[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 102 (Thursday, July 9, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1690]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   COMMEMORATING THE GREAT LAKES SAINT LAWRENCE SEAWAY SYSTEM'S 50TH 
                              ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN M. McHUGH

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, July 9, 2009

  Mr. McHUGH. Madam Speaker, I am proud to rise today to ask my 
colleagues to join me in commemorating the 50th anniversary of one of 
the world's great waterways, built and operated by the United States 
and Canada: the Great Lakes Saint Lawrence Seaway System. On June 26, 
1959 in Montreal, President Dwight E. Eisenhower and Her Majesty Queen 
Elizabeth II officially opened the Seaway, followed the next day by the 
dedication on U.S. soil in Massena, New York, of the two U.S. locks, 
Snell and Eisenhower. At that ceremony in Northern New York, Vice 
President Richard M. Nixon and Queen Elizabeth presided to celebrate 
the completion of these last two of the seven Montreal-Lake Ontario 
locks.
  This historic anniversary year provides a perfect opportunity to 
celebrate the beneficial impacts the Seaway System, and its many users, 
have had on the Great Lakes region. The Seaway links the many cities of 
North America's heartland to the Atlantic Ocean and to ports across the 
world, providing a vital trade corridor for business and industry. It 
directly serves an eight-state, two-province region that accounts for 
29 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP), 60 percent of 
Canada's GDP, 55 percent of North America's manufacturing and services 
industries, and is home to one-quarter of the continent's population. 
At age 50, the Seaway has facilitated the movement of over 2.5 billion 
metric tons of cargo, valued in excess of $375 billion. Maritime 
commerce on the Great Lakes Seaway System impacts 150,000 U.S. jobs, 
$12 million per day in wages, $9 million per day in business revenues, 
and provides approximately $3.6 billion in annual transportation cost 
savings compared to the next least costly mode of transportation.
  At its height, the massive Seaway construction project employed 
22,000 workers on both sides of the St. Lawrence River. The undertaking 
required 210 million cubic yards of excavation, 6.1 million cubic yards 
of concrete, 45 miles of dikes, 69 miles of channels, the relocation of 
9,000 people, the rerouting of 47 miles of highway and 40 miles of 
double-track railroad. The engineering challenges and magnitude of the 
work was staggering, not only for its time, but by today's standards as 
well. The St. Lawrence Seaway/Power project was subsequently recognized 
as one of the top ten public works projects of the century by the 
American Public Works Association.
  The Seaway has been a shining example of how two nations, the U.S. 
and Canada, can work together cooperatively to achieve a common goal. 
The U.S Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation coordinates its 
activities with its Canadian counterpart, the St. Lawrence Seaway 
Management Corporation, particularly with respect to rules and 
regulations, overall day-to-day operations, traffic management, 
navigation aids, safety, environmental issues, and trade development 
programs. The unique binational nature of the Seaway System requires 
24-hour, year-round coordination and the two Seaway agencies work hand-
in-hand to provide seamless operation and management of this vital U.S. 
and Canadian asset.
  While a lot has changed in 50 years, the Great Lakes Saint Lawrence 
Seaway System remains the safest, most efficient, environmentally-
friendly mode of transportation available for moving cargo in and out 
of North America's heartland. It has been a model of performance and 
dependability, achieving a 99 percent reliability rate over its 
history. It is truly a cornerstone of the region's economy and culture.
  This year's 50th anniversary opening ceremony will be held at the 
Eisenhower Lock Visitors' Center in Massena, New York on Friday, July 
10. A number of U.S. and Canadian dignitaries will be speaking at the 
event, including U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood; Canadian 
Consul General Georges Rioux; Congressman James Oberstar (D-MN); 
Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH); U.S. Seaway Administrator Collister 
Johnson, Jr.; Canadian Seaway President Dick Corfe; Susan Eisenhower, 
granddaughter of President Dwight D. Eisenhower and President of the 
Eisenhower Group; Richard Kessel, President of the New York Power 
Authority; Karl Weissenbach, Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum 
Director; and John B. Adams, former U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Seaway 
construction project engineer.
  Madam Speaker, please join me in congratulating the Seaway on this 
milestone anniversary and wishing them a memorable celebration weekend 
and an enduring future.

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