State Rep. Sara Cambensy, D-Marquette, is shown testifying in favor of her House Resolution 160 before the House Committee on Commerce and Tourism in Lansing on Thursday. The resolution calls upon federal agencies and Congress to support Great Lakes infrastructure and Soo Locks reconstruction. (Photo courtesy of House Democrats)

MARQUETTE — A resolution calling upon the federal government to support Great Lakes infrastructure and Soo Locks reconstruction is moving forward.

House Resolution 160, which “urges Congress and federal agencies to provide greater support for ports, harbors and critical Great Lakes infrastructure, including the Soo Locks reconstruction project,” was unanimously approved by the House Committee on Commerce and Tourism on Thursday, according to a press release.

The bill, introduced by state Rep. Sara Cambensy, D-Marquette, in September, is part of a “comprehensive effort to formally call on the federal government to adopt the Great Lakes 2020 Agenda and take meaningful action to protect the health, economy and ecology of Michigan and the Great Lakes region,” the press release from Cambensy’s office states.

“I’m pleased that my resolution urging greater federal support for ports, harbors and critical Great Lakes infrastructure was up for a hearing today in Commerce and Tourism,” Cambensy said in the release. “I appreciate my colleague’s bipartisan unanimous support of this resolution, and their commitment to ensuring the Soo Locks remain strong and viable going forward. It is impossible to overstate the critical importance of the Locks for the regional and national economy. I look forward to continuing to advocate on this issue in the days and weeks ahead.”

With the resolution approved by the House Committee on Commerce and Tourism, the legislation will now move to the House Ways and Means Committee for further consideration, officials said.

“The Soo Locks rank first in the nation in economic significance,” the press release states, because 100% of of iron ore mined in the U.S. — worth $500 billion annually — passes through the Soo Locks, according to a recent U.S. Department of Homeland Security report.

The locks handle 68 million tons of commerce each year and save industries around $2.7 billion in transportation costs each year, officials said. Furthermore, the report found that “if the locks were ever forced to close, it would cause $160 million in decreased economic development within 30 days and the loss of 11 million jobs within six months.” If the locks were to close, 100% of North American auto production would stop within weeks of a closure and the nation’s gross domestic product would decrease by $1.3 trillion.