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In: Authors, Budget, Chicago, Feature Homepage, Gary Wilson, Illinois, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, infrastructure, Latest News, Michigan, News, Ohio, Policy, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, shipping, Shipping and Ports, The States, U.S. and Canadian Federal Governments, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Divided Congress: Smooth sailing or choppy waters for Great Lakes programs?

Since 2020 when Democrats swept into power by winning the presidency and taking control of both chambers of Congress, Great Lakes programs have had a tailwind of funding support from Washington.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provided a $1 billion windfall for the region to accelerate clean up of the multiple toxic sites known as Areas of Concern that remain from the peak industrial period in the 1950’s and 1960’s.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/12/smooth-sailing-or-choppy-waters-for-great-lakes-programs/

Gary Wilson

On:
In: Cleveland, Feature Homepage, freighters, History and Culture, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, lake erie, Latest News, News, Ohio, shipping, Shipping and Ports, The Catch
The Catch: New freighter in town

Broadcasting in our monthly PBS television program, The Catch is a Great Lakes Now series that brings you more news about the lakes you love. Go beyond the headlines with reporters from around the region who cover the lakes and drinking water issues. Find all the work HERE.

This month, The Catch features a new bulk freighter that is making waves in Great Lakes shipping.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/10/the-catch-new-freighter-in-town/

GLN Editor

On:
In: Beaches, Boating, Paddle Sports and Sailing, canada, captain, cargo, Cleveland, Feature Homepage, freighter, freighters, History and Culture, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, James Proffitt, lake erie, Latest News, News, Ohio, Recreation and Tourism, shipping, Shipping and Ports, ships
First in decades, a new Great Lakes freighter joins fleet

For the first time in decades, a new bulk freighter has been built on and launched on the Great Lakes.

The Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding Company in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin unveiled the Mark W. Barker earlier this year after spending nearly three years constructing it. The vessel was commissioned by Cleveland-based Interlake Steamship Company which currently operates about a dozen ships.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/09/new-great-lakes-freighter-joins-fleet/

James Proffitt

On:
In: Budget, Cleveland, Duluth, Feature Cleveland, Feature Homepage, freighters, Gary Wilson, industry, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, Latest News, Michigan, Minnesota, News, Ohio, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, ports, shipping, Shipping and Ports, soo locks, U.S. and Canadian Federal Governments
Can shipping on the Great Lakes take the next step toward transporting high-value container cargo?

A common question for casual observers of Great Lakes vessels is “Where are the big container ships?” The reference is to the massive ocean-traversing ships with containers stacked stories high.

The container ships have been absent from the Great Lakes where cherished lake freighters dominate the waterways hauling bulk cargo.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/07/shipping-update-great-lakes-container-cargo/

Gary Wilson

On:
In: AP, Feature Homepage, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, Lake Huron, Lake Superior, Michigan, News, oil, Ontario, shipping, Shipping and Ports, St. Mary's River
Coast Guard: Oil spill closes shipping on St. Mary’s River

SAULT STE. MARIE, Ontario. (AP) — An oil spill temporarily closed shipping traffic on the St. Marys River between Ontario and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday.

The 5,300-gallon (20,063-liter) spill originated from Algoma Steel in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, around 10:30 a.m. Thursday.

The 75-mile (121-kilometer) river connects Lake Superior and Lake Huron and serves as part of the border between Michigan and Ontario.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/06/ap-coast-guard-oil-spill-shipping/

The Associated Press

On:
In: Buffalo, Cleveland, COVID-19, Duluth, economy, Feature Cleveland, Feature Homepage, freighters, Indiana, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, infrastructure, Latest News, Minnesota, New York, News, Ohio, shipping, Shipping and Ports
The 2022 Great Lakes shipping season sets sail after COVID-19 hurdles

If you notice your packages arriving much faster than they did at the start of the pandemic, it isn’t just a minor coincidence – rather, it could be the Great Lakes shipping industry making a comeback after weathering the effects of COVID-19’s spread.

“(This) has been a bounce-back season from the COVID-induced lows of 2020,” said Jason Hron, director of communication and marketing for the Duluth Seaway Port Authority.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/2022-great-lakes-shipping-season-infrastructure-improvements-covid-19/

Maya Sundaresan

On:
In: Collaboration, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, Latest News, Michigan, News, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, ports, shipping, Shipping and Ports
$3.7M grant to aid Lafarge port upgrades

By Julie Riddle, The Alpena News

This article is part of a collaboration between The Alpena News and Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television to bring audiences stories about the Great Lakes, especially Lake Huron and its watershed.

ALPENA – An Alpena company will snag a piece of more than $241 million in grants awarded to upgrade U.S.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/02/grant-aid-lafarge-port-upgrades/

The Alpena News

On:
In: Collaboration, Fish, Birds and Animals, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, invasive species, Latest News, News, Research, Research, Data and Technology, Science, Technology, Research, shipping, Shipping and Ports
Cargo, With a Side of Hornets, Flies and Crabs

By Tim Lydon, The Revelator

This story originally appeared in The Revelator and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.

