S.Amdt. 857

SA 857. Mr. LEVIN (for himself, Mr. Schumer, Ms. Baldwin, and Ms. Stabenow) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 601, to provide for the conservation and development of water and related resources, to authorize the Secretary of the Army to construct various projects for improvements to rivers and harbors of the United States, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

On page 71, after line 22, insert the following:

SEC. 2024. OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF GREAT LAKES PROJECTS.

(a) Findings.--Congress finds that--

(1) the Great Lakes Navigation System is a unique resource that supports waterborne commerce critical to the national economy; and

(2) in managing the Great Lakes Navigation System, the Secretary, acting through the Chief of Engineers, should recognize--

(A) the connectivity and interrelationships among the projects; and

(B) the factors that threaten safe navigation conditions throughout the Great Lakes Navigation System, including lake level fluctuations and shoaling caused by major storm events.

(b) Definition of Great Lakes Navigation System.--In this section, the term “Great Lakes Navigation System” has the meaning given the term in section 210(c) of the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 (as added by section 8004(a)).

(c) Management of the Great Lakes Navigation System.--

(1) In general.--To sustain the most effective and efficient operation and maintenance of the Great Lakes Navigation System, the Secretary, acting through the Chief of Engineers, shall manage and allocate funding for all of the individually authorized commercial navigation projects in the Great Lakes Navigation System as components of a single, comprehensive system, recognizing the interdependence of the projects.

(2) Cargo measurements.--Cargo measurements for the purpose of prioritizing annual operations and maintenance budget resources for the Great Lakes Navigation System, and for any of the component projects of the System, shall aggregate the tonnage of all components of the System.