For vessels using the U.S. locks at Sault Ste. Marie (there are both U.S. and Canadian locks), it would be possible to charge some sort of fee for vessels using the U.S. locks that did not have a U.S. port of call. In the St. Clair River, the problem becomes a little more difficult, since there is no easy way to collect a toll on that part of the system. I am not quite sure how this issue ought to be handled other than that from the standpoint of movements to or from U.S. ports, the connecting channels should be considered part of the system and there should be no user charge.

Set the non-federal share of the construction costs of new projects or the deepening of existing ports should be based on a sliding scale which starts at 25% for projects with depths between 14 feet and 35 feet and increases for projects with depths greater than 35 feet.

The Federal government has a substantial interest in the operation of a viable port network which contributes to regional and national economic development and the national defense. Because of these reasons and the high cost to construct new port facilities and to deepen existing ports, the federal government should provide most of the funds for these projects. The deeper the project, the larger the vessels and thus cargoes which can be handled at a port and the greater is the ability of the port to pay a higher share of the construction costs.

Develop fast tracking procedures for appropriate economic and environmental analyses to shorten the approval and implementation process for navigation projects.

Under current project authorization and review procedures, the average navigation project requires nearly 25 years between project authorization and construction. Fast-tracking procedures, which set forth specific time periods for actions by federal agencies, should be included in user charge legislation to significantly shorten the project development timeframe.

CONCLUSION

The State of Illinois is very concerned about the various issues involved with imposing user charges on cargoes shipped through deep-draft ports. The impact on shipments to and from Great Lakes ports could be quite substantial. We feel that it is most important that tolls on the U.S. portion of the St. Lawrence Seaway be eliminated if deep-draft user charges are adopted. The State also encourages the Subcommittee not to take final action on user charge legislation until the Great Lakes User Charge Study has been completed and the findings and recommendations reviewed.

Thank you for the opportunity to present Illinois' concerns and

recommendations. These legislative proposals will have a significant economic impact on shipping through deep-draft ports. It is important that any legislation treat all parts of the country and all types of shipments equitably and rationally. I feel Illinois' recommendations would help the proposed legislation achieve these objectives.