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Defense Bill News

19 Dec 2022

US Defense Bill Amends the Jones Act Waiver Process

© a166f105 / Adobe Stock

An obscure measure in the defense policy bill the U.S. Senate passed this week could make it harder for oil and liquefied natural gas transporters to get a waiver allowing them to ship fuel during emergencies, lobbyists and analysts said on Friday.The changes in the $858 billion annual defense spending bill passed late on Thursday came after lawmakers criticized Biden administration officials for September waivers allowing diesel deliveries to Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, after Hurricane Fiona cut power for 3.3 million people.The waivers apply to the Jones Act…

03 Feb 2021

VIDEO: 2021 Will Be a 'Step-change' for U.S. Offshore Wind Industry

Credit:  chungking/AdobeStock

Despite being the second-largest global market for onshore wind, the United States is today a very minor player in comparison to the European and East Asian offshore wind markets, however, this is about to change.Philip Lewis, Director of Research, World Energy Reports said in an interview with Maritime Reporter TV, that 2021 is expected to be a "step-change" for the U.S. Offshore wind industry.But first, where are we today? Per Lewis, the U.S. currently has only two operational projects for a total of 42MW of installed capacity versus a global offshore installed base of 34…

11 Dec 2020

US Defense Bill Affirms Jones Act Applies to Offshore Wind

(Photo: Dominion Energy)

The U.S. Senate on Friday passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2021, a massive $741 billion defense bill setting policy for the Pentagon. Importantly for the U.S. offshore and maritime industries, the bill includes an amendment ensuring full enforcement of the Jones Act and other federal laws in offshore wind development.The legislation passed the Senate by a vote of 84-13 and now heads to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature following overwhelming 335-78 veto-proof House passage on December 8.

12 Nov 2020

Sanctions on Nord Stream 2 Pipeline Included in Annual U.S. Defense Bill

Sanctions that could hinder one of Moscow's most important projects in Europe, the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline, have been included in the annual U.S. defense policy bill, two congressional aides said on Wednesday.The sanctions in the compromise National Defense Authorization Act between lawmakers in the House and Senate would penalize companies facilitating the construction of the pipeline, including ships helping operations to lay pipelines or moving rock formations on the sea bed.The sanctions also target companies providing insurance or secondary insurance for its construction and certification for the pipeline in Denmark.

12 Dec 2017

Proposal for 355-ship US Navy Signed into Law

File photo: Nuclear-powered aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy under construction at Newport News Shipbuilding (Photo: John Whalen)

Included in the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) signed today by President Donald Trump is policy to grow the U.S. Navy fleet from its current 279 ships to a minimum of 355. “With his signature, President Trump has confirmed the United States’ resolve to meet the growing needs of our U.S. Navy,” said Senate Seapower Subcommittee Chairman Sen. Roger Wicker (Miss.), who introduced the Securing the Homeland by Increasing our Power on the Seas (SHIPS) Act along with Rep. Rob Wittman (Va.).

29 Jun 2017

Wicker’s SHIPS Act Included in Defense Bill

Ingalls Shipbuilding yard in Pascagoula, Miss. (File photo: HII)

U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., Chairman of the Senate Seapower Subcommittee, announced that he successfully added his “SHIPS Act” proposal to help the Navy reach its requirement of a 355-ship fleet in this year’s “National Defense Authorization Act” (NDAA). The Senate Armed Services Committee unanimously approved the national defense bill, authorizing $640 billion in overall funding for America’s servicemembers, military installations and industrial base. It now awaits consideration by the full Senate.

19 Jul 2016

Great Lakes Ports Support Ballast Reforms

Directors of major commercial ports in the Great Lakes region called on Congress to end years of regulatory chaos surrounding ballast water management. In a joint letter issued late yesterday, 14 port directors urged the Senate Armed Services Committee to include ballast regulatory reform in the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Known as the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (VIDA), these regulatory reforms were included in the House-passed NDAA, but not the Senate-passed version. Currently, a House-Senate conference committee is working to hammer-out a final version of the legislation. When not fully loaded, cargo ships must take on water (ballast) to maintain their stability.

