The Great Lakes Seaway Partnership says a shutdown could cause the loss of 11 million jobs.
President Donald Trump promised a crowd in Washington Township, Mich., last weekend that the Soo Locks would be fixed.
The Soo Locks connect Lake Superior to the lower lakes and provide large vessels transporting cargo a way to traverse the lakes safely. The largest lock, the Poe, handles 90 percent of all cargoes. Should there be an unexpected shutdown, 11 million jobs could be at stake, according to the Great Lakes Seaway Partnership.
“The Soo Locks are going to hell,” Trump told the crowd. “You know that right? And we’re going to get them fixed up.”
The Department of Homeland Security estimates that a six-month unexpected closure of the Poe Lock would result in dire consequences for the national economy, according to the seaway coalition. The DHS projected that 11 million Americans would lose their jobs and the state of Michigan’s unemployment would reach 22 percent, exceeding the peak unemployment rate of 15 percent during the Great Recession of 2008.
The Great Lakes Seaway Partnership is a coalition of U.S. and Canadian maritime organizations working to enhance public understanding of the benefits of commercial shipping in the Great Lakes Seaway region of North America. The organization manages an education-focused communications program and works with media, policymakers, community groups, allied industries, environmental stakeholders and the general public to highlight the positive attributes of marine transportation.
The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System is a marine highway that extends 2,300 miles from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. About 160 million tons of cargo travels over the system on an annual basis, supporting more than 227,000 jobs and $34 billion in economic activity.
The Soo Locks connect Lake Superior to the lower lakes and provide large vessels transporting cargo a way to traverse the lakes safely. The largest lock, the Poe, handles 90 percent of all cargoes. Should there be an unexpected shutdown, 11 million jobs could be at stake, according to the Great Lakes Seaway Partnership.
“The Soo Locks are going to hell,” Trump told the crowd. “You know that right? And we’re going to get them fixed up.”
The Department of Homeland Security estimates that a six-month unexpected closure of the Poe Lock would result in dire consequences for the national economy, according to the seaway coalition. The DHS projected that 11 million Americans would lose their jobs and the state of Michigan’s unemployment would reach 22 percent, exceeding the peak unemployment rate of 15 percent during the Great Recession of 2008.
The Great Lakes Seaway Partnership is a coalition of U.S. and Canadian maritime organizations working to enhance public understanding of the benefits of commercial shipping in the Great Lakes Seaway region of North America. The organization manages an education-focused communications program and works with media, policymakers, community groups, allied industries, environmental stakeholders and the general public to highlight the positive attributes of marine transportation.
The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System is a marine highway that extends 2,300 miles from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. About 160 million tons of cargo travels over the system on an annual basis, supporting more than 227,000 jobs and $34 billion in economic activity.