Studies: Monroe, Toledo ports support local economy, bring jobs to area

The Monroe News
·3 min read

Both the Port of Monroe and the Port of Toledo reported increases in tonnage that moved through their facilities in 2022.

Monroe's port saw a 10% increase to 2,513,890 tons received, a news release from the port said, while Toledo's grew 2.24% to 11,684,394 short tons, according to the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority. It was the most the Toledo port had handled since 2007.

The DTE Monroe Power Plant received 1,753,772 short tons of coal and petroleum coke at the Port of Monroe as well as 246,745 tons of limestone. The port also undertook a large wind energy project that saw 90 wind tower sections manufactured in Monroe by Ventower Industries exported to Oswego, New York.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer addresses local leaders, Port of Monroe staff, and others after touring the Port on Monday, April 3, 2023. The Port will become the first in Michigan to build a container terminal after receiving a $5 million grant from the state and additional funding from the federal government. The MV James R. Barker, an American bulk carrier that operates on the upper four North American Great Lakes, was docked Monday at the Port.

A new study released in July showed the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority supports $906 million in economic activity and nearly 8,000 jobs, according to the document “Economic Impacts of Maritime Shipping in the Port of Toledo.” The report discussed contributions of the Port of Toledo and Great Lakes Seaway Shipping to the city of Toledo, Lucas County, state of Ohio and the Great Lakes region.

The study reported that in 2022, the Port of Toledo and maritime commerce supported:

  • 7,971 jobs

  • $906.2 million in economic activity

  • $708.6 million in personal income and local consumption expenditures

  • $183.2 million in federal and state/local tax revenue

“The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority had an excellent year in 2022,” Thomas J. Winston, president and CEO of the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, said. “The results from this year’s study indicate an increase of 888 new jobs and more than $237 million in additional economic activity compared to data reported in the 2018 study. This increase can be mostly contributed to the addition of the Cleveland-Cliffs Toledo Direct Reduction Plant at Ironville in East Toledo.”

The study was prepared by Martin Associates of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It was commissioned by a consortium of U.S. and Canadian Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Seaway System stakeholders. The study sponsors were: Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, the American Great Lakes Ports Association, the Chamber of Marine Commerce, the Lake Carriers’ Association, and the Shipping Federation of Canada.

Monroe was not broken out in this year's study. A study by Martin Associates in 2018 of economic activity supported by the Port of Monroe showed that the port supported:

  • 1,659 jobs

  • $37.6 million in personal income and local consumption expenditures

  • $38.5 million in federal and state/local tax revenue

The 2018 report did not give a total economic activity amount.

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The “Economic Impacts of Maritime Shipping in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Region,” a year-long study of the economic impacts of the entire Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway navigation system, also was released in July. The study revealed that Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway shipping supports $36 billion in economic activity and more than 240,000 jobs. In 2022, 135.7 million metric tons of raw materials and finished goods were delivered by commercial vessels serving critical industries such as agriculture, construction, energy, and steelmaking.

To view the "Economic Impacts of Maritime Shipping in the Port of Toledo" full report, visit tinyurl.com/yadkms56.

To view the "Economic Impacts of Maritime Shipping in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Region" full report, visit tinyurl.com/y8de7u8e.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Studies: Monroe, Toledo ports support local economy