Senate committee approves funding for new Soo Lock
The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday voted to provide the Army Corps of Engineers the full $235 million it had asked for to continue construction on a new supersize navigation lock at Sault Ste. Marie in the Upper Peninsula as part of its annual energy and water development budget.
While the federal appropriations process is far from complete, the vote Thursday, along with earlier passage of $257.4 million for the new Soo Lock in the House Appropriations Committee, makes it likely that Corps will receive at least the amount it requested to set aside for the project.
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., who is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and helped secure the funding, noted that when Biden’s budget first came in it did not specifically earmark money for the new Soo Lock. He and U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, also D-Mich., had to go to the administration and urge it to dedicate specific funding for the project, he said.
“The Soo Locks are critical to Michigan’s economy and to our entire country,” Peters said Thursday. “There’s no question that continuing to modernize the Soo Locks is long overdue — and even a temporary shutdown of one lock would have incredibly harmful impacts on Great Lakes commerce, jobs, national supply chains and our national security.”
The new lock under construction will be the same size as the 55-year-old Poe Lock, the only one at Sault Ste. Marie capable of handling the biggest lake vessels that carry the majority of cargo — including iron ore pellets used to make steel for autos and appliances — between Lake Superior ports and those in the lower Great Lakes. Reports have indicated if the Poe Lock were to suffer a long closure for any reason it could lead to a national recession.
In recent years, however, the estimated cost of the new lock has ballooned from what had been expected to be $922 million to more than $3 billion. While much of that was due to inflation, a Free Press investigation found that there also were design changes and incorrect initial assumptions about the project that drove up the cost.
In the House Appropriations Committee, U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Caledonia, helped secure the $235 million requested for the project, while U.S. Reps. Jack Bergman, R-Watersmeet, and John James, R-Shelby Township, won approval of an additional $22.4 million for the new lock. Ultimately, both chambers will compromise on the final funding amount for the year, but Thursday’s vote means it should be at least the $235 million requested.
Independent study confirms Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway shipping vital to economic strength and development
A comprehensive independent study of the economic impacts of the entire Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway navigation system for the 2022 shipping season was released today, detailing the billions in economic activity and hundreds of thousands of jobs supported by the industry. Titled “Economic Impacts of Maritime Shipping in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Region,” the study reviews the industry’s economic impacts from multiple perspectives, and showed that even in a year in which the world was gripped with pandemic challenges, global unrest, and supply chain concerns, marine shipping drove the North American economy forward.
The binational study presents results from both a U.S. and Canadian perspective.
An analysis of the “Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System” is most relevant to American stakeholders because it focuses on cargo traffic to and from Great Lakes ports. The study showed that from this perspective, 2022 maritime commerce supported:
- $36 billion (USD) in economic activity;
- more than 240,000 jobs, which generated almost $18 billion (USD) in wages;
- the movement of 135.7 million metric tons of raw materials and finished goods; and
- $6.3 billion (USD) in state and federal taxes.
An analysis of the “Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Waterway” is most relevant to Canadian stakeholders in that all Quebec impacts along the St. Lawrence are considered – including those outside the Great Lakes. The study showed that from this perspective, 2022 maritime commerce supported:
- $66.1 billion (CDN) in economic activity;
- more than 355,000 jobs that generated more than $30 billion (CDN) in wages;
- the movement of 252.1 million metric tons of raw materials and finished goods; and
- $12.8 billion (CDN) in taxes.
The English language version of the study can be accessed at https://greatlakes-seaway.com/
The French language version of the study can be accessed at https:///grandslacs-
The study was requested by a public/private sector committee of American and Canadian maritime organizations, with the intent of providing the navigation community, transportation planners, government policy makers, and the public with a credible, independent assessment of the economic contributions made by commercial maritime shipping in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence region throughout North America. The industry’s vital contributions to jobs and wages, supply chain strength, business competitiveness across key commodities, and tax revenues provide strong rationale for major governmental initiatives aimed at enhancing infrastructure and improving supply chains. This includes the U.S. Government’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, which were aimed in part at investing in green technologies and infrastructure enhancement, the Canadian Government’s Green Shipping Corridor Program, which will support increased sustainability within the marine sector, and the Canadian Government’s commitment to establish a dedicated Transportation Supply Chain Office to enhance supply chain effectiveness.
