WASHINGTON – Michigan's U.S. senators are pressing the White House to sign off on a report that would look at the economic benefits — and need — for the federal government to build a new super-sized shipping lock at a key choke point on the Great Lakes at Sault Ste. Marie.
U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, both Democrats, sent a letter today to Office of Management and Budget head Sean Donovan, urging him to accept a request by the Army Corps of Engineers to swap funding so it can pay for a study into the need for a new 1,200-foot-long lock.
Such a lock — costing $600 million or more — would ensure that shipping between Lake Superior and Lake Huron would continue even if the 48-year-old Poe Lock shut down for any reason. The Poe is the only one of four "Soo Locks" large enough to handle 70% of the vessels plying the lakes.