Issue Background:
The Great Lakes navigation system consists of sixteen locks which enabled vessels to sail from the Atlantic Ocean, through all five Great Lakes, as far west as Duluth, Minnesota. Thirteen of these locks are in Canada; three are in the United States. In 2007, Congress reaffirmed its support for the Great Lakes navigation system by authorizing the replacement or reconstruction of all three U.S. locks.
Snell and Eisenhower Locks
Of the three U.S. locks, two are located in Massena, New York along the St. Lawrence River. The Snell and Eisenhower locks are owned and operated by the U.S. Department of Transportation - St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC). They were constructed in the late 1950s and opened in 1959.
The Water Resources Development Act of 2007 authorized $134 million for the Seaway Development Corporation to rehabilitate the Snell and Eisenhower locks. The U.S. Department of Transportation's Fiscal Year 2009 budget request includes $31.8 million for the SLSDC. This amount includes $17.5 million to begin the first year of ten-year plan to rehabilitate the Snell and Eisenhower locks.
Soo Lock
The third U.S. lock is located in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, along the St. Marys River, which connects Lake Superior and Lake Huron. The Soo Locks are owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Unlike the locks in upstate New York, which consist of a single chamber, the Soo Lock complex consists of four lock chambers. The newest was constructed in 1968.
The Water Resources Development Act of 2007 directs the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to begin construction of a new lock at Sault Ste Marie, Michigan at a total federal cost of $341 million. The new lock will replace two of the older lock chambers.
Unfortunately, the Army Corps of Engineers' Fiscal Year 2009 budget does not include funds to begin construction of the new lock at Sault Ste Marie, Michigan.
AGLPA Position:
AGLPA urges Congress to add $17 million to the Army Corps of Engineers Fiscal Year 2009 budget to begin construction of the new lock at Sault Ste Marie, Michigan.
AGLPA urges Congress to support the Administration's budget request of $31.8 million for the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation. These funds will not only support the Seaway's annual operating expenses, but also include $17.5 million to fund the first year of a ten-year program to rehabilitate the Seaway's lock infrastructure.
«BACK TO AGENDA
|
