Nearly a year after a U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker helped deliver essential fuel to the community of Nome in the dead of winter, drawing attention to the need for more resources dedicated to Arctic response, the Coast Guard Reauthorization Act is set to pass.
U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, who co-authored the bill, said in a release that the bill includes funding for projects and equipment that will ensure that Alaska doesn't fall behind.
"My colleagues are becoming increasingly aware that the United States must compete with other nations in the Arctic in order to remain competitive in our global economy," Begich said.
Among the items penned in the reauthorization act is a requirement that the Coast Guard halt the scrapping of one of the two heavy icebreaking ships, The Polar Sea. While the vessel may need engine repair, an assessment of whether scrapping it is the most cost effective avenue will be analyzed.
Also included in the bill are funds to study the feasibility of establishing a deep-water port in the Arctic, a hot topic in Alaska's northern communities.
Begich noted that the bill also offers relief to those who work on the docks and require a Transportation Worker Identification Credential, which used to require mariners to make expensive trips twice to get their TWIC card. The bill streamlines the process, and only one trip will be needed.
The bill authorizes the Coast Guard's total annual operation and maintenance funding of $6.9 billion, plus $1.5 billion for acquisition and construction of new vessels, aircraft and shore facilities. That's $170 million more than the Coast Guard got in 2012.
The bill is currently waiting for final approval from the Senate and is expected to pass this week. It has already passed the House.
The preceding report was first published by The Bristol Bay Times-Dutch Harbor Fisherman and is republished here with permission.