Washington, DC---Minnesota Congressman James L. Oberstar has been named Great Lakes House Legislator of the Year by the Great Lakes Maritime Task Force, a coalition of labor and management representing virtually every facet of Great Lakes shipping. The award recognizes Rep. Oberstar’s unwaivering commitment to domestic and international waterborne commerce on the Great Lakes during his 25-year career in the House of Representatives.
The Great Lakes Maritime Task Force presented the award to Congressman Oberstar at a gathering in Washington on April 28. "Our coalition has decided to honor a House and Senate member of the Great Lakes delegation on an annual basis, and there was never any question that Jim Oberstar had to be the first recipient in the House," said GLMTF President John D. Baker. "He is Mr. Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway in the House." Baker, who is also President of the ILA’s Great Lakes District Council, added that Congressman Oberstar "commands the respect of every member of the House, regardless of party affiliation. When Jim Oberstar speaks, people listen."
George J. Ryan, Third Vice President of GLMTF and President of Lake Carriers’ Association, credited Oberstar with several major accomplishments in just the past few years. "When it looked like the icebreaker MACKINAW was going to be retired without an adequate replacement being assigned to the Great Lakes, Jim Oberstar went to bat for our region and not only kept the MACKINAW in service, but began the process of securing a new icebreaker to replace her. Because of Jim’s commitment to Great Lakes shipping and the iron ore miners and steelworkers who depend on those cargos our ships deliver during periods of ice cover, the House of Representatives has earmarked $128 million to build a new heavy icebreaker for the Great Lakes in FY2001. We still must win appropriation of those funds, but with Congressman Oberstar on watch, we know we’ll reach our goal."
Ryan further noted that Congressman Oberstar played a leading role in blocking a proposed Navigational Assistance Tax (NAT) that would have imposed user charges for Aids to Navigation and icebreaking on the Great Lakes and other U.S. waterways. "Thanks to Jim Oberstar, the House has approved legislation declaring these essential Coast Guard services shall continue to be funded from general revenues."
The presentation ceremony also recognized Congressman Oberstar’s allegiance with American labor. "Jim Oberstar has always fought to make sure that domestic waterborne commerce creates jobs for American mariners and business opportunities for American ship operators by supporting the Jones Act," said Daniel L. Smith, 2nd Vice President of GLMTF and Vice President of American Maritime Officers. "The Jones Act’s requirement that cargo moving between U.S. ports be carried in vessels that are U.S-owned, U.S.-built and U.S.-crewed is the cornerstone of American maritime policy and has produced a U.S.-Flag Great Lakes fleet second to none. No maritime nation, not even those that subsidize their national flag fleets, can boast of vessels as efficient as those flying the American flag on the Great Lakes."
While domestic cargo movement dominates the Great Lakes, Congressman Oberstar has long kept a watchful eye on the St. Lawrence Seaway to ensure that international commerce remains a key element of Great Lakes shipping. "Jim Oberstar is committed to the Seaway and its future," said John D. Baker. "He is constantly looking for ways to increase the efficiency of the Seaway so that the public ports in our region can fulfill their promise of importing and exporting goods that benefit our region."
In an important new initiative, Congressman Oberstar, along with Pennsylvania Congressman Borski, has introduced legislation to again fund operational and maintenance dredging of the nation’s deepdraft ports and waterways from general revenues. "This bill recognizes that a system of efficient ports and waterways benefits all Americans," said George J. Ryan. "Nationwide the Jones Act trades routinely top 1 billion tons. Virtually all our imports and exports move over water. The Harbor Services User Fee the administration wants to impose on waterborne commerce will so raise the cost of Great Lakes shipping that more than a little cargo will be diverted to the railroads and Canadian ports. This nation funded O&M dredging from general revenues until 1986 and that’s the way it should be again. The Great Lakes Maritime Task Force pledges its full support in Jim’s campaign to return to a system that built the world’s finest system of ports and waterways."
Founded in 1992, the Great Lakes Maritime Task Force is dedicated to promoting domestic and international shipping on the Great Lakes. Its membership represents both labor and management from ship operators, shipboard unions, longshoremen, Great Lakes shipyards, dredging companies and others involved in waterborne commerce. GLMTF is considered one of the leading advocates of the Jones Act and other U.S. Cabotage laws which reserve domestic waterborne commerce to vessels that are U.S.-owned, -built and -crewed.
For more information, contact:
Glen G. Nekvasil
Secretary, Great Lakes Maritime Task Force
(216) 861-0592