Great Lake Maritime Task Force

When leaders from the Great Lakes shipping community come together, the opportunities are limitless. The Great Lakes Maritime Task Force is a membership organization bringing together labor and management from U.S.-flag vessel operators, shipboard and longshore unions, port authorities, cargo shippers, terminal operators, shipyards, and more. Together, we are working to transform and improve the shipping experience throughout the Great Lakes.

POSITION PAPERS

From ballast water regulation to dredging, the Jones Act to harbor maintenance taxes, shipping and maritime activity among the Great Lakes is complex and ever-changing. Review our position papers for detailed information and GLMTF’s stance on current conversations, issues or challenges facing our industry .U.S. EPA published their proposed implementing regulations for VIDA on October 26, 2020, which addresses 20 discharges incidental to the normal operation of a vessel. In general, GLMTF supports this regulation, including how ballast water is regulated in the Great Lakes. Click here to view all Positions Papers or scroll through the slides listed below.


Uniform Regulation of Ballast Water

Vessel discharges, such as ballast water, are critical to maintain safe and efficient operations. The maritime industry has a long history of establishing best management practices and technical innovations to ensure the Great Lakes ecosystem is protected. However, ensuing legal battles opened the door for each state and multiple federal agencies to establish their own regulatory regimes that were often impossible to meet and conflicting. Great Lakes stakeholders pushed for a better way. The Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (VIDA) established that long-sought process to set uniform federal discharge requirements jointly regulated by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). On October 26, 2020, the USEPA published the proposed Vessel Incidental Discharge National Standards of Performance to implement VIDA.

Jones Act and Other U.S. Maritime Cabotage Laws

Section 27 of the 1920 Merchant Marine Act, generally referred to as the Jones Act, mandates that all cargo moving between U.S. points be carried in vessels that are crewed by, built by, and owned by Americans. Other laws and statutes apply the same ground rules to carrying passengers, towing, dredging, and salvaging in U.S. waters.

The U.S. is far from unique in reserving its domestic waterborne commerce to its domestic fleets. Eighty percent of the world’s coastlines of United Nations shipping nations have similar cabotage laws for their domestic maritime commerce.

Efficient Funding for the Second Poe-Sized Lock at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

The navigational locks at the Soo connect Lake Superior to the lower four Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence Seaway, and international markets. Eighty million tons of cargo, valued at $6 billion and supporting 123,000 jobs, transit the Soo Locks each year. The locks allow cargoes like iron ore and grain to move from mines and farms to customers in the U.S., Canada, and overseas as well as allowing domestic and overseas cargoes to move “up the system” and into upper Midwest markets.

Keep Commerce Moving on the Great Lakes During the Winter Months – Protect the Supply Chain

The issue of unreliable winter navigation on the Great Lakes is not going away.  The winter of 2021/2022 and the significant delays incurred by shipping were devasting and just another example in a long line of stuck vessels.  The conditions in eastern Lake Superior in March and April 2022 required more than one heavy icebreaker, but unfortunately only one exists. Only construction of a twin to the heavy Great Lakes icebreaker MACKINAW will ensure the continued movement of critical raw materials on the Great Lakes during the winter season.  The interconnected Great Lakes system requires reliable and predictable icebreaking to ensure workers at the ports, on the ships, at the mills, and at the mines stay employed and continue to produce and transport the vital cargoes needed to keep American economic security intact.

Full Federal Funding for State Maritime Academies

The maritime industry is facing an increasing shortage of licensed merchant mariners with profound commercial and national security implications. Since 1874, America’s State Maritime Academies have been educating and training cadets for licensed officer positions in the United States Merchant Marine. State Maritime Academies, including the Great Lakes Maritime Academy in Traverse City, Michigan, produce 70 percent of all new licensed officers in the United States and are the largest source of newly licensed officers in the country.

Short Sea Shipping

A number of new short-distance shipping services have been proposed in the Great Lakes region. In each case, the goal has been to relieve highway or border congestion and move commerce more efficiently. New short sea shipping services on the Great Lakes are likely to take the form of truck ferries and feeder services.

