The petition, which was prepared with the assistance of CLC, seeks a notice and comment rulemaking on the process and criteria that the SLSDC uses to set the spring opening date of St. Lawrence Seaway. The petition addresses the history of the St. Lawrence Seaway opening controversy, the legal and policy requirements for a notice and comment rulemaking, the environmental and safety concerns associated with early spring opening, and the numerous concerns raised by the public to the SLSDC regarding the opening date. On March 31, he the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) joined STR’s petition. In his letter to the SLSDC, the DEC Commissioner cites the DEC’s historic concern over environmental and safety issues associated with early spring opening dates.
