Ogdensburg Foreign Trade Zone expansion gets approval

OGDENSBURG — The U.S. Foreign Trade Zone Board announced Friday it approved the expansion of Ogdensburg’s Foreign Trade Zone to all of St. Lawrence County, state Sens. Patricia A. Ritchie, R-Heuvelton, and Joseph A. Griffo, R-Rome, said in a joint news release.

“This will give our region an advantage when competing with other communities in Canada and across the US for manufacturing and other jobs, and can mean more work for St. Lawrence County and Northern New York families,” Mrs. Ritchie said. “By expanding the existing foreign trade zone to include all of St. Lawrence County, we can encourage more manufacturers and other businesses to come to Northern New York.”

The measure will allow firms from around the world to ship merchandise into any business in St. Lawrence County and exempt it from taxes and duty until it is made into finished products or shipped out of the zone.

Mrs. Ritchie and Mr. Griffo cosponsored Senate legislation calling for the expansion. It was pased by the state Legislature last year and signed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.The bill was sponsored in the Assembly by Assembly Member Addie Russell.