In addition to the information presented in “Economic Impacts of Maritime Shipping in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Region,” an additional study detailing the public and private investments made in the Great Lakes -St. Lawerence Seaway System will be released this fall.
Chamber of Marine Commerce
Boat with cool history arrives in Petosky’s Little Traverse Bay for sunset cruises
PETOSKEY, MI – When big boats motor into Petoskey’s beautiful Little Traverse Bay, they tend to attract attention. The neighborhood’s newest double-decker arrival is inviting people to step aboard.
The Harbor Princess – a boat with a storied history on two Great Lakes – has settled into its new home here and is now offering sunset cruises on the bay. It’s the new big sister in the Little Traverse Bay Ferry Company fleet. The ferry service for the last few years has been port-hopping around Little Traverse Bay with stops to pick up and drop off passengers in Petoskey and neighboring Bay Harbor and Harbor Springs.
For now, the Harbor Princess will be used mainly for sunset cruises. These evening trips will be offered several days each week. Each cruise departs from the Petoskey Clocktower Pier at 7:30 p.m. The cruises motor around the bay for about an hour and a half, then return to the pier at 9 p.m.
Tickets are $35 per person. A cash bar is available on board. The boat has two decks and covered seating areas.
You can book your tickets in advance on the company’s website here.
“We take pride in bringing Harbor Princess back to her rightful home,” said Capt. Chris Chamberlain, owner of Little Traverse Bay Ferry Company. “Given our success with our ferry on the Little Traverse Bay, it was a natural choice to introduce another vessel to the Greater Petoskey Area. Northern Michigan holds a special place in our hearts, and we couldn’t be more excited to extend a warm welcome to everyone aboard.”
Upcoming sunset cruise dates include:
- Thursday, July 20
- July 26 through July 29
- Aug. 1-5
- Aug. 9-12
For additional dates or information about private charters, see the details on the company’s website, www.littletraversebayferry.org.
Cruise With History
People familiar with tour boats that ply the Great Lakes know that vessels can change hands and change names several times over the decades they are on the water. The same is true of the newly-christened Harbor Princess. This boat has a pretty cool history that includes two well-known islands and Michigan’s biggest city.
It was launched in 1955 and first known as the Emerald Isle, built for the Beaver Island Boat Company. The 65-foot boat could carry up to 125 passengers and nine vehicles between that remote island in northern Lake Michigan and Charlevoix, its mainland port. It was later bought by the Arnold Transit line to ferry people, horses and other cargo between Mackinac Island and mainland docks in the Straits of Mackinac. Its most recent incarnation under Chamberlain and his team was as the Diamond Jack, a dinner and river cruise boat in Detroit.
After heading north to St. Ignace, where it spent a stint in dry dock for a little refurbishing, the boat left as the Harbor Princess and joined the ferry company in Petoskey for its next chapter on the water.
“The Harbor Princess carries a rich history that unfolds with every voyage,” Chamberlain said. “From her beginnings as the legendary Emerald Isle, tailored specifically for the Charlevoix to Beaver Island route, to a Mackinac Island ferry for Arnold Line, then as the beloved Diamond Jack touring the heart of Detroit. Her journey is a special testament of maritime history around the state of Michigan.”
Stay tuned for other fresh plans for the Harbor Princess, which could include narrated history tours and other special event cruises.
For more information on the sunset cruises or the company’s daily ferry service between the three ports, check the website here.
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- Rendering of the new Soo Locks project. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
