Senator Grant Hauschild calls for the reinstatement of Grand Marais Coast Guard station

Following the recent Lake Superior drowning of two 18-year-old men near Silver Bay, State Senator Grant Hauschild (DFL) has called on the U.S. Coast Guard to reopen the Grand Marais Coast Guard Station.

In a press release, Hauschild stated, “Our U.S. Coast Guard personnel have one of the most dangerous jobs out there, and I commend them for their response to the incident outside of Silver Bay. Given the dangers Lake Superior poses to residents and tourists along the Northshore, I am requesting that the U.S. Coast Guard reevaluate their decision to close the Grand Marais Station.”

The Coast Guard said it closed the station in Grand Marais because it received less than one call per year for the last ten years.

Established in 1928, the Coast Station was closed in the fall of 2022. From 1988 until it was shuttered, the station was staffed with four people in the summer month responsible for covering an area of Lake Superior from the border of Canada, including Isle Royale.

Senator Hauschild sent a formal letter requesting the reevaluation and reinstatement of the Grand Marais Coast Guard Station to U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Linda Fagen on Friday, June 30th, 2023. He also sent the letter to the Minnesota Federal Delegation, including U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, U.S. Senator Tina Smith, and U.S. Congressman Pete Stauber.

Given the gap left from the closure of the Grand Marais Station, Senator Hauschild secured $3 million in the 2023 Judiciary and Public Safety Omnibus Bill for the Cook County Sheriff ’s Office and Grand Portage Band of Chippewa to purchase boats, emergency equipment, training, and personnel to respond to emergencies along the Northshore. Senator Hauschild also secured $240,000 to help Grand Portage hire an emergency response coordinator.

Senator Hauschild added, “The emergency response partnership between Cook County and the Grand Portage Band is the first of its kind in the nation. This is a true testament to the relationship these local entities have formed over the years and will help us address the gap in safety response along the Northshore, given the departure of the U.S. Coast Guard at the Grand Marais Station. Despite this effort, I will continue to call on the U.S. Coast Guard to reinstate the Grand Marais Station.”