The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (GLS) has announced that nine U.S. ports in the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System received its Robert J. Lewis Pacesetter Award for recording increases in international cargo tonnage shipped through their ports during the 2022 navigation season.

“Every year, more than 36 million metric tons of cargo pass through the St. Lawrence Seaway, supporting nearly a quarter of a million jobs and made possible by ports throughout the Great Lakes region,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “We are proud to announce this year’s winners of the Robert J. Lewis Pacesetter Award, which honors Great Lakes ports that have made significant strides in moving goods through the supply chain so they can reach the communities that need them.”

More than 237,000 jobs and $35 billion in economic activity are supported annually by the movement of cargoes on the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System. The nine ports earning the Robert J. Lewis Pacesetter Award for 2022 are: Port of Buffalo (N.Y.); Port of Chicago (Ill.); Port of Cleveland (Ohio); Port of Manitowoc, (Wis.); Port Milwaukee (Wis.); Port of Monroe (Mich.); Port of Oswego (N.Y.); Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority (N.Y.); and Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority (Ohio).