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Mark Kirk News

06 Aug 2014

EPA: Waukegan Harbor Cleanup Complete

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the completion of all cleanup work required to remove Waukegan Harbor from the binational list of Great Lakes Areas of Concern. EPA Regional Administrator Susan Hedman was joined for the announcement at Waukegan Harbor by Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk, U.S. Representative Brad Schneider and Mayor Wayne Motley. Waukegan Harbor was one of 43 contaminated sites on the Great Lakes designated as a Great Lakes Area of Concern by the United States and Canada under the 1987 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. “Today is a great day for Waukegan Harbor and for Lake Michigan,” Hedman said.

07 Feb 2014

Senators Seek Funding for Great Lakes Maintenance

Photo: Chad Scott

A bipartisan group of Great Lakes senators, led by Great Lakes Task Force co-chairs Sen. Carl Levin and Sen. Mark Kirk, wrote today to Army Corps of Engineers leaders, urging them to direct additional funding for harbor maintenance projects to reduce the backlog of projects in the Great Lakes. The letter, from members of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force to Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy and Chief of Engineers Lt. Gen. Thomas Bostick, asks that…

11 Apr 2013

WCI Executives Endorse Senate Waterway Bills

WCI President/CEO Michael J. Toohey

Waterways Council, Inc.’s (WCI) Executive Committee has endorsed two Senate waterways bills introduced by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL): “Mississippi River Navigation Sustainment Act” (S. 565) and “Water Infrastructure Now Public-Private Partnership Act” (WIN P3) (S. 566), co-sponsored by Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL). S. 565 would “provide for the safe and reliable navigation of the Mississippi River, and for other purposes.” Referring to 2011 flooding in drought conditions in 2012-13…

13 Dec 2012

Durbin: Demolition of Rock Pinnacles Could Begin Next Week

File: Inland pushboat and barges.

At the request of Midwest Senators, Army Corps fast tracked process to keep water and goods moving on the Mississippi River. U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL)  praised the news that a contract has been awarded for the demolition of rock pinnacles in the Mississippi River and the work could begin as early as next week. In a November 29 meeting with Durbin and five other Midwest Senators, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, Jo-Ellen Darcy, agreed to expedite the demolition process in order to help navigation on the Mississippi River.

26 Nov 2012

Building Momentum for America

In Washington, DC, success is often measured in the smallest of increments, especially when we have gridlock in Congress like we have seen this past year. But when it comes to bringing attention to the importance of the inland waterways system to America’s current – and future – prosperity, progress is being made. On September 21, Midwest Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Tom Harkin (D-IA), Mark Kirk (R-IL), and Roy Blunt (R-MO) sent a letter to Senator Barbara Boxer…

04 Oct 2012

Senate Members Petition USACE for Great Lakes Dredging Relief

A Great Lakes Stone Carrier (file photo)

Seasonal Decline in Water Levels Means Great Lakes Dredging Crisis Will Only Worsen. The water levels on the Great Lakes have begun their seasonal decline, so the impacts of the dredging crisis will become even more pronounced in the fourth quarter. Even before the Lakes began their dip, the largest ships were forfeiting more than 6,200 tons of cargo each trip. Each inch that the Lakes decline in the weeks and months ahead will slash another 50 to 270 tons from the already deflated totals. Funding for dredging the Great Lakes has been inadequate for decades.

22 Jun 2007

Trayer Commissioned at RTC

Sailors salute while manning the rails of USS Trayer (BST 21) during the commissioning ceremony for the Navy's newest simulator. Trayer, along with Battle Stations 21, is the culmination of all training received at the Navy's only boot camp. The simulator is a grueling 12-hour test of a recruit's skills in several shipboard evolutions, including fighting fires and stopping floods. The final evolution, now held entirely in the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer simulator, marks a recruit's final rite of passage into the Navy. U.S. Navy photo by Mr. Scott A. By Scott A. The Navy's newest and largest simulator, USS Trayer (BST 21), was commissioned here June 18.