ITDS START-UP DATE SET FOR BUFFALO

ITDS START-UP DATE SET FOR BUFFALO    The board of the International Trade Data System says it plans to begin testing a pilot at the Peace Bridge in Buffalo, N.Y., on June 20.
   The board has attempted to establish a date to start the ITDS pilot for nine months. The delay is attributed to negotiations with carriers and customs brokers about data requirements and impacts of the system on cargo flow through the port. Additional meetings will be held with the industry in the coming months.
   ITDS, which has been in development for several years, will electronically link over 100 federal agencies with an interest in international trade data. Customs plans to use ITDS as the “front-end” to its future Automated Commercial Environment. ITDS will receive $5.4 million in the fiscal 2001 Treasury-Postal budget.