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September 17, 2008

Enhanced driver license applications being accepted

'Enhanced' documents satisfy border mandates

By DAN HEATH

PLATTSBURGH -- The Clinton County Department of Motor Vehicles is now accepting applications for enhanced driver licenses.

Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber of Commerce President Garry Douglas said nothing is more important to the North Country than maximizing the fluidity of people and goods through a secure border.

"Today is a historic milestone in the economy of the North Country," he said at a press conference to announce the availability of the new license.

The enhanced driver license, coupled with the soon-to-be-completed Port of Excellence project at the Champlain Port of Entry, will result in the ability to handle a 40-percent increase in traffic, Douglas said.

The new license will meet the requirements of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, scheduled to go into effect July 1, 2009, for land and sea border crossings from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean.

It will not be acceptable for air travel between those countries.

Applicants for the license will need to provide proof of citizenship, proof of identity, a Social Security card and proof of New York state residency.

The application needs to be made in person at your local Department of Motor Vehicles office.

Information on acceptable proofs of identification, citizenship and residency is available at www.nysdmv.com/edl-main.htm.

It is expected to take about two weeks to receive an enhanced driver license once an application is accepted.

The license will cost $80, which is $30 more than the regular cost of a driver license or photo ID card. It is valid for eight years.

Clinton County Clerk John Zurlo submitted the first applications to Deputy County Clerk Glenn Olds, who scanned them into the Clinton County Department of Motor Vehicles computers.

"Our entire staff has been through background checks by the federal government and fingerprinting," Zurlo said. "Glenn has been working diligently with his staff preparing for this day."

Olds said the equipment has been in place since April, and the staff is very familiar with it.

The enhanced driver license includes a number of identification features. At the request of the Department of Homeland Security, it will contain a radio-frequency identification chip that can be read by Customs personnel before you arrive.

Acting Champlain Port Director Steven Bronson said all 10 passenger-vehicle lanes at the Port of Excellence are equipped to read the new licenses, as is the Rouses Point crossing.

"An EDL will enhance security at the port but also facilitate traffic," he said.

Bronson said a second lane is being installed at Rouses Point this week.

An enhanced driver license will be identified by a U.S. flag and red bar with the word "enhanced" on the front and machine-readable text on the back.

Other crossing options include a passport, passport card or NEXUS card. There will also be enhanced versions of non-driver photo-identification cards and other state documents. A birth certificate will continue to work for those under age 16.

In a news release, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said the enhanced driver license offers cutting-edge security and ensures border communities are not unduly burdened by a passport requirement.

He called them "a triple win for New York because they are affordable, improve border security and preserve cross-border commerce" and said he "pushed long and hard for the EDL because it will allow our border communities to thrive without diminishing safety."

dheath@pressrepublican.com

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