Cantwell Calls for New Fleet of Icebreakers, Refurbishing POLAR SEA

Statement

Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), a member of the Senate Commerce Committee and one of the Senate's leading voices on Coast Guard and Arctic issues, called on the Obama Administration to take the United States Arctic leadership to the next level by funding a new fleet of polar icebreakers and refurbishing the Coast Guard Cutter, the POLAR SEA.

"As the sole provider of the nation's icebreaking capabilities, the Coast Guard is falling short in its capacity to conduct its statutory mission requirements in the Polar regions. The United States cannot stand by, vulnerable, as we wait to build our own fleet over the next decade," continued Cantwell.

While President Obama announced that he plans to include funding for new icebreakers in his FY2017 budget request, the U.S. continues to lag behind other Arctic nations such as Russia, which currently operates 29 icebreakers compared to the two ice breakers operated by the U.S. Russia has six icebreakers under construction with plans for five additional icebreakers.

"I strongly support your proposed plan to speed up the acquisition of new Coast Guard heavy icebreakers. Moving forward, I urge you to take this plan a step further by also refurbishing the Coast Guard icebreaker POLAR SEA to ensure that the United States is able to effectively, efficiently, safely, and consistently operate in the Polar regions," said Cantwell in the letter.

For the last decade, Cantwell has championed efforts to improve the United States icebreaker fleet. Adequate investment in the U.S. polar icebreaking fleet is particularly vital to the men, women and families in the Coast Guard based in Seattle, WA. Coast Guard members' safety and ability to protect our nation's environmental and national security priorities is dependent on the resources provided to them.

Earlier this year, Senator Cantwell held a hearing on U.S. strategy in the Arctic and introduced bipartisan legislation, the Icebreaker Recapitalization Act to authorize the Navy to construct up to six heavy icebreakers to be designed and operated by the Coast Guard. In March, she also led a bipartisan letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security to request additional funding for the Coast Guard in Fiscal Year 2016--including funding for icebreakers.

Last year, Cantwell cosponsored legislation that would have approved the Coast Guard to overhaul the heavy icebreaker Polar Sea, now idle at Seattle's Pier 36, and return it to service. While the Coast Guard is in dire need of new polar icebreakers, it will take up to 10 years for a new icebreaker to come online. Refurbishing the Polar Sea is the only way to maintain Coast Guard heavy icebreaking capability as the U.S. builds the new fleet. In 2012, Congress passed the Cantwell amendment, which prevented the Polar Sea from going to the scrapyard. Cantwell has long advocated for strengthening our nation's fleet of polar icebreakers and for protecting the Polar Sea.

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