Sunday, May 9, 2021 - 7:31 am
Above is a photo of the new Seaway Guardian tugboat. Photo submitted by Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation.
BY ANDY GARDNER
North Country This Week
MASSENA – A new $24 million tugboat for the St. Lawrence Seaway wasn’t used this past winter, but U.S. Department of Transportation officials say they anticipate using it for the 2021-22 winter.
The Seaway Guardian arrived in Massena last summer, the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation had previously announced in a news release.
However, the 62-year-old Robinson Bay was used to break ice this year that had accumulated between Eisenhower and Snell locks. US DOT officials said that was because of “limited ice conditions,” and added that the tug is not undergoing any major reconstruction.
May 7, 2021 By Jim Myers
Washington, D.C. A review panel has been conducted on the Inland Waterways Users Board (IWUB), possibly a key step in returning the suspended board to active status.
That zero-based review of the IWUB and other Department of Defense advisory committees was directed by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin three months ago.
In the same January 30 memorandum to senior Pentagon leadership and others, Austin also directed the immediate suspension of all advisory committee operations until the review was completed unless directed by him or his deputy defense secretary.
Austin also used his memo to acknowledge the important role advisory committees play in shaping department policies, but added the review will focus their efforts “to align with our most pressing strategic priorities and the National Defense Strategy.”
OGDENSBURG â The U.S. Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation announced that eight U.S. ports in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System received the Robert J. Lewis Pacesetter Award registering increases in international cargo tonnage shipped through their ports during the 2020 navigation season.
âGreat Lakes ports and the St. Lawrence Seaway showcase the critical role that ports play in the global supply chain while providing jobs and economic growth here at home,â U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a prepared statement.
The Port of Ogdensburg was one of the recipients of the award.
âThe portâs 4 percent increase in international tonnage over the 2019 shipping season is a significant achievement,â Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority Executive Director Steven J. Lawrence said in an email Thursday.
Viewpoint: Too many question marks in infrastructure plans
Larry Penner
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President Joe Biden has proposed a $2.3 trillion infrastructure program that would be spent over eight years. Republicans have offered a $568 billion counter-proposal that would be spent over five years. Both include money to varying degrees for public transit, rail, airports, ports and inland waterways and bridges and roads.
Both plans have a significant flaw: Neither provides a specific list of proposed projects or estimated costs to be funded under each category.
Every year, the Federal Department of Transportation s Aviation, Highway, Transit, Motor Carriers, Maritime and National Highway Traffic Safety Administrations along with the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation provide billions in grants out of their combined $89 billion budgets. These grants cover similar work being proposed under both infrastructure programs. Various state, county, and municipal counterparts do the
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