James Oberstar: “Mr. Speaker, another reason we, on the Great Lakes, have to celebrate this 210th anniversary of the Coast Guard is that…”

“Mr. Speaker, another reason we, on the Great Lakes, have to celebrate this 210th anniversary of the Coast Guard is that, at long last, the Congress not only has, through our committee, provided the authorization but through the appropriation process provided the funding to build the first new replacement icebreaker for the Mackinaw, which has kept the lanes open, the shipping lanes in the winter months and in the early spring months to move the iron ore down lake and coal down lake as well as limestone and gravel and rock upstream. We desperately need a new icebreaker. The Coast Guard is now in the process of design and build. We are very grateful to see a replacement coming for the venerable Mackinaw that has provided such stellar service. I mentioned earlier that the Coast Guard is a very special service. My wife, Jean, had the privilege of christening the William J. Tate, a buoy tender built at the Marinette Marine Shipbuilding Company on the Great Lakes.”