Vermont’s congressional delegation is sounding the alarm as U.S. Customs and Border Protection plans to reduce the hours of operation for numerous border crossing stations along the U.S.-Canada border in Vermont.

The federal agency announced on Nov. 20 that it would reduce the hours of operation of 38 ports of entry along the Canadian border across the U.S. beginning in the new year, including four located in Vermont. At two additional ports of entry in the state, the agency plans to make permanent already shortened hours, which were implemented during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a letter sent to Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Troy Miller on Wednesday, all three members of Vermont’s congressional delegation — U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Peter Welch, D-Vt., as well as U.S. Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt. — urged the agency to reverse course.

“This decision is of great concern to our constituents in border communities and surrounding areas, as it negatively affects public safety, the local economy, and the availability of workers in critical industries,” the delegation wrote.

In fact, they wrote, the agency’s decision directly contradicts the delegation’s request in December of 2022 to increase the hours of operation at Vermont’s ports of entry.

Four of the land ports slated to see their hours reduced — in Canaan, North Troy, West Berkshire and Alburgh (on Route 225) — are currently open 24 hours a day. But CBP has proposed they only be open for 12 hours, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Should CBP’s recommendations take effect, that would leave Vermont with only six 24-hour ports of entry along its northern border.

“This significant reduction in hours will increase border wait times and burden cross-border workers and employers,” Sanders, Welch and Balint wrote. “Specifically, the late hour of opening time of these ports, at 8:00 AM, substantially restricts the ability of workers to cross the border in time for work.”

Affected workers in the region include those employed by North Country Hospital, located in Newport — a town “literally situated on the Canadian border,” according to North Country’s CEO, Thomas Frank. In a written statement provided by Welch’s office, Frank noted the hospital “is the northernmost hospital and the most rural hospital in the state of Vermont.”

Many of the hospital’s employees are residents of Quebec and regularly cross the border to get to and from work — and, “like all hospitals we are a 365/24-hour business,” Frank said.

“With limited crossing hours, many of our valued and uniquely qualified providers from north of the (border) would no longer be able to work at our hospital,” Frank added. “With our rural location, it would be impossible for us to replace those talented folks with Vermont residents. Patient care would suffer tremendously under these new border crossing hours.”

Jay Peak Resort, located in Jay, would also see detrimental impacts due to the reduced hours, according to the resort’s president and general manager, Steven Wright. The resort relies on “a consistent flow of cross-border traffic for both staff members and our guests,” Wright said in a statement provided by Welch’s office.

Canadian visitors account for more than half of the resort’s overall gross revenue, according to Wright, making their business “vital” to the resort’s bottom line. Should the proposed hour reductions take effect, he said, the changes “would force us to cut staffing hours and negatively impact our bottom line.”

“These proposed hours virtually eliminate the ability for our overnight and evening staff to do their jobs and will force thousands of Canadian guests to reduce or eliminate stays here at the mountain,” Wright added. “As an employer of more than 1,500 Vermonters, we understand budget and operating challenges — but returning North Troy Port hours to pandemic-era scenarios will create more problems than it tries to solve.”

The delegation also noted in its letter that the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 allocated $3.4 billion for modernization of 26 land ports of entry nationwide, including five in Vermont. One of those locations that saw a major investment, Alburgh, is now slated to see service reductions.

Vermont’s members of Congress concluded their letter urging CBP to “take immediate action to reverse your November 20th decision and return all facilities in Vermont to pre-pandemic hours.”