Evans: West Coast Ports Situation
Illustrates Trade’s Importance to Economy

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Don Evans today used the disruption caused by the recent closure of ports on the West Coast to illustrate the importance of trade to the American economy.

“The closing of 29 ports was costing the economy approximately $1 billion a day and causing thousands of jobs to be lost. Both were too high of a price for the American economy to pay, and both provided the reasons for President Bush to act as he did,” Evans said of President Bush’s decision earlier this week to invoke the Taft-Hartley Act and reopen ports.

Evans was in Dallas today to discuss trade’s impact on the economy with students of the International Business Academy at Newman Smith High School. The Academy teaches students the importance of trade and allows them to earn up to 30 college credits in economics and business courses.

“The closing of the West Coast ports, and the resulting backup of cargo provided an excellent illustration of the importance of trade to our economy and to the livelihoods of American workers.”

Evans told students that Texas surpassed California during the first half of 2002 to become the nation’s largest exporter. He cited statistics showing that Texas companies exported approximately $46.3 billion in goods and services and accounted for nearly 13 percent of total U.S. exports during 2001.

To underscore the importance of trade, Evans cited the benefits of trade to Texas’ economy as a result of NAFTA. Texas exports to Mexico and Canada increased 65 percent since the NAFTA agreement in 1994 and have supported approximately 194,000 jobs that produce goods exported to Canada and Mexico.

Evans’ visit to Dallas is the eighth in a series of trips he has made to highlight the importance of trade in the American economy and trade’s impact on the lives of American workers. Evans has held similar events this year in Kansas City, Mo., Tampa, Fla., Albuquerque, N.M., Los Angeles, Calif., Orlando, Fla., Portland, Maine, and Bow, N.H.. The Commerce Department’s grassroots trade education initiative will take Evans and other senior Commerce officials to all 50 states to discuss trade during President Bush’s first term.