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Rep. Oberstar vows quick work on dredging, other vital Great Lakes waterway improvement projects
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Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN) in February vowed quick work on key Great Lakes waterway improvement projects.
Addressing the Great Lakes Port Advocacy Coalition in his homeport of Duluth, the Congressman said dredging of Great Lakes ports and commercial navigation channels would receive immediate consideration. Rep. Oberstar, the new chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, said clogged harbors and shipping lanes have forced U.S.-flagged Great Lakes bulk carriers to carry less cargo than they were designed to hold, and that the crisis has been aggravated by plunging water levels. Reduced cargoes--iron ore, coal and stone--make Great Lakes vessels more expensive to operate, Rep. Oberstar explained. "If it weren't for the Chinese driving world steel prices to record highs, our steel industry would be dying because of these additional costs," he said, referring specifically to the shipment of taconite, or pelletized iron ore. "We can't afford to be even that much non-competitive." Rep. Oberstar also said he and the committee would promote short sea shipping as a way to generate more business for Great Lakes ports. He noted that European countries have turned to short sea shipping to relieve congestion on rail and road routes and to cut freight shipping costs. "We can afford to do no less." The Maritime Administration has promoted a short sea shipping initiative. U.S. maritime interests have endorsed short sea shipping along the East, Gulf and West Coasts, on the Great Lakes and along in- land waterway routes. However, they have cautioned against waiving, amending or repealing the Jones Act -- actions which some say could spur short sea start-up services. Enacted as Section 27 of the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, the Jones Act holds domestic deep-sea, Great Lakes and inland waterborne cargoes for U.S.-owned, built, flagged and manned vessels. |
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