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Press Release

For Immediate Release
Contact: Sean C. Bonyun
October 1, 2009
(202) 225-3761

House Gives Final Approval to Upton Effort to Boost SW Michigan’s Economy
Upton secures $718,000 to dredge St. Joe Harbor – upon Senate approval next week, the measure will head to President to be signed into law

Washington, DC – The U.S. House today gave final approval to Energy and Water spending legislation in which Congressman Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph) was successful in including $718,000 to dredge St. Joseph Harbor.  Upton, who has been gravely concerned with the unprecedented rate of spending in Washington, supported the Energy and Water bill as it only increased funding by 0.6 percent over last year’s level.  The conference report for the Energy and Water Appropriations Act, H.R. 3183, passed the House by a vote of 308 to 114.  Upon approval by the Senate, which is expected next week, the measure will head to the President to be signed into law.

The St. Joe Harbor is of utmost priority for Upton, who has delivered millions of dollars for seasonal dredging, including $793,000 in the omnibus spending package that the President signed into law in February.  Thousands of jobs depend on the ability to move cargo on the Great Lakes and the St. Joseph port is an integral part of that system.

 “This funding is so important to our region and comes at a time when we could really use a lift,” said Upton.  “With Michigan’s unemployment hovering at 15 percent, the last thing folks can afford right now are higher prices for everyday goods – keeping our commercial harbor in operation during the shipping season has a wide ripple effect on our local economy and keeps costs down for local residents.  With major road projects on I-94 and U.S. 31 underway, materials delivered to the St. Joe Harbor saves taxpayers millions of dollars, which in turn means more money for job creation and repairing critical infrastructure.  Mother Nature has not been kind to the Harbor over the last several years as we have endured record shoaling, but this funding helps ensure our harbor remains open for business, and our local economy is better for it.” 

Soundings of St. Joe Harbor this spring revealed significant shoaling with depths of only 5 1/2 feet near portions of Center Dock. Working cooperatively with the Army Corps of Engineers and our commercial shippers, Upton was able to reallocate resources, mobilize the dredge boat faster, have contracts amended and get work started sooner.  The harbor was open for commercial activity in a matter of weeks as opposed to the several months that it took last year.  In 2008, shoaling in the federal shipping channel required Upton to secure an emergency $1.8 million project to remove the more than 170,000 cubic yards of material that had filled the harbor.

The St. Joseph Harbor is an integral cog in the region’s economic engine and is among the top 50 in commercial activity among Great Lakes Harbors.  A recent study by Purdue University gauged the harbor’s annual economic impact at more than $5.5 million dollars and more than 35 local jobs. The inner harbor is a key port for raw materials such as limestone, sand and gravel for highway construction - major road projects along Interstate 94 and Interstate 196 are served by the port, and the loss of shipping could triple the cost of those projects. 

Freighters on the Great Lakes save industries $3.6 billion a year in transportation costs. A freighter on the Great Lakes can travel 607 miles on gallon of fuel per ton of cargo – that is ten times farther than a semi-truck and three times farther than a freight train.

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