Montana’s Three Foreign-Trade Zones Link Border, Rail and Mountain Routes

FTZ News: Montana has three Foreign-Trade Zones spread across the northern Rockies. Each sits near a different piece of the state’s transport network.

FTZ 274 is in Butte-Silver Bow County. The City and County of Butte-Silver Bow holds the grant. Inside the zone, the Port of Montana runs a general-purpose warehouse that local materials describe as the only FTZ warehouse of its kind within a five-state radius in the Rocky Mountain region. Goods can stay under zone procedures while companies defer duties, re-export without duty, or perform certain handling and assembly. The nearest port of entry is the Butte Airport.

FTZ 187 covers Toole County along the Canadian border. Northern Express Transportation, Inc. is the grantee. The zone includes the Sweetgrass Port of Entry and the Port of Northern Montana in Shelby. Shelby has BNSF rail service, so cargo can move between the border crossing and the rail line under zone procedures.

FTZ 88 is based in Great Falls. The Great Falls International Airport Authority is the grantee. The zone lies near the Great Falls Airport and has direct access to Interstate 15 and the BNSF railroad. Local development groups have pointed to available industrial land at Agritech Park as a site that could use the zone’s procedures.

Together the three zones give companies options at a border crossing, a mountain-rail hub, and a central Montana airport. Companies can store goods, re-export them, or add limited processing before the merchandise enters U.S. commerce or leaves the country./.