Gary Peters Questions Army Corps Of Engineers Leaders About Soo Locks Funding

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During a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing last month, Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) asked the leadership of the Army Corps of Engineers about the Soo Locks.

Transcript

00:01Thank you, Mr. Chairman, gentlemen. Welcome to the committee. I want to start by first

00:07focusing on the Sioux locks, a project of national significance. Simply put, an unscheduled

00:14outage of the Poe lock, which is the largest lock at the Sioux, would devastate the economy,

00:20harm our manufacturing sector, and jeopardize national security. To put things into perspective,

00:26of just a six-month unscheduled outage at the Sioux would result in an estimated 11 million

00:32jobs lost and 1.1 trillion hit to the economy. I think that's a classic definition of critical

00:40infrastructure. The bottom line is we need a second poll lock to alleviate the risk, and I've

00:45been leading the charge with a lot of my colleagues for quite some time. Most recently, I led a

00:50bipartisan and bicameral letter advocating for the inclusion of Sioux locks funding in the most recent

00:55Army Corps work plan and budget request, and I want to say thank you. Thank you for answering

01:01that call. Crucially, the $264 million included in the work plan will allow for the award of

01:08all remaining construction contracts, which is a big deal, and the budget request matches

01:14the project's full work capability for this fiscal year, something that I'm going to work

01:19to ensure makes it into the final funding bill. But looking ahead, I'm going to be doing everything

01:25in my power to see that this critical project actually gets completed. I think we're on a

01:29good track, but we always got to keep the eye on the ball, and so that's my question to

01:33you, Secretary Forsgren and General Graham. If you could let me know, I can count on you

01:39to make sure we get this thing across the finish line and make sure I continue to have your focus.

01:44Senator, yes, is the short answer. The longer answer is the president is committed to maintaining

01:52the integrity of the inland waterway and national lock system. It is, as you so articulately laid out,

02:01it is the backbone of the economy of this country, and we cannot afford as a nation to let that happen,

02:08and we will, I commit, we will be working forward, looking for ways forward to enhance that system.

02:13I appreciate that. General? And Senator Peters, absolutely, it was great to see the funding

02:16in the work plan allowing us to hit those last three options, and to Chairman Kennedy, that's how we

02:22deliver, safely deliver quality projects on schedule within budget, is we keep the efficient funding

02:27flowing, and then we can, I mean, we're never going to get better prices than what we had locked in

02:32to finish those last three options up at the Sioux. I'm heading up there in a few weeks to make sure that

02:36there are no surprises up there, and that the team on the ground has everything they need to continue

02:41to deliver, and I think we're on track for 2030, which is exciting. Great, great. Good to hear.

02:46Good to have you back up there soon as well. Speaking of the Sioux, I also hope that both of you will work

02:51with me to establish a special salary rate table for Sioux Locks operational and maintenance positions.

02:58I think both of you understand the challenge of getting folks there. The reliability of the Sioux Locks

03:03complex is going to hinge on those workers, and for a variety of reasons, it is very challenging.

03:09So to both of you, again, can I count on your help to make sure we have adequate staffing

03:13for the facility as it operates? Senator Peters, absolutely. That

03:17wonderful investment to make sure that this key piece of infrastructure, as you laid out,

03:23will only serve the public well if we have the right staff there. And based on kind of some

03:29irregularities, I'll call it, in kind of how the pay model works, getting the special salary rate

03:37through will allow us to pay our staff what we believe they're worth. And so you have our commitment.

03:41Great. Appreciate that, Secretary. I appreciate that. Thank you.

03:44Next, I want to talk to you about the importance of the Brandon Road Inner Basin Project. As you know,

03:50invasive Big Head and Silver Car pose a truly an unprecedented risk to the Great Lakes,

03:57which together support a $7 billion fishing industry, a $16 billion boating industry, and

04:03roughly about $6 trillion in regional economy. At present, the electric dispersal barriers in the

04:09Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal represent the sole structural measure to deter invasive carp from reaching

04:17Lake Michigan. Were this to remain our primary line of defense against the steady advance of this

04:24invasive carp? It would only be a matter of time before the Big Head and Silver Carp established

04:30themselves in the Great Lakes, decimating the ecosystem or fishing or boating, recreational

04:35industries as well. The Brandon Road Project is a solution to this problem, and it'll employ the

04:42precise measures necessary to halt the spread of carp before they reach the Great Lakes. I think this

04:48project is nothing short of critical to the lasting health of the Great Lakes, and as both of you

04:54know, I think time is of the essence as well. So my question for both of you, again, similar,

04:59can I count on you to work with me and my colleagues here in Congress, as well as both the states of

05:04Michigan and Illinois, to keep this project moving in the right direction? It's been a project for years

05:12in the making, but again time is of the essence and your forceful assistance is necessary. Senator,

05:21I have the luxury in this particular instance of being able to quote the President directly on it,

05:26and that is he's fully committed to that project. I know he and your Governor worked very closely on

05:32that project, and you might guess my direction vis-a-vis that project is to see that happens.

05:37Right. We got great help from, as was mentioned, the President and the Governor. We were able to get

05:44the real estate security we need. We released Contract 1A, which is the leading edge bubbler of

05:49this multi-tiered defense, and so that will be the start of fish deterrence. And so that's exciting to

05:54see that contract on the streets. Excellent. Well, thank you. Thank you both. Thank you. Senator, if I could

05:59add, the Interior Department is also actively involved with Asian Carp and supporting the Corps and their work

06:05there. So it's not to be a reclamation, but our Geological Survey and the Fish and Wildlife Service

06:10are both actively involved. Excellent. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

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