STATEMENT OF JAMES WEAKLEY, PRESIDENT,
LAKE CARRIERS’ ASSOCIATION, BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE INTERIOR, ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT OF THE
COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM
10:00 a.m., March 6, 2018
“Examining the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers”

Good morning. Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today.
I am Jim Weakley, President of the Lake Carriers’ Association [[LCA). We represent 13 American companies that operate 45 U.S.-flag vessels on the Great Lakes and carry the raw materials that drive the
nation’s economy: iron ore and flux stone for the steel industry, aggregate and cement for the construction industry, coal for power generation, as well as sand and grain.

Collectively, our members can transport more than 100 million tons of dry-bulk cargo per year and employ more than 1,600 men and women, all of whom are U.S. citizens or legally admitted aliens, and provide
annual wages and benefits of approximately $125 million.

In turn, the cargos our members carry generate and sustain more than 103,000 jobs in the eight Great Lakes states and have an annual
economic impact of more than $20 billion.

What is Detroit getting out of the Detroit River.......zilch !!!