Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2012 Amendments

Floor Speech

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Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

I rise in support of the resolution introduced by my colleague from New Jersey (Mr. LoBiondo), the chairman of the subcommittee.

Before I begin my remarks, I want to join the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mica), and of course the many others, in offering my condolences to the entire Coast Guard family for the tragic loss of one of their shipmates during a drug interdiction operation in the waters off of southern California this past weekend. We all recognize that the servicemen and -women of the Coast Guard willingly and routinely expose themselves to highly dangerous conditions on behalf of our Nation. Nevertheless, it is a profound tragedy when a servicemember makes that sacrifice, and our thoughts and prayers are with the Coast Guard at this time.

The legislation I stand in support of today has been developed as a compromise over the past 2 months during negotiations with the Senate. It would amend H.R. 2838, the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2012, that passed the House last November, and it also incorporates numerous provisions from the amendments to H.R. 2838 that cleared the Senate in September. And I appreciate the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. LoBiondo) for his willingness to work with me on this legislation in a bipartisan and open manner. I'm confident in saying that this bill embodies a fair and bipartisan compromise for everyone involved and that we can feel proud of this work.

As the ranking member of the Coast Guard Subcommittee, it's been a high priority for me to advance policies to revitalize and expand our domestic maritime industries, and this legislation marks a significant achievement in doing just that. It creates jobs in the shipbuilding industry by taking vital steps towards improving our icebreaker fleet and finishing the program of record for Response Boat-Medium.

Earlier this year, I had a chance to visit job-creating shipyards that will be a part of the modernization effort of the Coast Guard. These shipyards provide good-paying jobs for hardworking engineers, welders, electricians, and mechanics all over the Northwest and throughout the country. The reauthorization of the Maritime Administration will improve the fortunes of those shipyards, and I am pleased that that is included in this bill as well.

But we've also, in authorizing the Coast Guard, reformed a number of key programs. The Coast Guard has one of the most expansive missions in the Federal Government. This multimission maritime military service is responsible for a broad range of activities, including mariner licensing, emergency oil spill response, vessel inspections, and navigation safety. The Coast Guard remains indispensable to the maintenance of a reliable and secure marine supply chain that supports maritime cargo operations, which contribute $649 billion annually to the U.S. GDP, sustaining more than 13 million jobs.

This legislation authorizes funding levels for both the Coast Guard and the Reserve that provide for increased funding levels in fiscal years `13 and `14 over the fiscal year `12 level.

I believe the funding levels in the bill remain insufficient to address the documented needs of the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard has been asked to do more with less, and I'm afraid that their only choice during this time of budget uncertainty is to do less with less, and that's just wrong. So while I would prefer these levels to be higher, I understand that these funding levels are likely the best that can be provided under the constraints.

We must be aware, however, that funding levels in this legislation are absent any consideration of what will be needed to address the estimated $260 million in damages to Coast Guard facilities in the Northeast as a result of Hurricane Sandy. These costs will be addressed in the future, I assume.

And I want to highlight, as well, that this legislation contains several provisions that will improve the Coast Guard's readiness and capabilities in the increasingly important Arctic region. Specifically, this bill directs the Coast Guard to complete a business case analysis to assess the cost-effectiveness of reactivating its heavy icebreaker, the Polar Sea. This analysis is overdue and it is vitally important.

At present, the Coast Guard has only one icebreaker, the Healy. Although the Coast Guard expects, in 2013, to reactivate the other heavy icebreaker, the Polar Star, the plain fact remains that the Coast Guard's icebreaker fleet remains severely undercapitalized and overextended. As it will be years before a new icebreaker can be delivered, it's essential that we make informed decisions on the Polar Sea now in order to have a balanced assessment of Coast Guard polar icebreaker capabilities in the near term.

This legislation also advances provisions that address many administrative, personnel, procurement, and regulatory issues affecting the Coast Guard; specifically, several new authorities to bring the Coast Guard into parity with the other armed services have been included. Additionally, this legislation contains new authorities that will improve the efficiency and oversight of the Coast Guard's major acquisition programs, especially new advanced procurement authority and development of multiyear capital investment programs.

The bill includes language I authored that requires the Coast Guard to complete the procurement of 180 Response Boat-Mediums, or RB-Ms, as originally planned in the program of record for this vessel. This is a critical piece of maritime security, and the completion of these boats will lead to additional job creation in small shipyards.

Besides addressing the needs of the Coast Guard, this legislation also advances several important initiatives to support the U.S. Merchant Marine:

Title III of the legislation protects the Jones Act by strengthening the review and notice requirements for future administrative waivers. This provision, originally called for in H.R. 3202, the American Mariner Jobs Protection Act, should help preserve more opportunities for U.S. carriers and seafarers. The title also provides for a formal authorization for the Committee on the Maritime Transportation System;

Title IV of the legislation includes several provisions that will improve the Maritime Administration's ability to accept, manage, and recycle vessels held in the National Defense Reserve Fleet;

I'm also pleased title VI reauthorizes the Marine Debris Research, Reduction, and Prevention Act. More and more marine debris from the 2011 Japanese tsunami continues to wash up on the shores of the Pacific coast, including in my State of Washington. Japan, in the midst of a recovery from this disaster, though, has shown extraordinary leadership and friendship with the United States by recently announcing that they will donate directly $5 million to debris cleanup.

It is important that we reauthorize the Marine Debris Act to ensure that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has the authority it needs to work with States to address this threat.

I very much appreciate the cooperation of Chairman LoBiondo for including this important environmental measure, and I also applaud my colleagues, Mr. Thompson and Mr. Farr, for their work to see this program reauthorized.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, this legislation reflects a fair and balanced compromise. We have an obligation to support the Coast Guard and support our U.S. merchant marine. A safe and secure maritime environment is good for job creation, good for the economy, and good for the American people. In my estimation, this legislation fulfills that obligation. I urge its passage today, and I just briefly want to thank once again Mr. LoBiondo for his incredible work to be bipartisan, open, and transparent in working to bring this legislation to passage.

With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

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