S 4570
116th Congress
Senate
Transportation and Public Works
Canada
Coast guard
Congressional oversight
Great Lakes
Marine and inland water transportation
Navigation, waterways, harbors
Performance measurement
Great Lakes Winter Commerce Act of 2020
Introduced: September 15, 2020
Introduced by:
Baldwin, Tammy
Democratic
· Wisconsin
See on congress.gov
Everywhere this bill has been
2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Sep 15, 2020
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Sep 15, 2020
Introduced in Senate
Plain-English summary
Great Lakes Winter Commerce Act of 2020
This bill directs the U.S. Coast Guard to conduct icebreaking operations in the Great Lakes in accordance with specific performance standards.
Specifically, the Coast Guard must
- keep channels and harbors in the Great Lakes open to navigation not less than 90% of the hours that commercial vessels and ferries attempt to transit ice-covered waterways;
- in a year in which the Great Lakes are not open to navigation because of ice of a thickness that occurs on average only once every 10 years, keep channels and harbors open to navigation at least 70% of the hours that commercial vessels and ferries attempt to transit ice-covered waterways; and
- coordinate Great Lakes icebreaking operations with operators of commercial vessels.
The Coast Guard must prioritize icebreaking in the United States waters of the Great Lakes over icebreaking in Canadian waters of the Great Lakes.
What's happening now
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Committees of jurisdiction
1