Political Quotes

“The Arctic is fast becoming the 21st-century version of the Northwest Passage. Just four years ago, two German ships followed a Russian icebreaker to complete the first commercial shipment across the Arctic. Last year, with the warmest Arctic summer on record, 46 ships made the crossing. An active and well-maintained icebreaker fleet is a key part of our country's responsibility as an Arctic nation. As Ranking Member of the Coast Guard subcommittee in the 112th Congress, I had the privilege to work with Representative LoBiondo, who was the Chairman at that time. We agreed it was time for the Coast Guard to make a decision about how to move forward with its icebreaker fleet. In the last Coast Guard reauthorization bill, we asked the agency to look at the business case for reactivating the Polar Sea, which is currently docked in Seattle. That analysis showed that for about $100 million, we could have a functioning Polar Sea, which is about one-tenth the price tag for a brand new icebreaker. In my view that is a bargain. However, the Coast Guard still has not come to a conclusion about what to do with the Polar Sea. Instead, it is currently sitting in cold storage in Seattle. Every day the Polar Sea sits without maintenance it loses value. The bill before us would require the Coast Guard to use the analysis Representative LoBiondo and I requested and make a decision about the Polar Sea.…”