The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (GLS) is a wholly owned government corporation created by statute May 13, 1954, to construct, operate and maintain that part of the St. Lawrence Seaway between the Port of Montreal and Lake Erie, within the territorial limits of the United States. The mission of the Corporation is to serve the U. S. intermodal and international transportation system by improving the operation and maintenance of a safe, reliable, efficient, and environmentally responsible deep-draft waterway, in cooperation with its Canadian counterpart. The GLS also encourages the development of trade through the Great Lakes Seaway System, which contributes to the comprehensive economic and environmental development of the entire Great Lakes region. The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation was formerly the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (See Pub. L. 116-260).