I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2273 

To implement a program establishing the Great Lakes Navigation System, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 6, 2013 

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan (for herself, Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan, Ms. 

SLAUGHTER, Mr. HIGGINS, Mr. BENISHEK, and Mr. ROGERS of Michigan) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Transportation and Infrastructure 

A BILL 

To implement a program establishing the Great Lakes 

Navigation System, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Great Lakes Naviga5 tion System Sustainability Act of 2013’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act the term— 

8 (1) ‘‘Great Lakes’’ and ‘‘Great Lakes Naviga9 tional System’’ means— 

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1 (A)(i) Lake Superior; 

2 (ii) Lake Huron; 

3 (iii) Lake Michigan; 

4 (iv) Lake Erie; and 

5 (v) Lake Ontario; 

6 (B) all connecting waters between the 

7 lakes referred to in subparagraph (A) used for 

8 commercial and recreational navigation; 

9 (C) any navigation features in the lakes re10 ferred to in subparagraph (A) or waters de11 scribed in subparagraph (B) that are a Federal 

12 operation or maintenance responsibility; and 

13 (D) areas of the Saint Lawrence River 

14 that are operated or maintained by the Govern15 ment for commercial navigation. 

16 (2) ‘‘eligible operations and maintenance’’ has 

17 the same meaning as that term is defined in section 

18 214 of the Water Resources Development Act of 

19 1986 (33 U.S.C. 2241); 

20 (3) ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary of the 

21 Army. 

22 SEC. 3. GREAT LAKES NAVIGATION SYSTEM. 

23 (a) MANAGEMENT OF GREAT LAKES NAVIGATION

24 SYSTEM.—To sustain the most effective and efficient op25 eration and maintenance of the Great Lakes Navigation 

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1 System, the Secretary, acting through the Chief of Engi2 neers, shall manage and allocate funding for all of the in3 dividually authorized commercial and recreational naviga4 tion projects in the Great Lakes Navigation System as 

5 components of a single, comprehensive system, recognizing 

6 the interdependence of the projects. 

7 (b) CARGO MEASUREMENTS.—Cargo measurements 

8 for the purpose of prioritizing annual operations and 

9 maintenance budget resources for the Great Lakes Navi10 gation System, and for any of the component projects of 

11 the System, shall aggregate the tonnage of all components 

12 of the System. 

13 SEC. 4. GREAT LAKES SYSTEM SUSTAINABILITY. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through the 

15 Chief of Engineers, shall establish a program to fund eligi16 ble operations and maintenance projects of the Great 

17 Lakes Navigation System with the objective of maintain18 ing such projects to their authorized depths and widths. 

19 (b) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary shall consult 

20 with the Congressional delegations from States that bor21 der the Great Lakes in developing annual priorities for 

22 the apportionment of funding authorized to be appro23 priated pursuant to this section. 

24 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For each 

25 of fiscal years 2014 through 2023, there is authorized to 

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1 be appropriated from the Harbor Maintenance Trust 

2 Fund established by section 9505 of the Internal Revenue 

3 Code $200,000,000 to fund eligible operations and main4 tenance of the Great Lakes Navigation System. Funds ap5 propriated pursuant to this section may remain available 

6 until expended. 

7 (d) COST SHARE.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—Of the amounts made avail9 able pursuant to subsection (c), the Secretary, act10 ing through the Chief of Engineers, shall give a 

11 higher priority to projects described in paragraph 

12 (2) than to projects described in paragraph (3). 

13 (2) CERTAIN HARBORS PROVIDING A COST

14 SHARE.— 

15 (A) NOT SUBJECT TO HARBOR MAINTE16 NANCE FEE.—A Great Lakes Navigation Sys17 tem project that is not subject to the harbor 

18 maintenance fee under section 24.24 of title 19, 

19 Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regu20 lations) and for which the non-Federal sponsor 

21 provides a cost share of 50 percent of the costs 

22 of eligible operations and maintenance expenses, 

23 is eligible for Federal operations and mainte24 nance funds made available pursuant to sub25 section (c). 

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1 (B) SUBJECT TO HARBOR MAINTENANCE

2 TRUST FUND BUT NO CARGO.—A Great Lakes 

3 Navigation System project that is subject to the 

4 harbor maintenance fee under section 24.24 of 

5 title 19, Code of Federal Regulations (or suc6 cessor regulations), has not had commercial 

7 cargo loaded or unloaded from its harbor dur8 ing the previous 2 fiscal years, and for which 

9 the non-Federal sponsor provides a cost share 

10 of 50 percent of the costs of eligible operations 

11 and maintenance expenses is eligible for Fed12 eral operations and maintenance funds made 

13 available pursuant to subsection (c). 

14 (3) CERTAIN HARBORS WITH NO COST

15 SHARE.—A Great Lakes Navigation System project 

16 that otherwise meets the description in subpara17 graphs (A) or (B) of paragraph (2), and for which 

18 the non-Federal sponsor of the project does not pro19 vide a cost share of 50 percent of the costs of eligi20 ble operations and maintenance expenses, is eligible 

21 to receive Federal operations and maintenance funds 

22 made available pursuant to subsection (c) after 

23 projects under such subparagraphs are funded. 

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