MARQUETTE, MI— U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow wants to nail down some of her priorities before she retires in 2024.
At a meeting with business leaders at Northern Michigan University in Marquette Tuesday, the Democrat said she wants to focus on protecting the Great Lakes. She also wants to make sure construction of a second large lock in Sault Sainte Marie is completed.
“We have one big lock that takes the big freighters coming down from the St. Lawrence Seaway. If that shuts down, we are in deep trouble, and we are on borrowed time. We are lucky that that has not shut down.”
The new lock is in Phase III of construction and is scheduled to be completed in 2030.
Stabenow noted a fact that keeps her up at night is the Great Lakes are warming faster than the oceans due to the climate crisis. Lake Superior is now one of the five fastest-warming lakes in the world.
Behavioral health insurance is also important to the senator. She said healthcare above the head should be treated the same as below the head, and people with behavioral health issues should be able to get treatment as quickly as they do for physical conditions.
Stabenow said she never intended to get into politics, but she liked solving problems through the public. She urges others to keep up the good fight.
“Don’t give up on government. Don’t give up on our democracy. That’s when bad things happen.”
The senator will have served 24 years in the Senate by the time she leaves office at the end of next year.
