HELENA, Mont. (AP) – Federal officials say they’re reducing the hours that three U.S.-Canada border crossings in Montana are open each day.
However, U.S. Customs and Border Protection temporarily backed off a plan to close the 24-hour crossing near Plentywood daily at midnight after backlash by residents and politicians.
The border patrol agency said in a statement Thursday the ports of Scobey, Morgan and Opheim will operate from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. year round starting June 1.
Those ports are currently open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. during the summer.
The Port of Raymond north of Plentywood will remain a 24-hour port this summer while the agency “continues discussions with the Canadian government and local stakeholders.”
Farmers and residents protest that re-routing 24-hour border traffic 100 miles (160 kilometers) away to North Dakota would be inconvenient and hurt economic activity.