[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 175 (Thursday, December 3, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S8378]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        PETITIONS AND MEMORIALS

  The following petition or memorial was laid before the Senate and was 
referred or ordered to lie on the table as indicated:

       POM-108. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the State of 
     Michigan urging the President of the United States and United 
     States Congress and the United States Office of Management 
     and Budget to support plans to upgrade the Soo Locks at Sault 
     Ste. Marie, Michigan, and approve the United States Army 
     Corps of Engineers' reprogramming request to fund an Economic 
     Reevaluation Report for replacing the Davis and Sabin locks; 
     to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

                       Senate Resolution No. 105

       Whereas, The Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, are 
     of the utmost importance to Michigan and play a critical role 
     in our nation's economy and security. Each year, 
     approximately 10,000 Great Lakes vessels, carrying 80 million 
     tons of iron ore, coal, grain, and other cargo, safely and 
     efficiently traverse the locks. Nearly 80 percent of domestic 
     iron ore, the primary material used to manufacture steel, 
     travels from mines in Minnesota and Michigan's Upper 
     Peninsula through the Soo Locks; and
       Whereas, Only one of the four Soo Locks is large enough to 
     accommodate the modern vessels that commonly traverse the 
     Great Lakes. Seventy percent of cargo is carried on these 
     large ships that can only pass through the Poe Lock. The 
     remainder of cargo goes through the smaller MacArthur Lock, 
     with the smallest 100-year-old Davis and Sabin locks rarely 
     used; and
       Whereas, The reliance on one lock poses a serious risk to 
     national security and the economies of the state of Michigan 
     and the United States. A long-term outage of the Poe Lock due 
     to lock failure or terrorist attack could cripple the economy 
     and disrupt steel production in the United States. It is 
     estimated that a 30-day outage would result in economic 
     losses of $160 million; and
       Whereas, Upgrades to the Soo Locks are needed to ensure 
     national security and unfettered commerce through the Great 
     Lakes. To this end, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has 
     requested funding to conduct a study crucial to moving 
     forward with the construction of a second, large lock. The 
     Economic Reevaluation Report would examine the economic 
     benefits and costs of replacing the Davis and Sabin locks 
     with a lock similar in size to the current Poe Lock: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate, That we encourage the President and 
     Congress of the United States and the U.S. Office of 
     Management and Budget to support plans to upgrade the Soo 
     Locks at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and approve the U.S. 
     Army Corps of Engineers' reprogramming request to fund an 
     Economic Reevaluation Report for replacing the Davis and 
     Sabin locks; and be it further
       Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to 
     the President of the United States, the President of the 
     United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House 
     of Representatives, the members of the Michigan congressional 
     delegation, and the Director of the U.S. Office of Management 
     and Budget.

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