Business Council statement on President Obama signing Free Trade Agreements into law

ALBANY, NY (10/24/2011)(readMedia)-- "President Obama signing into law Free Trade Agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama is a positive step for New York and our nation's manufacturing competitiveness. It will foster the creation of private-sector jobs and provide new opportunities for New York businesses.

New York's manufacturers exported $69.7 billion in goods in 2010, directly supporting 192,064 New York jobs. Over 28,900 companies located in every part of the state exported their products, with $18.2 billion of exports going to existing Free Trade Agreement countries. Exports from New York to these three markets reached $1.8 billion last year.

Manufacturers in New York must be able to compete with our industrial competitors around the world. With the passage of these Free Trade Agreements, we are promoting new opportunities for New York and U.S. businesses, and increasing confidence in our trading policy."

-Heather Briccetti, acting-president and CEO of The Business Council of New York State, Inc.