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2009 Legislative Update March 10, 2009 Mission Statement: To advance the commercial, industrial, civic and general interests of the Sault Ste Marie area. Vision Statement: To exert positive leadership, by supporting those activities that improve the economic, social and physical condition of the area, and by cooperating with other agencies which share our goals. FEDERAL PRIORITIES Construction of New Lock in Sault Ste. Marie The U.S. Water Resources Development Act provides authorization at federal expense for the construction of a new lock at Sault Ste. Marie capable of handling 1,000 foot vessels. Consider these facts. The two operational Soo Locks typically handle 80 to 85 million tons of cargo per year. Included in that total are 70 percent of the iron ore moving on the Lakes, 52 percent of the coal and 67 percent of the grain. The tonnage handled between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes by the Soo Locks was 81,683,184 net tons in 2007. By comparison, between the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean, the Panama Canal handled 23,219,360 net tons in 2007. It is significant that the tonnage at the Soo Locks is equivalent to 35% of the total tonnage through the Panama Canal. The problem is that one lock, the Poe, handles nearly 80 percent of all of the traffic. Roughly 70 percent of the U.S.-Flag Great Lakes fleet is restricted to the Poe Lock because of the vessel’s length and/or beam. If anything happens to the Poe Lock, the North American steel industry will quickly face raw material shortages. The regions power plants that have switched to clean-burning low sulfur coal will be without fuel. Midwest farmers will be cut off from export markets world wide. Requested Action: That the Governor and the State Legislature actively solicit for the Federal appropriations necessary for the construction of a new shipping lock. Also, that our legislators work with Sault Ste. Marie to secure federal funding to keep this important piece of infrastructure available for Great Lakes Shipping. Traffic Improvements to the International Bridge Plaza: The Sault Area Chamber of Commerce supports efforts by the Joint International Bridge Authority to seek federal funding in the amount of $8 million for a bridge widening project to improve traffic management of vehicles approaching the United States Customs and Border Protection Station. Additionally, we support the efforts of the IBA and MDOT to secure federal funding to cover the differential costs of relocating the toll plaza from their existing location in order to facilitate traffic being processed at the United States Customs and Border Protection Station. The free flow of traffic across the International Bridge is essential to the economy of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Requested Action: Support the federal appropriation request for these improvements to the International Bridge Plaza to facilitate the flow of traffic entering the United States at Sault Ste. Marie. |