Trott, Bipartisan Michigan Delegation to Tour Soo Locks

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Representative Dave Trott (MI-11) announced he will join Senator Debbie Stabenow and Congressman Fred Upton in a bipartisan Michigan Delegation Member tour of the Soo Locks on Friday, June 2, where he will be joined by Governor Rick Snyder.

"Transporting billions of dollars of goods annually, the functionality of the deteriorating Soo Locks is critical to not only Michigan's economy, but the economy of our entire nation," said Rep. Trott ahead of the tour. "In fact, the Department of Homeland Security released a study showing that even just a 6-month closure of the Poe Lock would bring our manufacturing industry to a screeching halt, resulting in a nationwide recession and the loss of 11 million jobs nationwide. I look forward to joining my Michigan colleagues and the Governor in an effort to ensure the functionality and eventual duplication of the Poe Lock - the vitality of our national and regional economy, as well as our national security, depends on it."

Last year, the Department of Homeland Security released a study from October 2015 detailing the impact of a 6-month closure of the Soo Locks' largest Poe Lock. The study found:

• One of the nation's most economically vital systems, the iron mining - integrated steel production - manufacturing supply chain, is also potentially the least resilient.
• A disruption of the Poe Lock likely will cause an almost complete shutdown of Great Lakes steel production.
• A shutdown of Great Lakes steel production likely will cause almost all North American appliances, automobile, construction equipment, farm equipment, mining equipment, and railcar production to cease within weeks.
• The disruption would likely result in widespread bankruptcies and dislocations throughout the economy. Almost 11 million people would likely be unemployed because of the impact and the North American economies would likely enter a severe recession.