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1/6/09 Sault Posted By BOB MIHELL If
approved in January, the estimated $500 million project, that would take 10
years to complete, could begin this spring. There is
a general consensus that Congress would be asked to endorse $100 million of the
total cost to kickstart the project in the first year. President-elect
Barack Obama, who assumes office on Jan. 20, has indicated he would favour
projects that are "shovel ready". Advocates of the new super lock to
complement the 40-year-old Poe Lock, agree the proposal meets that criterion. Jim
Weakley, president of the The
proposed new lock first received Congressional approval in 1986, and over the
last 13 years, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has spent an estimated $20
million on engineering and design work. In 2007,
a mandate for the project was reaffirmed at full federal expense. But
whether or not Congress approves Superlock funding as part of its economic
stimulus package will depend on a variety of factors, Weakley acknowledged. The
project has the strong backing of Bart Stupak, the Democrat Congressman
representing In a Dec.
10, 2008 letter to David Obey, the chair of the House Committee on
Appropriations, Stupak wrote, "President-elect Obama has emphasized that
the second economic stimulus will include 'shovel ready' projects. No project
meets that definition of 'shovel ready' more than the replacement Soo
Lock." Stupak
went on to say that the project would have a national impact for workers and
manufacturers providing materials, equipment, and expertise. He noted
that 80 per cent of the The
Democrat Senator for Michigan Carl Levin has added his voice in support of the
new lock. Levin
explained, "If the one large lock (the Poe Lock) should fail, shipping
between Lake Superior and Weakley
stressed also the critical role the Poe Lock plays in the American
transportation network. He said that 80 million tonnes moved annually through
the Poe Lock. If something were to cause it to shut down, 60 million tonnes of
that could not be moved by ship because 70 per cent of the "So
the question becomes: Is there 60 million tonnes of capacity that could move by
rail? I think the answer is no," he said. The Poe
Lock already is scheduled for an estimated $70 million "asset
renewal" over the next six years, including the complete replacement of
its hydraulic system. The hydraulic system was responsible for four unscheduled
outages in 2008, which delayed shipping on four separate occasions, according
to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers report. That same
report estimated a $160 million economic loss from a single 30-day outage of
the Sault Locks. "I
take the security issue very seriously," he said. "After 9/11, that
remains a priority on the He said
that if "redundancy" were achieved by building a twin lock to
complement the Poe, it would greatly reduce the security threat that currently
exists. Despite those
arguments, Weakley said the financial support of Congress for the new lock is
far from assured. One of
the target groups for the lobbying effort would be the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers itself. While the
Army Corps has been responsible for most of the engineering and design work for
the project over the past decade, he said that the Corps itself is a complex
institution made up of eight districts. Three of the Corps' districts are in
the Weakley
said all eight districts report to a regional division in Weakley
said that the roots of the Army Corps were based on the barge and river system.
"They understand how to move cargo on the But
Weakley remained cautiously optimistic that the new lock will get its funding
soon. One of the reasons is Congress need only obligate $100 million of the
total cost for the first year. "Remember, there is not enough steel in
inventory for this project, so you'd be putting blast furnaces back online to
manufacture the steel for the project. In the second year, they could obligate
another $25 million," he said. A second
factor making this an ideal package is that there is not a cost share element,
Weakley said. Projects for the inland system, however, have to be 25 per cent
cost shared through an inland trust fund that is currently broke. He also
questioned whether any competing projects targeted for the inland river system
had enough design work completed to be ready to go. Weakley
did not reject the possibility that President-elect Obama, as someone from
Chicago, familiar with the "I'm
certainly hoping that some of his influence will translate into national
priorities within the Army Corps of Engineers and within the funding
process," he said. Vice President-Corporate Communications P: 440-333-9996 F: 440-333-9993 C: 216-702-6360 This email and any attached files are confidential and intended solely for the intended recipient(s). If you are not the named recipient you should not read, distribute, copy or alter this email. Any views or opinions expressed in this email are those of the author and do not represent those of the Lake Carriers' Association. Warning: Although precautions have been taken to make sure no viruses are present in this email, the company cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage that arise from the use of this email or attachments. |