| Print | Close Window | AMO Currents - Posted: February 10, 2011 |
Lakes task force sets legislative priorities for 2011
Ending the dredging crisis
Waterways on the Great Lakes have been inadequately dredged for decades, with many vessels leaving the dock with 10 percent or more of their carrying capacity unused. These inefficiencies endanger American jobs and increase shipping costs. The Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund - currently holding a surplus of $5.65 billion - could easily provide the $200 million it would take to restore the Great Lakes navigational system to project dimensions simply by using the proceeds of the Harbor Maintenance Tax for their intended purpose.
Federal and state regulation of ballast water
Regulations in New York State requiring ballast water to be as pure as distilled water are totally unfeasible for Great Lakes vessels. If the new regulations go into effect without amendment on Jan. 1, 2012, the St. Lawrence Seaway will close.
New federal ballast regulations will come into effect in 2016. There is not even a system in the works capable of bringing Great Lakes vessels - with such large flow rates and volumes - into compliance. The task force urges the Coast Guard to conduct a 'practicality review' and determine if the new regulations would have an appropriate cost/benefit ratio, as installing new ballast systems could cost at least $385 million. Because lakers never leave the system, they have never introduced an invasive species. These federal regulations pose a serious threat to waterborne commerce on the Great Lakes.
EPA assistance for meeting new vessel air emission standards
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency should assist ship operators with the cost of compliance, particularly engine replacements and upgrades, when these procedures are needed to meet new EPA requirements, "just as it has helped other industries comply with new regulations and standards."
Constructing a second Poe-sized lock at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
Redundancy is needed for the single lock at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., capable of moving the largest Great Lakes vessels between Lake Superior and the lower lakes. If the Poe lock failed, iron ore and other important trades on the Lakes would slow "to a trickle." Building a second Poe-sized lock will also create high-paying jobs in the region. The cofferdams are nearing completion, the GLMTF notes. With a $100 million appropriation from Congress, "full-scale construction can begin almost immediately."
Adequate U.S. Coast Guard icebreaking resources
As U.S.-flagged lakers move as much as 20 percent of their annual total during periods of ice cover, icebreaking capacity is of critical importance on the Great Lakes. However, the eight U.S. Coast Guard icebreaking vessels are aged and in need of replacement. An East Coast icebreaker has been temporarily assigned to the Lakes for the last two winters. The task forces requests that the assignment be made permanent, and asks Congress to fund construction of a sister ship to the 2006-built Mackinaw, the most capable icebreaking vessel on the Lakes.
Short sea shipping
The largest blockade to the establishment of cargo ferry services on the Great Lakes is a cumbersome Port Use Tax. A "narrow exemption" to this tax would create jobs, ease congestion on the region's highways and reduce air pollution.
Federal funds for state maritime academies
The task force urges Congress to "adequately fund" the state maritime academies located in the region. These schools produce more than two-thirds of all new licensed officers, but funding is at its lowest level in 15 years.
| Copyright © American Maritime Officers, All Rights Reserved |