The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors & Premiers Regional Maritime Strategy is designed to double maritime trade, shrink the environmental footprint of the region’s transportation network, and support the region’s industrial core. The Governors and Premiers lead a regional coalition including industry, government, and other key partners focused on the following areas:

Growing Markets · Cruising · International
Investing in Infrastructure · Federal/State/ Provincial/Local · Private
Advocating Federal Priorities Soo Locks System Management
Stimulating Innovation · Smart Ships · Smart Infrastructure

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.

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