New US proposal could end Mexican export trucking dispute

Washington lawmakers and agricultural representatives are hoping that a proposal announced Thursday by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood soon will end retaliatory tariffs on American exports to Mexico.

The Mexican government announced in March 2009 that it would impose tariffs on a lengthy list of American exports after Congress killed a pilot program that allowed a limited number of Mexican trucks full access to U.S. highways.

The proposal released by LaHood's department is an "initial concept document"for a phased plan that would allow cross-border long-haul trucking between the United States and Mexico, and addresses oversight, safety standards, vehicle emissions and other concerns raised following the pilot program.

The initial tariff list included such key Washington crops as potatoes and cherries, causing millions of dollars in losses to growers and food processors. The Mexican government adjusted the tariff list Aug. 18 to reduce the potato tariff from 20 percent to 5 percent, but added a 20 percent tariff on apples.