[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 23 (Monday, March 6, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1186-S1187]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          AMENDMENTS SUBMITTED

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                 COAST GUARD AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 1999

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                ABRAHAM (AND OTHERS) AMENDMENT NO. 2882

  (Ordered referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation)
  Mr. ABRAHAM (for himself, Mr. Feingold, Mr. Lugar, Mr. DeWine, Mr. 
Santorum, Mr. Wellstone, Mr. Kohl, Mr. Voinovich, Mr. Grams, Mr. Levin, 
and Mr. Bayh) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by them to 
the bill (S. 1089) to authorize appropriations for fiscal years 2000 
and 2001 for the United States Coast Guard, and for other purposes; as 
follows:

       On page 4, beginning on line 8, strike ``$350,326,000'' and 
     all that follows through page 4, line 12, and insert the 
     following: ``$488,326,000, to remain available until 
     expended, of which--
       ``(A) $20,000,000 shall be derived from the Oil Spill 
     Liability Trust Fund to carry out the purposes of section 
     1012(a)(5) of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990; and
       ``(B) $128,000,000 shall be available for construction or 
     acquisition of a replacement vessel for the Coast guard 
     icebreaker MACKINAW.''.

 Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. President, I rise today, along with several 
of my fellow Great Lakes Senators, to introduce an amendment to Senate 
Bill 1089, the Coast Guard Authorization Act. I want to thank Senators 
DeWine, Feingold, Grams, Kohl, Lugar, Santorum, Voinovich, and 
Wellstone for their support and commitment to the continued presence of 
a suitable and reliable heavy icebreaking capability on the Great 
Lakes. The purpose of our amendment is to authorize adequate funding to 
replace the current Great Lakes icebreaker, the Mackinaw, which is 
scheduled for decommissioning in 2006.
  Mr. President, heavy icebreaking on the Great Lakes is vital to the 
region's industry. Each year, almost 200 million tons of cargo travel 
across the Great Lakes, including 70 percent of U.S. steel. 
Transportation of U.S. steel alone directly affects 108,000 jobs, and 
indirectly affects 400,000.
  Shipping on the Great Lakes faces a unique challenge because the 
season begins and ends in ice. Windrows, slabs of broken ice piled atop 
each other by the wind, can reach 15 feet in thickness. The Mackinaw, 
with 12,000 horsepower packed into her 290-foot-long hull has kept 
commerce moving even under the most trying conditions since 1944. The 
presence of the Mackinaw improves shipping efficiency, reliability, and 
competition. Further, shipping provides a more environmentally sound 
alternative to surface transportation, because maritime shipments use 
less fuel and produce fewer emissions than rail and truck alternatives.
  Mr. President, after over 55 years of service, the Mackinaw's 
productive life is nearing an end. The Coast Guard has committed to 
keeping the cutter in service until 2006, when it hopes to have a 
replacement vessel operating. To meet this important deadline, funds to 
construct a multi-purpose heavy icebreaker must be included in the 
fiscal year 2001 budget, which is why I have joined with the 
aforementioned Great Lakes Senators in seeking authorization. In 
addition, I and several other Senators have sent various letters 
requesting appropriations for the Mackinaw, as well as an assumption 
within the fiscal year 2001 budget resolution for this funding.
  The construction of a multi-purpose vessel designed to perform 
icebreaking operations will bring the cutter's mission profile in line 
with Coast Guard employment standards while improving the efficiency of 
the Great Lakes fleet performance. Extensive studies and modeling 
validate the feasibility of a multi-purpose design. Additionally, the 
multi-mission design is less than 4 percent more expensive than a 
single-purpose design, and provides a more robust Great Lakes fleet by 
increasing the number of available operational days by 38 percent.
  Without a heavy icebreaker, the Great Lakes shipping season could be 
shortened by as much as 10 weeks, causing a host of problems for which 
there are few solutions and none of which are in the region's best 
interests. We must appropriate these funds this year, and to do that we 
should make sure that the authorization bill provides for this 
important one-time expense so that there will be no doubt as to the 
intent of Congress on this important project.

[[Page S1187]]

  And Mr. President, let me just inform my colleagues that this is not 
simply a Great Lakes issue. The winter Great Lakes maritime commerce 
dependent upon the availability of a heavy icebreaker is the same 
maritime commerce that delivers iron ore to steel mills along the 
Eastern Seaboard and the South, the same maritime commerce that 
delivers aggregates to the Mid-Atlantic, and the same maritime commerce 
that delivers agricultural projects throughout the United States and 
overseas. With that in mind, I ask for the support of all of my 
colleagues to assure the continued operation of Great Lakes icebreaking 
through the full funding of the Great Lakes ice breaker in fiscal year 
2001.
 Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, today I join my good friend from 
Michigan, Senator Abraham, and the rest of the Great Lakes delegation 
in sponsoring this very important amendment to provide funds for the 
construction of a new ice-breaking vessel to replace the Mackinaw. 
Stationed on the Great Lakes, the Mackinaw operates during the ice 
season, which lasts from December 15th through April 15th. My 
colleagues from the Great Lakes region know the importance of this 
vessel during those 4 months. Without this boat, regional commerce on 
the water would be significantly impaired. Approximately 14 million 
tons of cargo are moved on the Great Lakes during the ice season. This 
cargo includes iron ore, coal, limestone, cement, and grain. These 
resources are necessary to our entire country and our economy.
  In addition to the economic need for ice-breaking on the Great Lakes, 
there are national defense implications. The Mackinaw was christened in 
1944 to meet our nation's wartime need for iron ore. Today, more than 
70 percent of our nation's steelmaking capacity is located in the Great 
Lakes basin. Should our country ever become embroiled in a protracted 
military crisis, our ability to transit the Lakes during periods of ice 
cover would be crucial.
  Mr. President, the Mackinaw is showing signs of its age, and the time 
has come to replace the vessel. After several years of studying a 
replacement design, the Coast Guard has concluded that a multi-purpose 
ice-breaking vessel is the preferred option. Not only will this 
replacement ship perform ice-breaking services, but it also will 
maintain floating aids-to-navigation. Compared with the construction of 
a single-purpose icebreaker, the multi-mission design increases the 
number of available operational days by 38 percent.
  Constructing a multi-purpose ice-breaking vessel is a common-sense 
solution to address the needs of the Great Lakes. I urge my colleagues 
to support this amendment.

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