the Port of Entry-Turner and the development of an alternate trade corridor between Montana and Saskatchewan would remove a trade and travel barrier for development of oil and gas, coal, bioenergy, wind, agriculture, tourism, and other industries that require efficient access to markets, thus encouraging new investment and thereby supporting the economic development vision for Montana by promoting investment in central and eastern Montana, including five of the state's Indian reservations; and
WHEREAS, Montana State University-Northern in Havre could see a significant influx of students from southwestern Saskatchewan; and
WHEREAS, a central and inexpensive upgraded commercial port at the Port of Entry-Turner would enhance security surveillance of the border both east and west of this location.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:
That the House of Representatives and the Senate of the State of Montana urge Governor Schweitzer and Montana's Congressional Delegation, as well as the Governor's Office of Economic Development and the Montana Department of Transportation, to work with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Highway Administration to develop 24-hour commercial service at the Port of Entry-Turner and to fund the necessary expansion of infrastructure that would make that service possible.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Montana Secretary of State forward copies of this resolution to the President of the United States, the Prime Minister of Canada, the Governor of Montana, the Premier of Saskatchewan, Montana's Congressional Delegation, the Canadian Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, the Canadian Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, the Director of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Director of the U.S. Federal Highway Administration, the Saskatchewan Minister of International and Intergovernmental Relations, the Saskatchewan Minister of Enterprise and Innovation, the Director of the Montana Department of Transportation, the Director of the Montana Department of Commerce, the Chief Development Officer of the Governor's Office of Economic Development, the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan, the Saskatchewan Minister of Highways and Infrastructure, the Mayors of the Village of Climax, Town of Eastend, Town of Shaunavon, Village of Frontier, and Town of Gull Lake, and the Reeve of the Rural Municipality of Frontier.
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