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Transportation Committee approves key legislation
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| Water Resources Development Act would authorize dredging, second large Soo lock |
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Legislation approved by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in March would hasten long-sought improvements to the U.S.-flag Great Lakes shipping system.
The bill--H.R. 1495, the Water Resources Development Act of 2007- would authorize $14 billion for commercial waterway projects nationwide, including a second large lock at the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marine, Mich., and the dredging of key Great Lakes harbors and channels. The measure would also authorize navigation safety enhancement in the Lake Superior ports of Silver Bay and Taconite Harbor in Minnesota. Minnesota Democratic Rep. James Oberstar, chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, was the principal sponsor of H.R. 1495. "This legislation is critical to our nation's waterways," Rep. Oberstar said. "It keeps goods moving, protects our environment. This represents vital investments in the future, health, sustainability and economy of the entire country." Rep. Oberstar said the bill included $341 million to build the new lock at the Soo, which links Lakes Superior and Huron. Only one of the four Soo Locks (the Poe) can accommodate the 13 1,000-foot bulk carriers that account for most domestic iron ore, coal and stone cargoes shipped each year on the lakes. "I have been working to pass legislation to add this second lock since 1986," the Congressman said. "I am chairman of the committee now, and I can make sure this critical improvement is made. "The new lock would enable U.S.-flagged Great Lakes bulk vessel operators to move their cargo cost effectively," Rep. Oberstar added. The legislation would also direct the Army Corps of Engineers to begin dredging clogged Great Lakes ports and channels. Silt build-up and low water levels have in recent years prevented Great Lakes bulk carriers from operating at full cargo capacity. American Maritime Officers, which represents most engineers, mates and stewards sailing in the U.S.-flagged lakes fleet, has worked separately and through the Great Lakes Maritime Task Force to promote the additional "thousand footer" lock at the Soo and the dredging projects. "The Soo is the nerve center of U.S.-flagged Great Lakes shipping," said AMO National Executive Vice President Daniel Smith. "If the Poe Lock malfunctioned or was damaged or destroyed in a terrorist attack, 70 percent of the traffic in industrial raw materials would come to a halt. The economic impact-in the Midwest and nationwide-would be devastating." Smith said dredging is "urgent" because Great Lakes vessels lose up to several hundred tons of carrying capacity for each one-inch loss of navigable draft. "A vessel that sails light does not operate at peak efficiency." The Lake Carriers Association, a Cleveland-based trade organization of 18 lakes vessel operators, took strong positions on both issues in its recent 2007 policy position statements. "A second Poe-sized lock is crucial to the continued viability of Great Lakes shipping and the United States' ability to defend its interests and citizens worldwide," one statement said. "Congress must authorize funds to initiate construction, at full federal expense, as soon as possible." A second LCA statement said the Great Lakes shipping system had not received its fair share of the harbor maintenance budget in recent years, and that some ports had not been dredged in more than 30 years. "The nation needs Great Lakes shipping to be fully utilized," the statement said. "The region accounts for 70 percent of the nation's steelmaking capacity, 70 percent of its automobile production (and) 55 percent of all heavy manufacturing. When these vital industries suffer increased transportation costs or shortfalls in deliveries, the nation's economic heartbeat is weakened. "The administration and Congress must work together and end the chronic underfunding of the Great Lakes navigation system," the statement concluded. "The payback to the nation will be a tremendous return on investment." |
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