PORTS & FREE TRADE ZONES: WEIGHT of the WORLD

Every year in this space, Site Selection looks to rank U.S. Foreign-Trade Zones (FTZs) and the states whose FTZs carry (often literally) the most economic heft.

This year isn’t like every year.

At the time of this writing, the U.S. federal government has yet to release its regularly scheduled annual FTZ data, for which there is little substitute. The annual report from the U.S. Foreign-Trade Zones Board to Congress, which contains updated data for all FTZs, was already running later than its usual August release, and the government shutdown assured that the new data wouldn’t be released in time for Site Selection’s annual rankings. This lack of visibility makes it difficult to impossible for public agencies and private investors alike to plan strategically. (For reference, we have included on p. 76 and p. 78 last year’s top FTZs and top states for FTZ activity.)

Click here to read the original article from Site Selection Magazine.