Enhanced license to offer border option

One last trip to Red Mountain without a passport seemed like a great way to end the season. But then I discovered snow riders won’t need one for trips to Canada next year.

Word on the slopes has been that a passport will be required to cross the border starting January 2008. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security may delay that until June 2009.

Meanwhile, Washington state has a better idea and the Feds are paying attention.

What’s the world coming to when there’s talk of needing a passport for a day trip to the steep glades on Granite Mountain at Red?

Blame it on al Qaeda. In 2004 the U.S. Congress created the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative – government doublespeak for adding layers of travel restrictions. Starting January this year, Big Brother says you need a passport to make it back home if you travel by air to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean.

The same requirement will eventually apply to ground travel – perhaps by June 2009. But officials in Washington and British Columbia see the new restrictions as anathema to our tradition of free-flowing trade, tourism and international skiing.

At risk is the economic ripple effect Washington state is banking on from the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The stakes are high for Canada as well. American tourism has declined since 9/11. Last week B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell’s office said a poll showed that a third of Canadians and Americans who live near the border would be less likely to cross if they need a passport.

Gov. Christine Gregoire got together with Campbell and came up with an idea that promises to be more convenient and cost effective.

“Last summer our governor was meeting with Campbell and they both recognized this could cause problems,” said Gigi Zenk, director of communications for the Washington Department of Licensing. “The governor directed us to see if it was possible to create an enhanced driver license as one document that demonstrates the necessary border security.”

The Washington legislature this week authorized a bill to create an optional enhanced license incorporating proof of U.S. citizenship and Washington residency. Homeland Security honcho Michael Chertoff will travel to Olympia today to sign papers authorizing the country’s first pilot project for a secure alternative to passports for border crossings.

The license will allow a search of federal databanks and criminal records. The bill makes clear that the card have security features to protect your privacy and identity.

British Columbia is working on an enhanced driver’s license of its own that conforms to Homeland Security restrictions.

“If all goes as planned, we could have enhanced licenses issued in January ‘08,” Zenk said. “It will be less expensive than a passport, and we anticipate that it will take less time and be just as secure.”

Zenk said the exact requirements for an enhanced license are to be determined.

Documents to secure eligibility could include a current driver’s license, birth certificate, military ID, or a current passport – which would have the dog chasing its tail, but that’s government bureaucracy for you.

The enhanced license will cost $40 and be available at your local DMV. A passport costs $97. The Spokane County Passport Acceptance Facility, 1116 West Broadway Ave., takes applications and photos. Thanks to the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, the State Department is slammed and the waiting period lately has been at least 10 weeks.

“Washington state is unique,” Zenk said. “People here grew up crossing the border. Cultural ties with our neighbors up north transcend national boundaries and we want that to continue.”

After all, winter just wouldn’t be the same without the pucker factor of the chutes at Whitewater, face shots at Fernie, the thrill of driving 100 kph and après ski with those crazy Canadians.