Great Lakes Shipbuilding and Government Programs to Promote the Industry

Great Lakes shipyards are fully capable of building all types of commercial and military vessels for service throughout the world, limited only by the size of the navigational locks in the St. Lawrence Seaway. Within the Great Lakes, shipyards have built 1,000-foot-long vessels that keep the mills supplying steel for U.S.-made automobiles and appliances, the lights on in southeast Michigan, and U.S. workers building America’s infrastructure.

Full Funding for Dredging Great Lakes Deep-Draft Ports and Waterways

Decades of inadequate funding for dredging the Great Lakes have left more than 13 million cubic yards of sediment clogging ports and waterways. Sediment on the bottom means cargoes are left at the dock when vessels can not load to the design depths of the system. This can be as much as 270 tons of iron ore on a U.S.-flag vessel for each inch lost when channels are not adequately dredged. The foreign-flag vessels frequenting the Lakes can forfeit 116 tons for each inch of draft lost.

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Dredging on the Great Lakes

Ending the dredging crisis is GLMTF’s top priority. Decades of inadequate funding for dredging have left the Great Lakes Navigation System clogged with more than 15 million cubic yards of sediment, despite the fact the Federal government taxes cargo to pay for dredging. Relief is in sight. The Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 requires the Federal government to increase funding for dredging annually, but Congress must appropriate the funds each year. GLMTF focuses the bulk of its efforts to restore adequate funding for dredging Great Lakes ports and waterways.

Celebrating Outstanding Legislators

Each year, GLMTF recognizes members of the Great Lakes congressional delegation who have made significant contributions to keeping waterborne commerce on the Lakes a key component of the nation’s transportation system by presenting them a Great Lakes Legislator of the Year Award. The selection process is not easy, on Capitol Hill the Great Lakes delegation is one of the best.

NEWS & POLICIES

U.S. Representative Pete Stauber Named 2023 Legislator of the Year

DULUTH, MINNESOTA (August 18, 2023) – On Friday, August 18, 2023, the Great Lakes Maritime Task Force (GLMTF) recognized Congressman Pete Stauber for his staunch support of the Great Lakes Navigation System at the Clure Public Marine Terminal in Duluth, Minnesota.

Congressman Stauber continues to champion the miners that work on the northern tier of the Great Lakes supplying the critical raw materials that drive the national economy and make the Great Lakes region America’s industrial powerhouse.  The millions of tons of iron ore extracted from Minnesota’s Mesabi Range is transported by U.S.-owned, U.S-crewed, and U.S.-flagged vessels to steel mills in the southern Great Lakes contributing to more than 147,000 American jobs and $36 billion in economic impact.

Congressman Stauber believes in American workers and fully supports the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, more commonly known as the “Jones Act.”  The critical law ensures U.S. cargo is carried by U.S. vessels between U.S. ports keeping our maritime industry strong with 650,000 sustained American jobs.  “Congressman Stauber is invested in America and its dedicated workforce.  I applaud his selection for his tenacious support of the 4th Sea Coast,” stated John D. Baker, International Longshoremen’s Association and President of GLMTF.

The Great Lakes are cold in the winter and when ice forms it can impede commercial vessels, endanger sailors and their ships, and bring North American manufacturing to a halt without adequate federal icebreaking.  Congressman Stauber continues to support icebreaking resources for the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) on the Great Lakes endorsing authorization and appropriations for a new heavy Great Lakes icebreaker for the agency.  “Congressman Stauber understands that raw materials from Minnesota must be efficiently and safely moved to manufacturing facilities on the southern Great Lakes, no matter the harsh environmental conditions posed in winter.  The USCG Great Lakes heavy icebreaker is critical but acquiring the asset hasn’t been an empty net goal requiring some hard third period work which Congressman Stauber continues to do,” stated Jim Weakley, Lake Carriers’ Association and Vice President of GLMTF.

One of the most important efforts for the entire Great Lakes Navigation System has been the construction of the new large navigational lock in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.  Congressman Stauber has been instrumental in educating fellow members of Congress on the importance of the lock to the Great Lakes region and the nation as a whole.  With only one 62-year-old large operational lock, the new lock provides much needed resiliency which would avert a catastrophic economic disaster should the current lock fail.

