Maritime Initiative
What is the GSGP Maritime Initiative?
The Maritime Initiative is our program of work to advance toward three major goals of our Maritime Transportation System Strategy:
Reduce the environmental impact from transportation
Support the region's industrial core
Why does the Great Lakes St. Lawrence maritime system matter?
The Great Lakes St. Lawrence maritime transportation system is one of the region's competitive advantages, a backbone of the $9 trillion (US) regional economy and a key to the region's continuing prosperity. We must continue working together to capitalize on this interconnected transportation system.
What are GSGP's maritime focus areas?
The Governors & Premiers help lead a regional coalition including industry, government, and other key partners focused on the following areas:
Growing Markets
Investing in Infrastructure
Supporting Regional Priorities
Stimulating Innovation
Maritime Initiative progress
In just five years, the Governors’ and Premiers’ leadership resulted in unprecedented progress:
- Secured Congressional authorization for a new Soo Lock
- Launched Cruise the Great Lakes, a regional cruise marketing initiative, and worked with the US federal government and other partners to develop a strategy for passenger customs clearance
- Developed an innovative Smart Ships Initiative:
- Released a Smart Ships Action Plan that includes policy recommendations
- Established the world’s first freshwater smart ships test bed at Michigan Tech University
- Launched the Smart Ships Coalition, a broad stakeholder community of academic, government, industry, and international organizations
- Convened the first Great Lakes St. Lawrence Maritime Days in Washington, DC, and Ottawa
The Governors and Premiers are building on these successes as they continue to improve the maritime system for the benefit of the region’s economy and people.
The Great Lakes St. Lawrence maritime transportation system is one of the region’s competitive advantages, a backbone of the nearly $8 trillion regional economy, and a key to the region’s continuing prosperity. The Governors and Premiers will continue working together to capitalize on this interconnected, inter-jurisdictional transportation system and increase the economic competitiveness of the entire region.