26 Jan 2004

Domestic Defense Bill Introduced

Senator Clinton (D-NY) introduced the Domestic Defense Fund Act of 2004 (S. 2021) to provide for a domestic defense fund to improve the Nation's homeland defense, and for other purposes. If enacted, the bill would, among other things, authorize $4 billion annually for distribution to states for various homeland security projects, including port security. (Source: HK Law)

30 Apr 2002

House: Give Extra Billion to the Navy

It appears that the considerable, unrelenting lobbying effort of shipbuilders and Navy leaders has finally worked. According to a wire reports, a House of Representatives panel on Tuesday, April 30, voted to spend $3.2 billion more on military hardware than the President asked for, a sum which includes an additional $1 billion for Navy Ships. Reuters reported that the House Armed Services procurement subcommittee approved a plan to provide $73.4 billion for aircraft, submarines, missile defense and other military hardware for next fiscal year that starts in October. It is part of the $396 billion defense bill the full committee is to consider on Wednesday that lays the groundwork for President George W. Bush's plan for the biggest military buildup in more than two decades.

17 May 2002

Supplemental Defense Bill Cleared for House Action

The House Appropriations Committee moved forward with the Fiscal Year (FY) 2002 supplemental defense appropriations bill yesterday afternoon, reporting a $29.7 billion package out of committee by voice vote and sending it to the House floor for a possible vote next week. Although the committee worked its way through controversial amendments to produce a bill that would be acceptable to the president, conservatives in the House remain upset that that the supplemental appropriates more funding than President Bush's initial request of $27.1 billion. GOP Budget hawks plan to press leadership on this issue as the rule for floor consideration is developed.

02 Aug 2005

Shipbuilding Industry Bears Brunt of Cuts in Pentagon Budget

Strained by the demands of a major ground war and a sweeping overhaul of U.S. forces for an uncertain future, the Pentagon faces a severe budget challenge. According to the Providence Journal, while Congress and the Bush administration are working on a very large spending program for the military, the outlay for shipbuilding will be tight -- a prospect that is hurting the industry. The Navy's problem, says one Washington analyst, is not a lack of ships, but a lack of money to keep the shipbuilding industry moving. Congress and the Bush administration are working on a very large defense spending blueprint for fiscal 2006, but it will continue a long string of tight shipbuilding budgets that are pinching the industry hard.

15 Nov 2007

Bush Signs Defense Bill, Includes $2.8B for Aircraft Carrier

President Bush signed a defense spending bill that includes money for the Gerald Ford aircraft carrier construction in Newport News and advance funding aimed at speeding up submarine construction. The annual defense appropriations bill, which totals about $460b, includes about $2.8b for the Ford carrier, as Bush first requested in February. The Navy is hoping to build the ship for $8.1b, not counting the research and development costs for designing a new class of carrier. Outside experts warn the price is sure to rise. The $2.8b in the legislation, when combined with advance funding already allocated, would cover about 40 percent of the cost of the ship. The remaining 60 percent is due to be provided in next year's budget request.

07 Feb 2007

Defense Budget Bodes Well for Bath Iron Works

Plans for construction of the Navy's next-generation destroyer at Bath Iron Works and a Mississippi shipyard remain on track, Pentagon officials said Monday as they sent next year's budget request to Congress. Unlike past years, when the destroyer program and other shipbuilding projects have been targeted for cuts, the fiscal year 2008 budget stays the course for the sleek new ships. The budget requests $3.5 billion to complete construction of the two lead Elmo Zumwalt class destroyers, with one to be built at BIW and the other at Northrop Grumman Ship Systems in Pascagoula, Miss. After the lead ships are built, the two shipyards are expected to compete for future contracts. The Navy plans to contract for one destroyer each in 2009, 2010 and 2011, for a total of five ships.

12 May 2006

Defense Bill named in honor of Montgomery

The U.S. House of Representatives approved a measure introduced by Congressman Gene Taylor to name the FY07 National Defense Authorization Act in honor of fellow Mississippian and former colleague Congressman G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery. Montgomery, who served in Europe during WWII and eventually rose to the rank of Major General in the Mississippi National Guard, spent his entire congressional career championing benefits for U.S. servicemen and veterans. His efforts culminated in the Veterans' Education Assistance Act, more commonly known as the Montgomery G.I. Bill, which gives veterans financial assistance to attend college after leaving the service. "I hope that this bill would make Sonny proud," said Taylor.

08 May 2006

Senate Panel OKs $517.7b Defense Bill

The Senate Armed Services Committee approved a $517.7b fiscal 2007 defense authorization bill, a 4 percent increase over the amount authorized by Congress last year. The bill, which includes a $50b bridge fund to pay for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan during the first six months of fiscal 2007, totals $4.8b more than authorized by the House Armed Services Committee. The Senate panel, which met behind closed doors, boosted funding for several weapons programs, including the addition of $1.5b to the Navy's shipbuilding accounts, largely due to concerns about the "declining size of the fleet," according to a summary of the bill released by the committee.

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