July 10: Remarks at the 50th Anniversary of the St. Lawrence Seaway
July 10, 2009
Rep. Kaptur today described the St. Lawrence Seaway “the vital link of commerce between our nation’s heartland and world markets” and a powerful engine for job growth. She urged continued investment in the system of canals, channels and locks that connect Northern Ohio and America’s heartland to world markets.
Congresswoman Kaptur joined U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and other officials from the U.S. and Canada at ceremonies to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 265-mile-long seaway.“The Seaway we have come to know is an efficient channel of waterborne and intermodal transportation, commerce and renewable hydropower,” Kaptur remarked. “The Seaway serves a strong production platform as the fulcrum of the Great Lakes states. It supports the entire U.S. economy with a strong foundation built of an abundant and sustainable agriculture and a superstructure of heavy manufacturing.”
Kaptur gave tribute to “the visionaries, the dreams, pioneers, sailors, engineers and political leaders” who helped build and modernize the seaway. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Queen Elizabeth II and Canadian Prime Minister John Diefenbaker ceremonially opened the seaway in 1959 and Eisenhower’s granddaughter, Susan, attended today’s anniversary ceremonies.
The challenge now, Congresswoman Kaptur said, is to “leverage the Seaway’s assets forward--its location, its economy and its unmet potential.” She noted the importance of the Seaway to the economy of Northern Ohio, including Toledo, Port Clinton and Sandusky. More than 2.5 billion tons of cargo have moved through the Seaway in the past half century, including grain shipments from the Port of Toledo that have exceeded two million tons in certain years.
Congresswoman Kaptur, who visited Nova Scotia last year to explore multi-modal transportation opportunities in the region, said the Seaway is “the linchpin in our transportation web.” She said she envisions “sophisticated, modern, cost-effective multi-modal distribution hubs that can skirt the congestion in coastal ports.”
Investments in Seaway infrastructure, she said, represent “investments in our economic and democratic future. Let us rededicate ourselves in this new century to a renewed destiny for the St. Lawrence Seaway. Let us lead it to its full potential.”
Read More: Toledo Blade editorial, "Expand the Seaway "
Congresswoman Kaptur joined U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and other officials from the U.S. and Canada at ceremonies to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 265-mile-long seaway.“The Seaway we have come to know is an efficient channel of waterborne and intermodal transportation, commerce and renewable hydropower,” Kaptur remarked. “The Seaway serves a strong production platform as the fulcrum of the Great Lakes states. It supports the entire U.S. economy with a strong foundation built of an abundant and sustainable agriculture and a superstructure of heavy manufacturing.”
Kaptur gave tribute to “the visionaries, the dreams, pioneers, sailors, engineers and political leaders” who helped build and modernize the seaway. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Queen Elizabeth II and Canadian Prime Minister John Diefenbaker ceremonially opened the seaway in 1959 and Eisenhower’s granddaughter, Susan, attended today’s anniversary ceremonies.
The challenge now, Congresswoman Kaptur said, is to “leverage the Seaway’s assets forward--its location, its economy and its unmet potential.” She noted the importance of the Seaway to the economy of Northern Ohio, including Toledo, Port Clinton and Sandusky. More than 2.5 billion tons of cargo have moved through the Seaway in the past half century, including grain shipments from the Port of Toledo that have exceeded two million tons in certain years.
Congresswoman Kaptur, who visited Nova Scotia last year to explore multi-modal transportation opportunities in the region, said the Seaway is “the linchpin in our transportation web.” She said she envisions “sophisticated, modern, cost-effective multi-modal distribution hubs that can skirt the congestion in coastal ports.”
Investments in Seaway infrastructure, she said, represent “investments in our economic and democratic future. Let us rededicate ourselves in this new century to a renewed destiny for the St. Lawrence Seaway. Let us lead it to its full potential.”
Read More: Toledo Blade editorial, "Expand the Seaway "