National Defense Bill to Include New Polar Icebreaker & SW WA Lifeboats Thanks to Cantwell-Secured Provisions

12.09.22

National Defense Bill to Include New Polar Icebreaker & SW WA Lifeboats Thanks to Cantwell-Secured Provisions

NDAA delivers on top Coast Guard priorities: expanded health care, improved staff housing and family-friendly workforce policies

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 350-80 to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). As Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) successfully negotiated the inclusion of the bipartisan Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022 and U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) Reauthorization Act, as well as an Oceans and Atmosphere amendment. The NDAA is expected to pass the Senate next week.

These three major NDAA provisions championed by Sen. Cantwell provide unique benefits to Washington state.

The $18.9 billion for FY 2023 budgeted in the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022 includes funding for several major priorities for Washington state, including a new polar icebreaker to be homeported in Seattle, new 52-foot Motor Lifeboat replacement vessels that would be homeported in Ilwaco and Grays Harbor, and legislation to address health care and housing challenges faced by Coasties at remote postings like Cape Disappointment and Neah Bay.

Sen. Cantwell said the following when she introduced the bipartisan Coast Guard Authorization Act in September 2022: "The Coast Guard keeps our maritime economy moving and our ports and waterways secure. This bill makes the investments needed to support that core mission, and will also help the Coast Guard crack down on illegal fishing, improve oil spill response, and bolster our nation's presence in the Arctic. The bill will help save lives in Southwest Washington, by authorizing new 52-foot Motor Lifeboat replacements that will be homeported in Washington at Ilwaco and Grays Harbor and support more than 200 open-water search and rescue operations, there, each year.

"The bill also invests in the Coast Guard's most valuable resource: its people. We must expand training and education opportunities for Coasties to support future mission needs, and improve housing, childcare, and medical services so that the Coast Guard can recruit and retain a cutting edge and diverse workforce."

The Coast Guard Authorization Act, MARAD and the Oceans and Atmosphere amendment all include Cantwell-led provisions to protect the health of the Puget Sound habitat for orcas and Chinook. Details about those programs can be found HERE.

The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022 includes:

• A New Polar Icebreaker: The bill authorizes $167.2 million to continue acquisition of the third Polar Security Cutter, along with $1 million to establish the Arctic Security Cutter program office to support the future of maritime commerce, climate research and environmental protection in the Arctic. The bill authorizes $150 million for a new U.S. built commercially available icebreaker to be homeported in Seattle, that will be operated by the Coast Guard and support National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) research missions to include climate, fisheries and other needs. Together, these are a major step forward in boosting operational capacity in the Arctic to support transportation, tourism, research, national security and environmental protection missions.
• Replacements for 52-foot Motor Lifeboats in Southwest Washington: The Act allocates $172.5 million over the next five years for a fleet of 12 new 52-foot Motor Lifeboat replacement vessels, some of which would be homeported in Washington state in Ilwaco and Grays Harbor. The vessels play a critical role in ensuring safe maritime transportation and provide search and rescue capacity in support of commercial, charter, recreational and Tribal fisheries operating there.
• Provisions to Support the Coast Guard Workforce, Including:
  • Expanded Options for Child Care: The bill expands investments to help Coast Guard families pay for child care services. It authorizes $25 million (a 56 percent increase over current authorization) and expands eligibility so families are able to use the subsidy for additional types of child care, including in-home care. The bill includes an amendment to improve the subsidy program to cut red tape and direct the Commandant to provide the child care subsidy directly to Coast Guard families benefiting from the program.
  • Expanded Access to Medical Care, Education and Training: The Act authorizes research into expanding telemedicine access for members stationed in remote units like Cape Disappointment. The legislation also establishes a behavioral health policy and raises the limit on Coast Guard members permitted to be enrolled in post-graduate programs, increasing the number of members receiving training in the medical field. It requires the addition of at least five behavioral health specialists with training in family issues such as fertility, adoption and child loss.
  • Improvements to Housing and Shoreside Infrastructure: The bill authorizes $1 billion to address the Coast Guard's infrastructure repair and replacement backlogs and requires an accounting of backlogs submitted to Congress annually. It includes a provision regarding Coast Guard missions in the Western Pacific Region and calls for Coast Guard infrastructure and assets to optimize operations in the region.
  • Stronger Oversight to Reduce Sexual Assault and Harassment at Sea: The bill includes provisions to improve oversight and investigations of sexual assault and harassment in the maritime industry and within the Coast Guard. It provides the Coast Guard the authority to revoke credentials of a mariner who commits certain sex crimes, defines sexual harassment and establishes a process for mariners to report crimes to the Coast Guard. The bill strengthens Coast Guard policy to ensure that victims of sexual assault are provided care as soon as possible when deployed upon a vessel, or serving in a remote location. It expands penalties for failure to report a sexual assault or harassment at sea.
  • Steps to Increase Workforce Diversity: The bill requires the Coast Guard to report to Congress on actions taken in response to the 2021 RAND representation report, develop a 10-year strategy to enhance diversity through recruitment and accession, and establish a partnership program with an institution serving underrepresented communities. It also expands the Junior ROTC Program to include partnerships in each Coast Guard district across the nation.
  • Improvements to the Military to Mariners Program and Mariner Credentialing: The bill includes the Military to Mariners Act, which aims to improve the application and credentialing process for veterans transitioning to join the maritime industry. It requires federal officials to outline current regulations and simplify documentation requirements for veterans. The bill improves mariner credentialing with two amendments to study and improve merchant mariner processing and credentialing, critical to accessing family-wage jobs in the maritime industry.
• Stronger Support for Commercial Space: The bill would grant the Coast Guard temporary authority to allow for autonomous vessels to be used for space recovery operations in certain circumstances. This will improve safety as spacecraft return from space.
• Improvements to Coast Guard Operations and Data Management: The bill includes an amendment for a pilot program to improve search and rescue by increasing data sharing. Additional provisions will expand the use of advanced technologies, machine learning and artificial intelligence to improve Coast Guard operations.
• Stronger Support for the Fishing Industry, Including:
  • A Crackdown on Illegal Fishing and Forced Labor: The bill improves traceability and intergovernmental coordination needed to catch illegal fishermen on the high seas and train NOAA and Coast Guard personnel to identify forced labor and child labor in the international fishing industry. It strengthens the tools NOAA and the Department of Homeland Security have to end illegal fishing and forced labor, including denial of port privileges, improved certification, observer training, and capacity building in countries working to cut down on illegal fishing activity.
  • Enhanced Coordination Between The Coast Guard and Fishing Vessels: The bill requires the Coast Guard Commandant to notify fishing and maritime vessels operating in areas where military exercises may occur and establishes an automatic notification process to fishing industry participants of safety, regulatory and other pertinent issues. It directs the National Academies of Sciences to study how offshore renewable energy (such as offshore wind) impacts commercial, recreational, and Tribal fisheries and provide recommendations to protect fishing communities.

