Leaders of the Great Lakes/Seaway maritime industry converged on Lansing, Michigan October 3 for The Great Lakes Seaway Partnership’s Michigan State Capitol Day. The partnership is a joint public affairs initiative of American Great Lakes Ports Association, Lake Carriers’ Association, Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation and Fednav Limited. The program’s goal is to improve understanding of the benefits of marine transportation in the Great Lakes region.

Participants included Mark Barker, President of The Interlake Steamship Company; Mark Pietrocarlo, Vice President of American Steamship Company; Josh Juel, Manager of Great Lakes Fleet; Paul Pathy, CEO of Fednav Limited; Craig Middlebrook, Deputy Administrator of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation; Paul LaMarre, Director of the Port of Monroe; Kyle Burleson, Acting Director of the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority; and Ben Cross, Chair of the Muskegon Port Advisory Committee.

The day-long program included a joint hearing of the House Committee on Commerce and Trade and the Senate Committee on Commerce. During the hearing, industry representatives testified in support of a new Poe-sized lock at Sault Ste. Marie, harmonized ballast water regulations and state assistance for port development. Industry representatives also met with Heidi Grether, Director of the Department of Environmental Quality, and Kirk Strudel, Director of the Michigan Department of Transportation. Numerous state legislators joined the delegation for an informal luncheon, after which industry leaders met with Gov. Rick Snyder.

The Michigan event was the fourth state capitol day sponsored by The Great Lakes Seaway Partnership. Previous events were in Indiana, Wisconsin and Ohio.

Source: American Great Lakes Ports Association   October 16, 2017