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Soo Locks Security and Economic Reporting Act of 2023

Floor Speech

Date: July 25, 2023
Location: Washington, DC

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Mr. STAUBER. Mr. Speaker, I spent the last 2 years of my college experience living in dorm rooms that were about 250 yards from the Soo Locks at the beautiful Lake Superior State University.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3399, the Soo Locks Security and Economic Reporting Act, sponsored by my good friend from Michigan, Congressman John James.

Each year, vessels passing through the Soo Locks haul an estimated 70 million tons of cargo to critical industries in the United States and Canada. In total, the infrastructure supports more than 123,000 jobs and has a $22.6 billion economic activity price tag.

In my first year in Congress, I joined Congressman Jack Bergman from Michigan on a tour of the Soo Locks to see the critical infrastructure firsthand.

Nearly all of the iron ore pellets essential for the American steel industry travel through the Great Lakes. A report by the Department of Homeland Security in 2015 found no alternative transportation mode exists for getting iron ore from the Minnesota mines to steel mills on the lower Great Lakes. The Iron Range of Minnesota produces almost 82 percent of the taconite pellets that make up the steel industry in our Nation.

National security experts and economists have warned that sustained closure of any of the locks would cripple our supply chain and plunge our economy into a recession.

It is abundantly clear: The protection and modernization of the Soo Locks is not only a supply chain issue, but a national security issue. The Soo Locks infrastructure needs significant investment, and it needs it now.

H.R. 3399 directs the Secretary of Transportation to study the security risks of the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and the economic ramifications in the event of their operational failure. This will provide us with concrete evidence of the importance of the Soo Locks and demonstrate our need for unwavering support.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage all my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

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