Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Seaway proposal costs $3.8 billlon


Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and Michigan Governor Rick Snyder unveiled a plan that would cost $3.8 billion to modernize the St. Lawrence Seaway system.
 
It would involve doubling locks at Sault Ste. Marie, dredging and harmonizing U.S. and Canadian regulations and administrations.

Sonia Simard, director of policy and government affairs for the Shipping Federation of Canada said harmonization is essential to improving the efficiency and competitiveness of the seaway-Great Lakes.

The current system creates a patchwork of regulatory demands and “results in increased administrative and operational costs,” she said.

The departments and agencies of both countries should harmonize their processes and share data with respect to certification and inspection, she said.

One example of such streamlining could be the application of a single clearance process by the Canadian and U.S. authorities of marine shipments transiting the region,” Simard said.

Glen Nekvasil, vice-president of the U.S. Lake Carriers Association, applauded calls in the plan to create a second lock between lakes Superior and Huron and to dredge the St. Marys River between lakes Huron and Ontario as well as other infrastructure improvements to keep shipping on the lakes safe and efficient. 

Dredging the St. Marys River to its authorized depth of eight metres creates political controversy over declining water levels. The river is considered a “critical choke point” in the waterway.

Shipping in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway supports 227,000 jobs and creates more than $33 billion US in business revenue, says a report commissioned by the Chamber of Maritime Commerce.

Snyder and Wynne released the plan on behalf of all the governors and premiers whose jurisdictions border the Great Lakes.

The federal governments, not the states and provinces, would be responsible for implementing and funding almost the entire package of proposals.