The Bipartisan Maritime Administration Act (MARAD) Reauthorization authorizes $1.6 billion for the Maritime Administration to invest in the maritime workforce, strengthen maritime infrastructure and expand research and development into new technologies to advance fleet sustainability and innovation. Sen. Cantwell introduced the legislation in June 2022 and the Committee passed the bill on June 22, 2022. More information on how MARAD reauthorization will benefit Washington state is available HERE.

Sen. Cantwell said the following when the Commerce Committee passed MARAD in June 2022: "This bill makes critical investments in America's maritime workforce, shipyards and port infrastructure that are key to keeping our supply chains moving. It will create a new innovation center to explore cleaner fuels and new technologies to boost resilience of our maritime fleet and ensure the U.S. maritime industry remains competitive well into the future."

The Oceans and Atmosphere amendment in the NDAA authorizes $429 million annually through 2027 for NOAA programs to maintain safe shipping routes, conserve fishery resources, and adapt to the effects of our changing climate on our oceans. The seven bills included in the amendment are:

1. National Ocean Exploration Act: This act, originally co-sponsored by Sen. Cantwell, authorizes $363 million annually for expanding ocean exploration and ocean mapping efforts -- more than 80 percent of US ocean is unmapped. The bill requires NOAA to leverage partnerships with other Federal Agencies and non-governmental organizations to support services like ocean charts and tide data, critical for maritime navigation and shipping. It supports Pacific Northwest-based research from mapping the Arctic to facilitate shipping, tourism and commerce, to exploring the biological and cultural importance of the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary.?
2. Marine Mammal Research and Response Act: Originally authored by Sen. Cantwell, the bill authorizes $8.5 million annually for NOAA's John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue and Response grant program which has disbursed almost $500,000 to Washington state organizations including the Cascadia Research Collective (Olympia), the Whale Museum (Friday Harbor) and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
3. Volcanic Ash and Fumes Act of 2022: The bill will improve prediction and tracking of dangerous ash clouds and gases from volcanic eruptions dangerous to public health, air travel and agriculture. Washington has five volcanoes listed by the USGS as high or very high threat potential: Mount Baker, Glacier Peak, Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens and Mount Adams.
4. Regional Ocean Partnerships: The bill authorizes $11 million annually for NOAA's Regional Ocean Partnerships, including $1 million to support Tribal government engagement. The West Coast Ocean Alliance (WCOA) is a partnership between California, Oregon, Washington, and coastal Indian Tribes. The Makah, Quileute, and Quinault Nation Tribes are all members.
5. Learning Excellence and Good Examples from New Developers (LEGEND) Act: The LEGEND Act provides a new $2 million authorization annually to increase public access to NOAA's?operational Earth system's models and data. Academics and private researchers Washington state would have the opportunity to apply the data to local climate modeling projects.????
6. The Restoring Resilient Reefs Act of 2021: This bill would authorize $45 million to protect coral reefs.
7. The BLUE GLOBE Act: This bill aims to improve and innovate ocean, coastal and Great Lakes research across the Federal government.

The NDAA now heads to the Senate, where the bill is expected to be considered next week, before ultimately heading to the President's desk.

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