{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/photos-senator-peters-stops-in-traverse-city-and-sault-ste-marie-on-day-2-of-annual-motorcycle-tour", "PHOTOS: Senator Peters Stops in Traverse City and Sault Ste. Marie on Day 2 of Annual Motorcycle Tour", "2024-08-08", "2024", "2024-08", "Democrat", "Senate", "MI", "Gary C. Peters", "P000595", "www.peters.senate.gov", "garypeters", "https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "TRAVERSE CITY, MI \u2013 U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) visited the FishPash construction project in downtown Traverse City today during his annual motorcycle tour across Michigan. Peters then rode to Sault Ste. Marie to visit the Soo Locks and discuss the ongoing construction of a critical new lock system. Peters \u2013 an avid and longtime motorcycle rider \u2013 was joined by guest riders on his tour. Peters made stops in Kalamazoo and Wyoming yesterday and will ride to Sanford tomorrow. Peters will ride about 800 miles across the state on this year\u2019s tour.\n\nIn Traverse City, Peters highlighted how the FishPass project will support Great Lakes ecology and fisheries. FishPash serves as the capstone of the nearly 20-year project that has brought together federal, state, local, and Tribal partners to restore more than 100 miles of the Boardman (Ottaway) River. The project will replace the deteriorating Union Street Dam and reconnect the Boardman (Ottaway) River to Lake Michigan\u2019s Grand Traverse Bay. Once completed, FishPash will have the ability to sort and selectively pass desirable fish through the dam while blocking harmful invasive species, such as sea lamprey, from traveling up the river. The project will also support local restaurant and recreation businesses by supporting recreational opportunities on the river. Peters helped secure $6.4 million in federal funding for FishPass through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI).\n\n\u201cThis project is a reflection of the passion and commitment that Michiganders have for protecting our Great Lakes and their waterways,\u201d said Senator Peters. \u201cThe Great Lakes aren\u2019t just a feature of our state, they are in our DNA, and the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative plays a vital role in ensuring they remain healthy and vibrant for future generations. It\u2019s among my top priorities to make sure the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative continues to have the resources it needs to support critical projects like FishPash.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe are grateful to be surrounded by freshwater in Traverse City, and this community has always worked to be a good steward of these treasured resources,\u201d said Traverse City Mayor Amy Shamroe. \u201cI want to thank Senator Peters for helping to secure funding for FishPass, which will help protect our waterways and bring new opportunities for research and education to downtown Traverse City.\u201d\n\n\u201cFishPash is the final step that will help us achieve our goal of reconnecting the waters of Grand Traverse Bay to the more than 100 miles of river that lie above it,\u201d said Carl Platz, Great Lakes Program Manager, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. \u201cI want to thank Senator Peters for working alongside the Army Corps to help us get to this point, and I look forward to officially seeing FishPash come online.\u201d\n\n\u201cDams stop dangerous invasive species in their tracks but they also deny beneficial species access to rivers,\u201d said Marc Gaden, Executive Secretary of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. \"Innovative solutions like FishPash will help us 'smarten up' dams by sorting good species from bad and allowing desirable fish back into our rivers. This project is of utmost importance to Great Lakes and stream ecosystems, and we are thankful to have a partner like Senator Peters who helped us secure the resources needed to get this project started.\u201d\n\n\u201cFishPass provides us with an opportunity to protect our natural resources and enable native fish to travel back into our Tribal lands once again,\u201d said Sandra Witherspoon, Chairwoman of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. \u201cWe thank Senator Peters for supporting this project, which will help our preserve our Tribal cultures and traditions for future generations.\u201d\n\nThe Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) has provided roughly $4 billion to fund more than 8,000 projects throughout the Great Lakes Basin to combat the greatest threats to the Great Lakes, including invasive species, harmful algal blooms, and loss of fish and wildlife habitats. Since 2010, the GLRI has provided over $1.4 billion to fund more than 3,000 projects in Michigan alone. Peters has championed the GLRI throughout his time in the Senate, including by enacting the single-largest-ever investment in the GLRI through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2022. In 2019, Peters led the effort that secured the first increase in GLRI funding since the program was established a decade ago. Peters introduced legislation earlier this year to reauthorize the GLRI through 2031 and increase the program\u2019s annual funding level.\n\nTo download photos from Peters\u2019 Traverse City event, click HERE.\n\nIn Sault Ste. Marie, Peters highlighted the $450 million he secured as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee for the ongoing Soo Locks construction project. If passed into law, the funding Peters secured in last week\u2019s Fiscal Year 2025 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act should allow the Army Corps to award construction for Phase 3 (New Lock) of the Soo Locks project, putting it on a path towards timely completion. The new lock would improve efficiency of operations, supporting economic growth across Michigan and the country and ensuring our national security by strengthening critical supply chains. Peters was joined by Don Gerrie, Mayor of Sault Ste. Marie, and LeighAnn Ryckeghem, Soo Locks Operations Manager.\n\n\u201cThe Soo Locks are not only important to Sault Ste. Marie\u2019s economy, they are central to our identity as a community,\u201d said Don Gerrie, Mayor of Sault Ste. Marie. \u201cIt is crucial that the Soo Locks remain operational in the Saint Mary\u2019s River, and Senator Peters has been a key partner in our efforts to get this new lock built.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Soo Locks are a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers No-Fail mission, the Poe Lock is noted as being one of the most critical pieces of infrastructure in the nation with 88% of the nation\u2019s iron ore being restricted to the Poe Lock due to vessel size,\u201d said LeighAnn Ryckeghem, Soo Locks Operations Manager. \u201cThe New Lock project will provide much needed resiliency, essential for the Nation\u2019s Manufacturing Supply Chain, Economy, and National Security.\u201d\n\n\u201cNearly 500,000 visitors travel to Sault Ste. Marie to see ships pass through the Soo Locks each year, helping to support the local businesses that keep our economy strong,\u201d said Linda Hoath, Executive Director of the Sault Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. \u201cI want to thank Senator Peters for his work to secure the funding needed for this project, and I look forward to welcoming visitors to Sault Ste. Marie to see the new lock once completed.\u201d\n\nThe Soo Locks are vital to both Michigan\u2019s and our nation\u2019s economy. The Soo Locks allow ships carrying essential cargo \u2013 such as iron ore pellets used to make steel for autos, construction and appliances \u2013 to travel between Lake Superior ports and those in the lower Great Lakes. Reports have indicated that if the existing 55-year-old Poe Lock were to suffer a long closure for any reason, it could lead to a national recession. The new lock system will be the same size as the Poe Lock, the only lock capable of handling the largest vessels that travel through the Great Lakes.\n\nLast week\u2019s funding announcement builds on a $257.4 million federal investment Peters helped secure in Fiscal Year 2024 to support ongoing construction of the new lock. Peters has long fought to fund upgrades for the Soo Locks. In January 2022, Peters joined with U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (MI) to secure $479 million for modernizing the Soo Locks through the bipartisan infrastructure law. In December 2022, they helped pass the bipartisan Water Resources and Development Act as part of the annual national defense bill, including needed funding flexibility for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to keep building a new lock at the Soo on schedule.\n\nTo download photos from Peters\u2019 Sault Ste. Marie event, click HERE.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:36:13Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/photos-senator-peters-stops-in-traverse-city-and-sault-ste-marie-on-day-2-of-annual-motorcycle-tour"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0078041814267635, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}