U.S., Canada mull passport alternatives

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- U.S. and Canadian officials are seeking an alternative to passports for inter-country travel before a U.S. law kicks in requiring them in 2008.

Homeland Security spokesman Jarrod Agen told USA Today the Bush administration will propose new forms of identification next spring, although it's unclear what kind of ID might be used.

The passport plan, proposed in April, is part of a post-Sept. 11, 2001, effort to tighten security along the world's longest undefended border.

Among those complaining about the idea is British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell, who said Wednesday that requiring people to use passports to cross land borders "will do very serious damage to our tourist industry and the tourist industry of Washington state."

He and Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire have petitioned President Bush to develop a border-crossing card.

Now, border guards in both countries accept driver's licenses as identification, but licenses do not indicate nationality, and the number of varieties makes it difficult to spot a fake, the report said.