Title: Soo Locks Modernization Act
Policy area: Water Resources Development

Summary:
Soo Locks Modernization Act
This bill directs the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to carry out the project authorized by the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 for the construction of a second lock adjacent to the existing lock at Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan, at a total project cost that is equal to the 2017 certified cost estimate, plus or minus such amounts as may be required by ordinary fluctuations in construction costs.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1308 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1308

           To increase authorized funding for the Soo Locks.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              June 7, 2017

  Ms. Stabenow (for herself and Mr. Peters) introduced the following 
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment 
                            and Public Works

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
           To increase authorized funding for the Soo Locks.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Soo Locks Modernization Act''.

SEC. 2. SAULTE SAINTE MARIE, MICHIGAN.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) the Soo Locks are a critical link in the Great Lakes 
        and the St. Lawrence Seaway system;
            (2) each year, an average of 7,900 vessels carry 80,000,000 
        tons of iron ore, coal, stone, grain, and other materials 
        through the Soo Locks;
            (3) the Corps of Engineers reports that an unscheduled 
        outage at the Soo Locks would cripple both navigational and 
        industrial production in the Great Lakes region;
            (4) a report by the Department of Homeland Security 
        concluded that a 6-month shutdown of the Soo Locks would result 
        in--
                    (A) 75 percent of all integrated steel production 
                in the United States ceasing within 2 to 6 weeks;
                    (B) in North America, the shutdown of 100 percent 
                of production of appliances, automobiles, construction 
                equipment, farm equipment, mining equipment, and 
                railcars; and
                    (C) the unemployment of almost 11,000,000 people;
            (5) there have been no comprehensive improvements to the 
        Soo Locks facility in nearly 50 years;
            (6) modernizing the Soo Locks is of critical importance to 
        the economy and security of the Great Lakes region and the 
        United States; and
            (7) the Corps of Engineers believes the planning guidance 
        required under the document of the Water Resources Council 
        entitled ``Economic and Environmental Principles and Guidelines 
        for Water and Related Land Resources Implementation Studies'' 
        and dated March 10, 1983, and updated by the Principles, 
        Requirements, and Guidelines for Federal Investments in Water 
        Resources (78 Fed. Reg. 18562 (March 27, 2013); 79 Fed. Reg. 
        77460 (December 24, 2014)), inhibits the Corps of Engineers 
        from considering in the economic evaluation of the Soo Locks 
        projects the severe regional economic consequences from an 
        unplanned outage at the Soo Locks.
    (b) Authorization of Project.--Notwithstanding any other provision 
of law (including regulations), and based on the risks and severe 
consequences of service interruption at the project, the Secretary of 
the Army shall carry out the project authorized by section 1149 of the 
Water Resources Development Act of 1986 (100 Stat. 4254; 121 Stat. 
1131), at a total project cost that is equal to the 2017 certified cost 
estimate, plus or minus such amounts, if any, as may be required by 
ordinary fluctuations in construction costs as indicated by engineering 
cost indices applicable to the type of construction described in that 
section.
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