United in one goal: to restore adequate funding for dredging Great Lakes ports, waterways

By Glen G. Nekvasil, vice president, Corporate Communications, Lake Carriers’ Association

It is said that every cloud has a silver lining. If that’s the case, then the upside of the Great Lakes dredging crisis is that the maritime community is banding together as never before to speak with that oft-sought “one voice.” And that one voice is the Great Lakes Maritime Task Force (GLMTF). As of this writing, the coalition numbers more than 60 shippers, carriers, port authorities, shipboard and shore side unions, all united in one goal: to restore adequate funding for dredging our Great Lakes ports and waterways.

The GLMTF was founded in Toledo, Ohio, in November 1992. Its primary goals were to 1.) promote a strong U.S.-flag Merchant Marine on the Great Lakes; and 2.) seek expanded domestic and international trade through public and private Great Lakes ports and docks.

The Task Force soon faced a real crisis. Budgetary pressures forced the U.S. Coast Guard to propose decommissioning the venerable icebreaker Mackinaw without replacement. With no heavy icebreaker stationed on the Great Lakes, shipping during periods of ice cover would be unreliable at best, and often outright impossible. The Task Force, working with other interests, including the Twin Ports, alerted the Great Lakes delegation, and the planned decommissioning was not only halted, but a study was initiated that eventually led to construction of the new Mackinaw Other issues the Task Force has addressed over the years have included seeking federal funding for a second Poe-sized Lock at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.; opposing reinstituting tolls on the U.S. portion of the St. Lawrence Seaway; supporting the U.S. cabotage laws; and opposing diversions of Great Lakes water.

Fred Shusterich, president, Midwest Energy Resources Company, addresses the Great Lakes Maritime Task Force at its annual briefing in Washington, D.C.

The GLMTF’s broad-based and growing membership is not the only thing that makes it unique among organizations that represent Great Lakes interests. The Task Force is a splendid mix of labor and management. Its six officers are equally balanced between labor and management, and the presidency and three vice president slots rotate so that leadership is shared among all.

John Baker, president of the ILA’s Great Lakes District Council, is president of GLMTF in 2007. The three vice presidents are Pat O’Hern (Bay Shipbuilding Company); Dan Smith (American Maritime Officers); and Jim Weakley (Lake Carriers’ Association).

The Task Force is well known in Washington, D.C., for its annual briefing for the Great Lakes delegation. The gathering’s primary purpose is to update Great Lakes legislators and staffers and federal agencies on the issues most affecting domestic and international shipping on the Lakes/Seaway. One year the hot-button topic can be adequate icebreaking resources; the next, unfair trade practices.

The GLMTF also uses the occasion to formally present its Great Lakes Legislator of the Year Award. Recipients over the years have included Minnesota Congressman James L. Oberstar, in 1999, and Wisconsin Representative David R. Obey, in 2000.

For the past two years, the Task Force’s primary focus has been the dredging crisis. The Task Force has produced a flier on the issue and reordered its position papers to spotlight the issue. The most important job, however, is simply communicating with legislators and staffers and showing them how inadequate dredging is negating the efficiencies of Great Lakes shipping. And this communications job has to be done every day Congress is in session.

The Twin Ports took center stage at the GLMTF’s 2006 briefing. Fred Shusterich, president of Midwest Energy Resources Company, gave the keynote speech and explained how the vessels’ inability, because of low water levels, to carry full loads was threatening Superior Midwest Energy Terminal’s plans to grow in the future.

“The Duluth Seaway Port Authority has a long history of working with the GLMTF,” said executive director Adolph Ojard. “We were teammates on many issues such as saving the Mackinaw and keeping the replacement lock at the Soo from being decommissioned. Bringing enough federal dollars back to the region to clear the backlog of dredging projects — more than $200 million — will require such close cooperation that we officially became a member in 2006.”

Other members from the Twin Ports are Great Lakes Fleet, Inc./Key Lakes, Inc.; Marine Tech, LLC; and Midwest Energy Resources Company. CN, which owns and operates ore docks in Duluth and Two Harbors, is also a recent joiner.

Membership in the Task Force is open to all organizations that use or promote waterborne commerce on the Great Lakes. Dues are $500 a year. A newsletter and Web site will be launched this year.

For more information on the Task Force and membership:
Glen G. Nekvasil, secretary
(216) 861-0592
nekvasil@lcaships.com