Governor Hassan Urges Congressional Delegation to Support Senator Shaheen's Naval Shipyard Bill

Press Release

In order to help maintain the operations at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard that are critical to national defense and New Hampshire's economy, Governor Maggie Hassan today sent a letter to New Hampshire's Congressional delegation urging their support of Senator Jeanne Shaheen's bill to provide for the repair, recapitalization, and certification of dry docks at Naval shipyards (S.2853).

"The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is responsible for the overhaul, repair and modernization of Virginia- and Los Angeles-class submarines -- a crucial contribution to our country's security efforts," Governor Hassan wrote. "These nuclear-powered attack submarines perform a variety of critical missions, and it is essential to keep our submarine fleet well-maintained and up-to-date."

In addition to its critical national security role, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard spurs economic development on the Seacoast and throughout the region, employing 6,099 people with a civilian payroll of $482 million and a total economic impact of over $732 million in 2015.

"We must ensure that the dry dock facilities at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard enable our workers to complete their essential work -- including ensuring that all of the dry docks at the Shipyard are capable of supporting Virginia-class submarines," Governor Hassan wrote. "Senator Shaheen's bill is a crucial measure for our country's defense and for our state, and I urge you to do whatever is in your power to support this important effort -- and to fight any effort to reduce operations at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard."

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