Uniform Regulation of Ballast Water
Goal: Ballast water regulations that are protective of the environment, maintain efficient waterbornecommerce on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway, and are binationally compatible and equitable. Background: 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 […]
Jones Act and Other U.S. Maritime Cabotage Laws
Goal: Strict adherence to the Jones Act and all existing maritime cabotage laws, as they play a crucial role in America’s national, homeland, and economic security. Background: 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 […]
Efficient Funding for the Second Poe-Sized Lock at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Goal: A resilient Great Lakes navigation system with sufficient and efficient federal funding for the second Poe-sized lock at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Background: 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 […]
Keep Commerce Moving on the Great Lakes During the Winter Months – Protect the Supply Chain
Goal: Procure a second heavy Great Lakes icebreaker, repower the 140-foot icebreaking tugs, codify the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) authority for icebreaking into law, mandate realistic icebreaking performance metrics, and raise the level of service provided to American Great Lakes ports, waterways, and vessels to that provided to Canadian Great Lakes ports, waterways, and vessels. […]
Full Federal Funding for State Maritime Academies
Goal: Sufficient long term federal funding for State Maritime Academies to support their role in the education of the next generation of licensed mariners. Background: 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 […]
Short Sea Shipping
Goal: Encourage short sea shipping by enacting a narrow exemption from the Harbor Maintenance Tax for non-bulk cargoes moved on the Great Lakes. Background: In recent years, transportation planners have been struggling to identify ways to move people and goods more efficiently while reducing the effects on the environment. Congested highways, particularly in urban areas, […]
Great Lakes Shipbuilding and Government Programs to Promote the Industry
Goal: Support programs that increase commercial shipbuilding and repair at Great Lakes yards. Background: Great Lakes shipyards employ more than 2,700 men and women, and the wages they provide top $125 million each year. Shipyards with large-scale capability are in Sturgeon Bay, Marinette and Superior, Wisconsin; Toledo, Ohio; and Erie, Pennsylvania. Small drydocks and ship […]
Full Funding for Dredging Great Lakes Deep-Draft Ports and Waterways
Goal: Ensure that the Great Lakes navigation system is adequately funded for dredging through the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF). Background: There are 60 federally-maintained deep-draft ports on the Great Lakes and their connecting waterways that create the single maritime transportation system that is the foundation of U.S. manufacturing, infrastructure, and energy production and opens […]