In July 2021 federal agents in New Orleans abruptly ordered the 600-foot cargo ship Pan Jasmine to leave U.S.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/cargo-invasive-species/

The Revelator

On:
In: Climate change, Energy, Clean Energy, Ethanol and Fracking, Feature Homepage, Latest News, montreal, News, ports, Quebec, renewable energy, shipping, Shipping and Ports, sustainability, Waterfront Development
Sustainable Shipping: The Port of Montreal’s role as the Great Lakes’ green gateway

Shipping companies and ports around the world and on the Great Lakes are launching sustainability efforts to lessen their environmental impact, combat climate change, and improve their efficiency and images. With support from the Solutions Journalism Network, Great Lakes Now Contributor Kari Lydersen is reporting the four-part series “Sustainable Shipping.”

Read them here:

Are voluntary efforts enough to improve port sustainability?

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/sustainability-shipping-port-montreal-green-gateway/

Kari Lydersen

On:
In: Climate change, Energy, Clean Energy, Ethanol and Fracking, Feature Homepage, Feature Milwaukee, Latest News, Milwaukee, News, ports, renewable energy, shipping, Shipping and Ports, Wisconsin
Sustainable Shipping: At the Port of Milwaukee the wind blows toward a greener future

Shipping companies and ports around the world and on the Great Lakes are launching sustainability efforts to lessen their environmental impact, combat climate change, and improve their efficiency and images. With support from the Solutions Journalism Network, Great Lakes Now Contributor Kari Lydersen is reporting the four-part series “Sustainable Shipping.”

Read them here:

Are voluntary efforts enough to improve port sustainability?

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/sustainable-shipping-port-milwaukee-the-wind-green-energy/

Kari Lydersen

On:
In: Indiana, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, Lake Michigan, Latest News, News, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, ports, shipping, Shipping and Ports, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Sustainable Shipping: Burns Harbor port tries to green Indiana’s industrial coast

This work was supported in part by the Solutions Journalism Network.

Under an ominous gray and blustery sky, forklifts dig into piles of jet-black furnace coke, dumping it into a ship tethered in the eastern channel of Burns Harbor in Northwest Indiana. Nearby are towering piles of red iron ore pellets, and just across the channel loom the smokestacks, conveyors and furnaces of a steel mill.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/sustainable-shipping-burns-harbor-port-industrial-coast/

Kari Lydersen

On:
In: Feature Homepage, freighters, infrastructure, infrsatructure, Latest News, Natasha Blakely, ports, shipping, Shipping and Ports, soo locks
In Progress: New Soo Lock looks at 2030 completion

The finish line is finally in view for the new Soo Lock, which was first authorized in 1986 and will help prevent the disruption of the supply chains in event of error or repairs.

“Having a new Soo Lock that has the same dimensions of the Poe and able to accommodate those largest freighters on the lakes will give us a great deal of resiliency and the ability to increase the time periods in which we do necessary repairs or maintenance or rehabilitation throughout the year,” said Lt.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/in-progress-new-soo-lock-2030-completion/

Natasha Blakely

On:
In: Climate change, Energy, Clean Energy, Ethanol and Fracking, Feature Homepage, Latest News, News, shipping, Shipping and Ports, sustainability
Green Marine: Are voluntary efforts enough to improve port sustainability?

When zebra mussels emerged as a dire ecological and economic threat across the Great Lakes in the 1990s, it was a wakeup call that the existing patchwork of international, state and federal regulations were not protecting the delicate ecosystem, the source of drinking water for millions of people.

In response, some industry leaders came together to form a voluntary sustainability certification organization called Green Marine.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/green-marine-voluntary-improve-port-sustainability/

Kari Lydersen

On:
In: canada, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Partnership, Collaboration, freighters, invasive species, Latest News, News, Policy, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, shipping, Shipping and Ports
Canada expands ballast water restrictions to reduce invasive species spread

By Lester Graham, Michigan Radio

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/06/canada-ballast-water-restrictions-invasive-species/

Michigan Radio

On:
In: Collaboration, COVID-19, freighters, Latest News, Michigan, News, shipping, Shipping and Ports, soo locks
Ship-top vaccinations help keep freighters hauling

By Julie Riddle, The Alpena News

This article is part of a collaboration between The Alpena News and Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television to bring audiences stories about the Great Lakes, especially Lake Huron and its watershed.

ALPENA — Sailors aboard Great Lakes freighters got a shot in the arm when nurses in Sault Ste.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/06/ship-vaccinations-freighters-covid-19/

The Alpena News

On:
In: culture, Feature Homepage, freighters, history, History and Culture, Latest News, News, shipping
Freighter Mystery: Can you help Great Lakes Now with more clues to identify people and places in a historic film?

The Great Lakes Now supervising producer, Rob Green, wants your help figuring out more about an old movie shot aboard a freighter. He’s done what he can to identify the ship, ports, time period and people in a mysterious black-and-white video he found in an online archive.

