Tom Coburn: “I know there is going to be a radical difference of opinion on this amendment. Let me explain. This is about the LORAN…”

“I know there is going to be a radical difference of opinion on this amendment. Let me explain. This is about the LORAN stations nationwide. This is an old-time aid to navigation that this bill has requested another study of. This has been studied. There are volumes of reports from every agency of the Federal Government that has anything to do with this. All of them say we don't need this system anymore. LORAN stands for long-range aids to navigation. The original LORAN-A system was developed during World War II. LORAN-C, where we are today, was developed during the 1950s and 1960s. There are 24 LORAN stations across the United States. One of them is actually in my State. These stations send out radio signals and LORAN receivers on board vessels and aircraft measure the differences in the time that it takes for a signal to come back and determine both the longitudinal and latitudinal positions. It is used rarely for some civilian navigation, but it is no longer a primary source for civilian navigation needs because it has been replaced with a far superior system called global positioning or a satellite-based system. That has been totally functioning since 1994. The plan was released February 10, 2006. It was prepared by the Department of Defense, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Homeland Security. The Coast Guard requested to terminate this program. There is no longer a need for the Coast Guard for either primary or secondary.…”