The butterfly effect:
Unintended Consequences

Fact: World trade is growing at double the Gross Domestic Product.

Reality: We are globally connected.

What choice do we have? If bi-national and multinational trade agreements are continuously being negotiated and renegotiated, and business outsourcing — domestically and internationally — is accelerating, then America must have an efficient global transportation system to participate and remain competitive in the global marketplace.

In 1970, trade represented 13 percent of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product. In 1996, trade was 30 percent of the GDP. Today, it represents 40 percent of the GDP.

The impact of these increases is placing great stress on our transportation systems, with the cost of congestion threatening our global competitiveness. Roger Nober, chairman of the Transportation Research Board, pronounced, "We are at capacity in this country. We're not going to lay more interstates. Laying more rail is very difficult. We're going to have to find a way, whether it is new technology or otherwise."

Clearly, a wiser use of maritime transportation is going to be an important part of any real solution. We must specifically define the opportunities within the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway Transportation Corridor — Highway H₂O. This waterway connects 100 million people, eight
captive to rail, truck and coastal port interests. To change, and change for the better, are two very different things.

So, as theorists look for the silver bullet that will deal with aquatic nuisance species in the Great Lakes, we in the maritime business must make every effort to better manage the ballast water of ships calling on Great Lakes ports.

The approach must be risk-based, recognizing where the highest threats originate and under what conditions. It must focus on what is practical and realistic. Plato reminds us, "Perfection is a concept of the mind." Lastly, it must have measured results and be verifiable.

The Great Lakes have already taken a leadership position on aquatic nuisance species, but this is an international problem that will ultimately require an international solution. We must take a real-world, collaborative and balanced approach to building an international standard without harming the viability of our regional communities and resources.

Although Great Lakes waterborne transportation is often overlooked, it must not and cannot disappear. A quote from the European Union Common Transportation Policy Paper sums it up appropriately: "Transportation by inland waterways is a greatly underused option … it has big advantages: it is kind to the environment and helps to relieve the pressure on overcrowded road networks … It is ideally suited to further the objective of sustainable mobility."

A balanced, realistic and coordinated approach to dealing with this issue, with participation from all stakeholders, is essential — and we must succeed.

states and two provinces. It provides access to the heart of the last great manufacturing center in North America (accounting for one-third of the continent's industrial output).

However, before we can be fully open for business, the maritime community must deal with a number of issues, particularly with the environmental issue of aquatic nuisance species. Worldwide, ships' ballast water has been a primary vector for the introduction of aquatic nuisance species. On the Great Lakes, which represent 95 percent of the surface fresh water in the U.S., we are acutely sensitive to this issue.

Solutions are being proposed, but there are no easy answers. Any changes will impact our economic, social and environmental well-being, so a "systems approach" must be taken to find a balanced and viable solution to the control and elimination of aquatic nuisance species.

Some have gone so far as to suggest closing the Seaway to international traffic. This drastic measure is short-sighted and simply unrealistic. Even if ships' ballast were eliminated as a contributor to aquatic nuisance species introduction, other influences would still exist, including bait fish, aquariums, aquaculture, other waterways, wildlife and even scientific researchers. If we were to close the Seaway system, the potential negative impact on the social and economic structures within the Great Lakes would be dramatic.

In addition, such an action would cause a modal shift to land-based transportation, increasing the primary threat to the Great Lakes — airborne pollutants — producing a far greater threat to the environment than the problems we are trying to solve. Our global connection and competitive edge would be lost, leaving the region captive to rail, truck and coastal port interests. To change, and change for the better, are two very different things.

So, as theorists look for the silver bullet that will deal with aquatic nuisance species in the Great Lakes, we in the maritime business must make every effort to better manage the ballast water of ships calling on Great Lakes ports.

The approach must be risk-based, recognizing where the highest threats originate and under what conditions. It must focus on what is practical and realistic. Plato reminds us, "Perfection is a concept of the mind." Lastly, it must have measured results and be verifiable.

The Great Lakes have already taken a leadership position on aquatic nuisance species, but this is an international problem that will ultimately require an international solution. We must take a real-world, collaborative and balanced approach to building an international standard without harming the viability of our regional communities and resources.

Although Great Lakes waterborne transportation is often overlooked, it must not and cannot disappear. A quote from the European Union Common Transportation Policy Paper sums it up appropriately: "Transportation by inland waterways is a greatly underused option … it has big advantages: it is kind to the environment and helps to relieve the pressure on overcrowded road networks … It is ideally suited to further the objective of sustainable mobility."

A balanced, realistic and coordinated approach to dealing with this issue, with participation from all stakeholders, is essential — and we must succeed.