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U.S. Customs and Border Protection Opens Free and Secure Trade Program Enrollment Centers in Alaska



ANCHORAGE, Alaska, April 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- U.S. Customs and
Border Protection has expanded its Free and Secure Trade (FAST) program
enrollment locations to three ports of entry in Alaska. The new enrollment
flexibility for this frequent crosser program for commercial drivers is
designed to assist Canadians living near the Alaska border to comply with
legislation passed in 2006.
CBP and the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA), the joint
administrators of FAST, will now conduct FAST interviews and collect
biometric information, required following submission of an application, at
the CBP ports at Skagway, Dalton Cache and Alcan, Alaska. Anchorage Area
Port Director Lance Robinson said, "Completing the "in-person" portion of
FAST enrollment on the Alaska/Canada border will spare residents of the
Yukon and northern British Columbia trips of up to 2,000 miles to an
enrollment center on Canada's southern border."
"The success of FAST has been instrumental in creating a secure and
streamlined crossing process for good neighbours on both sides of the
border," said Nat Aycox, U.S. Customs and Border Protection director of
field operations for Alaska. "I am pleased that we were able to work out
this common-sense approach to providing a real solution to the needs of the
commercial industry in this region."
The United States Transportation Security Administration recognized the
FAST commercial driver card as proof of compliance with the background
check requirements imposed on non-resident hazardous materials drivers by
the Safe, Accountable Flexible, Efficient, Transportation Equity Act: A
Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU).
FAST is the commercial equivalent to CBP's frequent traveler programs
for passengers; SENTRI on the southern border, and NEXUS, also a joint
venture with Canada for northern border frequent travelers. Combined, these
programs have over 300,000 members. The programs leverage radio-frequency
identification technology to help expedite screening pre-approved members.
It is also anticipated that membership in these programs will fulfill the
secure travel document requirements passed into law in 2004 as part of the
Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act.
Beginning immediately, FAST applicants who have received a letter of
conditional acceptance into the program may contact any of the three
numbers listed below to schedule an interview and biometric collection to
complete the FAST credentialing process.
Alcan: 907-774-2252
Dalton Cache (Haines): 907-767-5511
Skagway: 907-983-2325 or 983-3144
Further information about the FAST commercial driver program and
downloadable applications may be obtained from:
http://cbp.gov/xp/cgov/import/commercia ... ast_driver
/
Or
http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/import/fast/menu-e.html.


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