Private(ly owned) Bridge on Canada Border a Security Concern [View All]

[Up2Late]

Source: NPR

Private Bridge on Canada Border a Security Concern

Listen to this story... by Pam Fessler

Morning Edition, May 21, 2007 · The busiest border crossing between the United States and Canada — the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit — is privately owned. It carries one-quarter of all trade between the two countries, worth about $100 billion a year. But government inspectors have limited access to the bridge, and it's not clear who is in charge of making sure it doesn't become a terrorist target.

The bridge is owned by Manuel "Matty" Moroun, a reclusive billionaire distrusted by many people on both sides of the border. Moroun is now in a fierce battle with a government-run group over who gets to build the next crossing.

One of the big issues is security. Gregg Ward, who runs a nearby ferry for trucks that carry hazardous materials, is disturbed that uninspected trucks are allowed to park underneath the base of the Ambassador. They park there while truckers shop at the bridge's duty-free store on the American side. Trucks and cars can also fill up their tanks with discounted fuel. Ward says fuel trucks park under the bridge when they're filling up the underground storage tanks.

Ward recalls a fuel truck accident earlier this year, which caused a major highway to collapse in California. He says an explosion underneath the Ambassador could be disastrous — shutting down one of the most important trade arteries in the nation....

(more at link)

Read more: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10241088

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This is CRAZY "in a post-9/11 world," IMHO. Looks to me like just one more example of the Bush Cabal putting the interest of Billionaires ahead of the actually making America "safer."