Grand Valley State University website has posted the full report, fact sheet and peer report of “Ocean Shipping in the Great Lakes: Transportation Cost Increases That Would Result from a Cessation of Ocean Vessel Shipping” by Dr. John C. Taylor and Mr. James L. Roach.
http://www.gvsu.edu/business/index.cfm?id=11971F16-DBAF-2179-96B0680A95CC6F83
Highlights include:
· The cessation of ocean shipping on the Great Lakes would result in a transportation cost penalty of US$54.9 million per year.
· Ocean vessels on the Lakes make only a modest contribution (5.9%) to total transportation cost savings for users of the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence System.
· Findings are relevant to the growing debate over whether or not ocean ships in the Lakes provide sufficient benefits to society, given the much larger costs of ocean borne invasive species.
· An expert peer panel reviewed the Taylor and Roach research publicly in Chicago, IL on November 30th and found the methodology acceptable.
· The expert peer panel made suggestions on how to extend and improve the study, and believed the suggestions would result in a decreased estimated value of ocean shipping on the Great Lakes –St. Lawrence System.