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| IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 26, 2007 NOTE TO EDITORS AND INTERESTED PARTIES: A press event announcing the completion of the "Great Ships Initiative" test facility will begin at 3:30 PM on Thursday, June 28, 2007, at Montreal Pier in Superior, Wisconsin (directions listed below). A tour of the facility will follow. The event is open to the public. Duluth, MN, and Superior, WI, U.S.A. - The world's first fresh water test facility focusing on ballast water treatment technology will be opened Thursday in Superior, Wisconsin. The facility is a critical component of the "Great Ships Initiative," a cooperative effort between the Great Lakes maritime industry, federal agencies, and other regional stakeholders to stop ship mediated introduction of aquatic invasive species into the Great Lakes. The role of the Great Ships Initiative is to accelerate the development of commercially viable and environmentally protective ballast water treatment systems by providing a variety of assistance to those companies and institutions doing research and development in this area. While certain aspects of the project are "virtual," in that scientific expertise is being tapped no matter its location, the project's lab space and testing center is located in Duluth-Superior harbor and is being jointly managed by the University of Wisconsin and the University of Minnesota. Overall project management is being provided by the Northeast-Midwest Institute, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, both of Washington, D.C. A twenty member Executive Committee provides project oversight. Adolph Ojard, Duluth port director noted; "Aquatic invasive species are unwelcome hitchhikers; they are an unintended consequence of international maritime commerce. The sooner we develop technology to keep these organisms off ships, the sooner this problem will be solved." The Great Ships Initiative received start-up funding of $500,000 through the efforts of Congressman David R. Obey (D-WI) in federal fiscal year 2005. Congressman Obey secured an equal amount in fiscal year 2006. Since that time, additional funds or in-kind contributions have been provided by the following project partners: * The U.S. Department of Transportation * The U.S. Maritime Administration * The St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation * The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation * The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration * The Great Lakes Maritime Research Institute * The City of Superior * The Duluth Seaway Port Authority * The Port of Milwaukee * The Illinois International Port District * The Ports of Indiana * The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority * The Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority * The Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority * The Port of Toronto, Ontario * The Port of Hamilton, Ontario Additionally, the project has received endorsements from Wisconsin Governor, James Doyle, the Great Lakes Cities Initiative, Great Lakes United, a regional conservation organization, and Fednav Limited, the largest operator of ocean shipping on the Great Lakes. CONTACTS: Allegra Cangelosi - Project Manager Northeast-Midwest Institute Phone: 202-464-4007 E-mail: acangelo@nemw.org Steve Fisher - Executive Director American Great Lakes Ports Association Phone: 202-625-2102 Email: fisher@greatlakesports.org DIRECTIONS (from Duluth): Take I-535/US-53 South crossing into Wisconsin via the Blatnick Bridge. Take a right at the end of the Blatnick Bridge and loop around to merge onto US-2 East/US-53 South. After approximately four miles, turn left on 21st Avenue East. Cross railroad tracks and turn left. Drive
past Elevator M and you will see the white tanks at the facility
on the right. |
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