Reps. McDowell, Meadows, Robert Jones, Cushingberry, Bauer, Booher, Terry Brown, Byrnes, Constan, Dean, Durhal, Elsenheimer, Geiss, Gonzales, Hammel, Rick Jones, Lahti, Lemmons, Liss, Lori, Marleau, Mayes, Polidori, Scripps, Slavens, Smith, Spade, Valentine and Leland offered the following resolution:

House Resolution No. 80

            A resolution to memorialize the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide additional federal funding for the construction of a new Soo Lock at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.

            Whereas, The Soo Locks are integral to the commercial and recreational navigation of the Great Lakes. Each year, 10,000 vessels transporting shipments totaling approximately $4 billion pass through the Soo Locks. The Soo Locks represent an enormous investment that must be preserved; and

            Whereas, Only one of the current Soo Locks is capable of accommodating the 1,000-foot cargo vessels operating on the Great Lakes, known as “lakers.” If this lock were to fail, Great Lakes shipping and the industries and people that depend on it would come to a standstill; and

            Whereas, The U.S. Congress authorized the building of a similarly sized new Soo Lock over 20 years ago, but the lock has not yet been built. Contracts worth approximately $100 million could be in place this year for the initial phases of construction of a new Soo Lock if federal funding is made available. These contracts would provide an immediate boost to our economy and provide good-paying jobs in one of the hardest hit regions of this recession; and

            Whereas, Despite the long-standing need and potential for significant economic stimulus, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers failed to allocate any of the $2 billion made available from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for this project. This short-sighted decision ignores the critical importance of a new lock to the economy of the Great Lakes region and the country. This missed opportunity must be rectified; now, therefore, be it

            Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we memorialize the U.S. Congress and the Army Corps of Engineers to provide additional federal funding for the construction of a new Soo Lock at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan; and be it further

            Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and the members of the Michigan congressional delegation.