Green knows someone out there can help with more clues to answer: who shot this footage?

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/03/freighter-mystery-identify-people-places-historic-film/

GLN Editor

On:
In: COVID-19, economy, industry, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, Latest News, Natasha Blakely, News, shipping, Shipping and Ports
Stalled Ships: Shipping industry looks to infrastructure investments to boost demand

The Great Lakes’ iconic freighters remained common sights on the waters – that much didn’t change during pandemic. But, like many industries, shipping was hit hard by COVID-19. That feels especially salient when shipping is such an integral piece of the Great Lakes economy.

As of September 2020, iron ore cargoes were “down 27% from last year at this time,” James Weakley, president of the Lake Carriers’ Association and representative of Ohio on the Great Lakes Commission, said in an interview with Great Lakes Now.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/01/shipping-industry-infrastructure-investments/

Natasha Blakely

On:
In: Cleveland, Gary Wilson, industry, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, invasive species, Latest News, Ohio, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, shipping, Shipping and Ports, U.S. and Canadian Federal Governments
Great Lakes Freighters: The latest on navigation, locks and icebreakers

It’s been 140 years since a group of U.S. steamship companies formed an alliance called the Cleveland Vessel Owners Association, whose primary purpose was to promote safe navigation by the ships that plied the Great Lakes.

That original alliance has since become the Lake Carriers’ Association, which is still based in Cleveland and represents the interests of companies that have a combined 46 vessels on the lakes and move 90 million tons of cargo annually.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/10/great-lakes-freighters-lake-carriers-association/

Gary Wilson

On:
In: ballast water, shipping, water
University of Wisconsin-Superior researchers are trying to figure out how to better regulate teeny-tiny invasive organisms that stow away on large vessels traversing the Great Lakes Basin.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

http://greatlakesecho.org/2020/10/12/researchers-want-invasive-aquatic-critters-out-of-great-lakes-ballast-water/

Guest Contributor

On:
In: Beaches, Boating, Paddle Sports and Sailing, charter boats, COVID-19, Gary Wilson, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, Latest News, Michigan, News, Ohio, Ontario, Recreation, Tourism and Culture, recreational fishing, Recreational Hunting and Fishing, Research, Research, Data and Technology, Science, Technology, Research, shipping, Shipping and Ports, Tourism, U.S. and Canadian Federal Governments
COVID-19 Comeback: Great Lakes businesses and scientists bounce back

In March, COVID-19 brought the Great Lakes economy and society in general to a grinding halt.

Three months later, it’s not yet business as usual and challenges remain.

That’s the consensus of a group of Great Lakes industries and scientific researchers Great Lakes Now first spoke with in April.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/06/covid-19-great-lakes-shipping-charter-boats-research/

Gary Wilson

On:
In: Beaches, Boating, Paddle Sports and Sailing, Boating, Buffalo, Cleveland, COVID-19, Duluth, freighters, Gary Wilson, industry, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, lake erie, Lake Superior, Latest News, Minnesota, New York, News, Ohio, Recreation, Tourism and Culture, recreational fishing, Recreational Hunting and Fishing, shipping, Shipping and Ports, Tourism
Fishing and Freighters: Great Lakes industries take COVID-19 economic hit

Lake Erie fishing charters reel from stay at home orders, and lake freighters idle due to industry shutdowns.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/04/covid-19-coronavirus-fishing-freighters-great-lakes-industries/

Gary Wilson

On:
In: Climate change, coal, Collaboration, Duluth, Energy, Energy, Clean Energy, Ethanol and Fracking, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, Latest News, Minnesota, News, ports, shipping, Shipping and Ports, Wisconsin
As energy use changes in the Great Lakes, so too does the world’s largest freshwater port

The Port of Duluth-Superior is one of the largest ports in the U.S., and its second largest commodity is coal.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/04/rust-resilience-coal-port-minnesota/

MinnPost

On:
In: cleanup, epa, EPA budget, funding, Gary Wilson, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, invasive species, Latest News, News, shipping, Shipping and Ports, state funding, The States, U.S. and Canadian Federal Governments, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Funding Boost: EPA gives Great Lakes extra $20 million but state funding at risk

Even as the federal government is spending trillions of dollars to boost the economy shut down by the COVID-19 virus, Congress has moved to increase funding for the Great Lakes.

The U.S. EPA announced last week that an additional $20 million has been allocated to restore the lakes.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/04/epa-glri-extra-20-million-state-funding-at-risk/

Gary Wilson

On:
In: Duluth, freighters, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, Minnesota, Natasha Blakely, News, photos, shipping, Shipping and Ports, soo locks, St. Mary's River
Freighter Photos: Check out some stunning images of the vessels traversing the lakes

Travel may not be an option for people right now with the ongoing spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, but there are many ways to still take in the sights – including through photos of hard-to-find views of the massive freighters that cross the Great Lakes.

The Great Lakes Seaway Partnership is a nonprofit initiative that is a collaboration between U.S.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/04/freighter-photos-great-lakes-seaway/

Natasha Blakely