That arctic blast that attacked the Great Lakes region in December impacted coal loadings at Lake Erie ports. Shipments from Toledo, Sandusky, Ashtabula and Conneaut totaled 2 million tons, a decrease of 5.6 percent, this despite strong demand for steam coal from a Canadian utility. Through December, Lake Erie coal loadings stand at 22.2 million tons, an increase of 6.5 percent compared to the same point in the 1999 navigation season.
Coal has continued to move from Lake Erie in January, but as of today (January 16), Toledo and Sandusky have completed their seasons. Coal loadings should continue from the other ports for the rest of the month.
Port | December 2000 | December 1999 | Season-To-Date 2000 | Season-To-Date 1999 |
| Toledo | 427,852 | 275,369 | 5,709,572 | 5,016,489 |
| Sandusky | 286,301 | 352,798 | 3,863,341 | 4,594,079 |
| Ashtabula | 624,858 | 813,000 | 6,593,309 | 5,904,314 |
| Conneaut | 686,689 | 705,402 | 6,095,789 | 5,383,312 |
Total | 2,025,700 | 2,146,569 | 22,262,011 | 20,898,194 |