“As someone who has spent their entire life living around Lake Superior, I understand the powerful impact these incredible bodies of water bring to our local and national economies. Ensuring safe and reliable shipping through the Great Lakes is one of my top priorities serving in Congress, from advocating for the creation of a new lock at the Soo Locks in Michigan to supporting our hard-working union workforce in the shipping industry to ensuring our Coast Guard is well-equipped with icebreakers for winter. I am honored to be named the Legislator of the Year by the Great Lakes Maritime Task Force and will always advocate for our Great Lakes,” stated Congressman Stauber.

The presentation of the award was made at the Clure Public Marine Terminal.  Executive Director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority Deb DeLuca stated, “Congressman Stauber is a fitting choice for this prestigious award, given his longtime advocacy on behalf of Great Lakes shipping and the nation’s domestic supply chain. His support helps Great Lakes ports remain strong and vibrant links in America’s supply chain, and we’re especially pleased that the Great Lakes Maritime Task Force is honoring a legislator from our own backyard, a former commissioner on the Duluth Seaway Port Authority board, and someone who is an effective advocate for regional industry.”

About Great Lakes Maritime Task Force
The Great Lakes Maritime Task Force, with nearly 80 members, is the largest coalition to speak for the Great Lakes Navigation System.  Advocating for domestic and international shipping, its members represent labor and management from U.S.-flag vessel operators, shipboard and longshore unions, port authorities, cargo shippers, terminal operators, shipyards, and other Great Lakes interests. The Great Lakes commercial maritime industry supports more than 147,000 American jobs in eight Great Lakes states and generates more than $36 billion in economic activity.

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Great Lakes Success in 2023 National Defense Authorization Act

CLEVELAND, OHIO (December 23, 2022) – Thanks to the efforts of the Great Lakes Congressional Delegation, major milestones were reached with the passage of the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2023.

The bipartisan, bicameral legislation authorized $350 million for the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) acquisition of a new heavy Great Lakes icebreaker and proposes a Great Lakes-icebreaking performance standard instead of the USCG’s current tiered waterway standard that is limited to only reporting on four small connecting Great Lakes waterways and not the open lakes themselves.  In addition, the Government Accountability Office will be tasked with studying the effectiveness of the USCG’s icebreaking mission on the Great Lakes and resources needed to improve the facilitation of the winter maritime supply chain. Over the past ten years, the lack of adequate icebreaking on the Great Lakes has caused the loss of over 10,000 jobs and $2 billion to the economy.  In addition, ice jam flooding in the Great Lakes region has become extreme due to more frequent polar vortexes.

“This is a big win for the 4th Sea Coast.  Finally, there is recognition that the USCG is not adequately resourced to facilitate critical winter navigation on the Great Lakes.  The North American economy and our national security are dependent on the raw materials, like iron ore, that need to move effectively to maintain the nations steel production,” stated Jim Weakley, President of the Great Lakes Maritime Task Force.

Another key piece in the legislation was the reauthorization of the new large navigational lock in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.  Due to inflation and other economic factors, the construction cost of the new lock nearly tripled requiring Congress to add language increasing the authorized amount.  The importance of the new lock project cannot be overstated with eighty million tons of cargo, valued at $6 billion and supporting 123,000 jobs passing through the vital piece of infrastructure each year.  It is clear that everyone in government recognizes the importance of the new lock and the economic benefits associated with its construction.

We applaud all the efforts the Great Lakes Congressional Delegation put forth to get these key provisions included in the NDAA.

About Great Lakes Maritime Task Force

The Great Lakes Maritime Task Force, with nearly 80 members, is the largest coalition to speak for the Great Lakes Navigation System.  Advocating for domestic and international shipping, its members represent labor and management from U.S.-flag vessel operators, shipboard and longshore unions, port authorities, cargo shippers, terminal operators, shipyards, and other Great Lakes interests. The Great Lakes commercial maritime industry supports more than 147,000 American jobs in eight Great Lakes states and generates more than $25 billion in economic activity.

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MEMBERS

We’re stronger when we work together. GLMTF membership is an excellent way to ensure your company and industry’s voice is part of the ongoing conversation surrounding Great Lakes shipping. Membership is open to all companies and organizations that rely on or are involved in domestic and/or international Great Lakes shipping.