Alliance for the Great Lakes Lake Michigan lake bottom by the Illinois legislature to a prominent Chicago university, despite disagreement about the move from other environmental organizations. Decades later, the case "Lake Michigan Federation v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers" is a seminal decision under the Public Trust Doctrine, which prohibits the sale of public Great Lakes resources to private entities. In 2002 and again in 2008, the Alliance helped write and partner with business interests to pass the Great Lakes Legacy Act to fund Area of Concern cleanups. It helped write and pass the Great Lakes Basin Water Resources Compact to set water conservation
The Great Lakes Group towing of vessels and barges, icebreaking, as well as rescue and assistance to grounded or damaged ships with a fleet of nearly forty tugboats stationed throughout U.S. Great Lakes ports. Throughout its corporate history, The Great Lakes Towing Company has always operated a Cleveland Shipyard. Originally located on jefferson Road in the Flats until the Great Cuyahoga River fire in 1952 when it moved to the present site in the Old River Bed, the Shipyard constructed many of its tugs and repaired all of the Towing Company's tugs and barges throughout its history. Great Lakes Shipyard is located in the