Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Seaway Study

In 2002 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released a draft reconnaissance report which proposed studying five expansion options for the Great Lakes Navigation –St. Lawrence Seaway system. This report galvanized strong public and political opposition across the Great Lakes basin causing the Corps to backtrack. Now the Corps, in partnership with Transport Canada and a new binational study team, is working to assess the “economic, engineering and environmental” conditions of the system, and its maintenance needs “at current configuration”. The study is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2007. Conservation interests around the basin are remaining vigilant to ensure that expansion stays off the table for good.

To move towards a sustainable commercial navigation system, GLU promotes alternative ideas for sustainable commercial navigation development within the environmental community and beyond. We have seen considerable amplification of alternative ideas for sustainable commercial navigation, including the alternative of transshipment or cargo transfer, that would eliminate the introduction of ship mediated introductions of invasive species into the Great Lakes . For more on aquatic invasive species, click here.

If you would like to receive regular updates on Navigation in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River, please send a plain text, blank email from the address you wish to subscribe to: join-nav@list.glu.org”

Press Releases

Submission to Transport Canada on Dry Cargo Dumping – September 2006
Seaway Plan Promotes Increased Shipping, Ignores Heightened Risk of Invasion – September 2006
Seaway says “No” to expansion, “Yes” to Short-Seas Shipping – September 2005
Large Permanent Drop Discovered in Lake Michigan and Huron - January 2005

Reports

"Analysis of Great Lakes / St. Lawrence River Navigation System's Role in U.S. Ocean Container Trade"
Pennsylvania Transportation Institute Study, August 2003
Press release in Microsoft Word .DOC format, 33 kilobytes
Executive summary, in Acrobat .PDF format, 19 kilobytes
Full report, Acrobat .PDF format, 465 kilobytes

"Rethinking the Economics of Navigation"
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, December 2002
Report in Acrobat .PDF format, 1.2 megabytes
 
"Analysis of Great Lakes Navigation System Review"
Lake Ontario Keeper, July 2002
Report in Acrobat .PDF format, 77 kilobytes

Great Lakes United guiding resolutions

Zero Discharge of Biological Pollution -2005
Future of the Great Lakes Navigation System - 2004
Canadian Auto Workers on Navigation - 2003
Great Lakes Navigation System Review Baseline Study - 2003
Great Lakes Navigation System Review - 2002

Presentations and statements

Submission Concerning Dry Cargo Sweeping - July 2006
Letter Supporting Michigan Ballast Regulation - July 2006
Great Lakes Navigation and Sustainable Development - June 2003

Great Lakes United Comments on the Navigation Study

Great Lakes United Comments on the Navigation Study - September 2004
NGO letter to Canadian ministers - July 2003
NGO letter to Congress - July 2003
NGO letter to the U.S. Congress September 4, 2002  (Microsoft Word document) 
NGO letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers August 1, 2002  (Microsoft Word document)
Great Lakes United letter to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, April 2002   (Microsoft Word document)
Great Lakes United letter to Honorable Minister Collenette, August 2002  (Microsoft Word document)

Links to Updates on the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Study:

Lake Ontario Keeper: www.lakeontariokeeper.org/lok/index.cfm - Search under the keyword "navigation"
Save the River!: www.savetheriver.org - Click on "Seaway Program"
The official binational study home page: http://www.glsls-study.com/home.html