News & Policies – Great Lake Maritime Task Force

PRESS RELEASES

U.S. Representative Debbie Dingell Receives Legislator of the Year Award

Ann Arbor, MI (October 28, 2024) – On Monday, October 28, 2024, the Great Lakes Maritime Task Force (GLMTF) recognized Michigan Congresswoman Debbie Dingell for her efforts advocating for the Great Lakes Navigation System and the American workers that insure a resilient maritime supply chain which drives the nation’s economic base.

U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow Lifetime Achievement Supporting U.S. Great Lakes Shipping

On Wednesday, April 10, 2024, the Great Lakes Maritime Task Force (GLMTF) recognized the significant contributions Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow has made throughout her Congressional career protecting the Great Navigation System and supporting American jobs with investment in U.S.-flagged Great Lakes shipping.

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

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.

U.S. Representative Lisa McClain Recognized as a Great Lakes Champion

Port Huron, MI (August 18, 2025) – On Monday, August 18, 2025, the Great Lakes Maritime Task Force (GLMTF) recognized Michigan Congresswoman Lisa McClain for her efforts advocating for the Great Lakes Navigation System and those who live and work on or near the Fourth Sea Coast.

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LETTERS

The Great Lakes Maritime Task Force often drafts letters to inform elected officials of our organization’s stance and viewpoints on various issues, and to earn support for our goals. See GLMTF’s most recently published letter below.

Docket No. 20–10, Comments on Conditions Created by Canadian Ballast Water Regulations in the U.S./Canada Great Lakes Trade

July 10, 2020 Federal Maritime Commission800 North Capitol Street, N.WWashington, D.C. 20573 Via email to: secretary@fmc.gov Subject: Docket No. 20–10, Comments on Conditions Created by Canadian Ballast Water Regulations in the U.S./Canada Great Lakes Trade Founded in 1992, Great Lakes Maritime Task Force (GLMTF) promotes domestic and international shipping on the Great Lakes. With 76 members, […]

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LEGISLATOR AWARDS

2020 Great Lakes Legislator of the Year:

U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-IN)

2026

U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-IN)

Washington D.C. (April 22, 2026) – On Wednesday, April 22, 2026, the Great Lakes Maritime Task Force (GLMTF) recognized Indiana Senator Todd Young for his commitment to the Great Lakes Navigation System and the nation’s maritime revitalization.

“Senator Young understands the importance of U.S. shipping on the Great Lakes with interconnected harbors that depend on each other and a healthy maritime highway. He has advocated for another heavy U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker on the Lakes fully comprehending the importance to not only his steel mills in Indiana but the overall negative impacts to the nation when the critical raw materials that drive North American manufacturing are delayed or completely halted by winter ice,” stated Jim Weakley, Lake Carriers’ Association and GLMTF President.

Senator Young has assumed a leadership role advocating for the rebuilding of U.S. maritime capabilities including new U.S. vessels and additional American mariners. The SHIPS for America Act would provide the necessary congressional authorizations and enhance the mechanisms needed to build and crew a new fleet of commercial ships. The SHIPS Act also would establish a trust fund to support an expansion of the U.S.-flagged international fleet to 250 ships by 2035. It would make U.S.-flagged vessels commercially competitive in international commerce by cutting red tape, rebuilding the shipyard industrial base, and expanding and strengthening mariner and shipyard worker recruitment. Additionally, the SHIPS Act would help train a shipbuilding and mariner workforce, encourage domestic and foreign investment in maritime infrastructure, and provide the permitting reform and deregulation that is essential for timely construction of new shipyards.

“There is no one more deserving of this award than Senator Young. He continues to fight for the maritime community which is a fight for the U.S. industrial base supply chain. With his advocacy bringing Great Lakes issues to the national stage and educating others on the importance of domestic steel production which will ultimately drive shipbuilding, we have a Senator willing to work just like his constituents to make U.S. maritime a power once again,” stated Jim Weakley.

The ceremony was hosted in Senator Young’s Washington D.C. office where he was surrounded by grateful GLMTF members from shipping companies, shipboard labor unions, U.S. steel mills, and the Great Lakes Maritime Academy which represents the future of the nation’s maritime dominance.

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