The U.S. Senate’s commerce, science and transportation committee has approved an amendment that allots $150 million for a new heavy polar icebreaker.
The amendment, offered by Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, and Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, is attached to a reauthorization act for the U.S. Maritime Administration, or MARAD.
In addition to allocating the money in fiscal year 2017, the amendment authorizes the Coast Guard to begin procuring parts of the new icebreaker and tells the Department of Homeland Security to determine how many icebreakers will be needed for Coast Guard operations in the Arctic.
“As a supporter of an all-of-the-above strategy to rebuild America’s icebreaking capacity, I thank my colleagues on the Commerce Committee for passing this critical piece of legislation out of committee, and I am hopeful it will be considered by the full Senate in the near future,” Sullivan said in a prepared statement.
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