Michigan recently looked around at its lakes and said, “We should probably do more with all this water than just lose sunglasses in it every summer.” The state has big goals to make Michigan the king of freshwater boating and business, and they announced a plan to do just that. Let's dive in (😉) and see what's up!
Here are Five Fast Facts about Michigan's new maritime strategy:
- 💪 Big Picture - Michigan’s new maritime strategy is a 10-year plan designed to grow the state’s tourism, shipping, and port industries while creating good-paying jobs. They want to make sure the "Great" in Great Lakes also stands for "great at making money."
- 🚢 Starting Point - Michigan’s maritime sector already supports about 17k jobs and contributes almost $5 billion a year to the state's economy. That’s a lot of money generated by giant boats moving stuff around while tourists point and say, “Whoa, look at that giant boat.”
- 🚤 All The Fun Things - Water-based tourism in Michigan supports about 45k jobs and brings in nearly $12 billion annually. Turns out people really enjoy lakes, beaches, fishing, and lake pics of Sydney Sweeney (you know you were thinking it, too)!
- 💧 Preserve The Goodness - The strategy includes goals like cleaner fuels, electric vessels, and cutting pollution to help Michigan reach carbon neutrality by 2050. In other words, Michigan wants future cargo ships to be less like smoky floating factories and more like giant water Teslas.
- 💲 Powering Everything - The lakes help power all kinds of businesses across the state while also giving everyone a place to dramatically stare into the distance during summer sunsets. Plus, the Great Lakes contain about 20% of the world’s fresh surface water, so you might as well use that absolutely ridiculous amount of water, right?
🔥Bottom line: Michigan is trying to turn its Great Lakes advantage into even more jobs, tourism, and economic growth while keeping the lakes clean enough that future generations can still see their dropped phones floating gracefully to the bottom. The state’s new maritime strategy is the roadmap to cruising ahead faster than a speedboat full of dads wearing wraparound sunglasses and yelling, “Hold my beer!”
What are your favorite lake activities?
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