Senate passes bill with icebreaker funding

Click here to read the PDF version of this story.
Print this story | Email it to an associate.

The full U.S. Senate has passed the 2010 Homeland Security Appropriations conference report that includes $32.5 million in funding for enhancements to U.S. icebreaker capability, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said Oct. 20. The bill, which also appropriates U.S. Coast Guard funding for fiscal year 2010, now goes to President Obama for his signature.

The United States currently has just two working icebreakers, the Healy and the Polar Sea, with a third icebreaker, the Polar Star, currently in caretaker status.

Funding from the conference report that the Senate has just passed would pay to finish refurbishment of the Polar Star, to reactivate this icebreaker and extend its service life. The conference report would also require the Coast Guard to investigate whether a new heavy polar icebreaker class vessel should be built, or whether money should be spent on extending the service lives of the existing icebreakers — the Polar Sea has a remaining service life of five years, Murkowski said.

“While reactivation of our second heavy icebreaker helps, the U.S. must begin to plan for the long term replacement or extension of our ice breaker fleet,” Murkowski said. “These vessels are becoming increasingly important as access to the Arctic, and its resources, increases due to climate change and a reduction in summer sea ice. Activities such as energy development, tourism, marine transportation and shipping will increase and the Coast Guard must have the resources to respond. This funding is a good start.”

—Alan Bailey