Governor Rick Snyder says he intends to step up efforts to convince Congress to fund an expansion of the Soo Locks. We have more from Rick Pluta.
Right now, there’s only one thousand-foot lock capable of handling the largest freighters traveling between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes. They most commonly carry iron ore from the UP to steel mills. The governor says if that one lock were crippled, the economic consequences would be devastating. “It could shut down automotive production, appliance production in the United States because of the iron ore coming down," Snyder says.
The US Army Corps of Engineers is conducting a cost-benefit study of combining two locks to create one larger one. Congress authorized construction of a new lock three decades ago, just not the funding for it.
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— Rick Pluta is the Managing Editor and Reporter for the Michigan Public Radio network. Contact WEMU News at734.487.3363 or email us at studio@wemu.org