FINAL VERSION OF SENATE DEFENSE BILL INCLUDES $248 MILLION FOR REFUELING OF NUCLEAR SUBMARINE AT PORTSMOUTH NAVAL SHIPYARD

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Senator Susan Collins today announced that the final version of the Fiscal Year 2004 Defense spending bill includes $248 million the for the refueling of the USS Jacksonville, a project that will employ 800 workers at the Kittery Portsmouth Naval Shipyard over the next two years. The bill must be approved by the House and Senate before it becomes law, but its passage is assured.

"This is a testament to the quality of work performed by the men and women employed at the Kittery Portsmouth Naval Shipyard that the Committee has entrusted to them the responsibility for optimizing the lifespan of this nuclear submarine and for ensuring that our Navy has the resources it needs to maintain a strong national defense."

Senator Collins, Maine's sole representative on the Armed Services Committee, successfully authorized the funding in the Fiscal Year 2004 Defense Authorization bill in May. Collins directed the refueling project to PNS in order to maintain an adequate number of submarines in the Navy's fleet as well as to stabilize the workload as a round of base closures approaches in 2005. She recently visited the shipyard to voice her support for its workers and underscore its importance to maintaining the naval fleet.