Great Lakes and St. Lawrence political leaders encourage participation in Green Marine

The Conference of Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers unveiled its first Marine Transportation System (MTS) Strategy last month. The strategy is one of the key actions following the creation of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Maritime Initiative in 2013 to improve the efficiency and competitiveness of this MTS. The goals are to grow the regional economy, increase the internal movement of goods across the region, expand the movement of goods to and from foreign markets, and create jobs. The initiative has cemented the importance of managing the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River as a single integrated system.

Sustainability and environmental performance are viewed as two of the MTS’s greatest strengths. The strategy aims to double maritime trade while shrinking the environmental impact of the region’s transportation network. This includes: reducing air emissions; eliminating new invasive species introductions and reducing the spread-risk of invasive species already present; minimizing shoreline erosion; and, protecting sensitive ecosystems. Green Marine is proud to be included in the final recommendations for the efficiency and environmental performance section of the new strategy as a means towards achieving greater sustainability.

Click here to read the complete strategy.