LANSING, MI-- Governor Rick Snyder has asked Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley to lead the state’s efforts to have the federal government upgrade the Soo Locks.
While on a visit to Macomb County over the weekend, President Trump said he would be contacting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He said, “The Soo Locks are going to hell… and we’re going to get them fixed up.”
Congress approved a project to replace the Davis and Sabin locks in 1986, but never appropriated the funding.
A 2015 analysis by the Department of Homeland Security found an unexpected closure of the Soo Locks, especially during peak shipping season, could result in a cascading collapse of the U.S. economy. The report says significant disruptions to the shipping of steel would occur, causing the production of almost all North American appliances, automobiles and railcars, as well as construction, farm and mining equipment to cease within weeks.
