"In addition to securing authorizations for critical projects at Maine''s defense and shipbuilding installations, I was delighted to win passage of two key legislative proposals I authored," said Senator Collins. "The waiver I secured for truck weight limits will safeguard main streets and surrounding communities across our state by preventing trucks hauling bulk shipments of jet fuel from traveling on the roads that run through Augusta and other Maine towns."
This legislation makes critical investments in a variety of projects important to both our national defense and to the state of Maine. Highlights of the Maine-related programs are:
Bath Iron Works: The $2.966 billion for the procurement of three DDG-51 Arleigh-Burke Class Destroyers, the backbone of the Navy''s surface fleet. One ship will be built at Bath. $643.5 Million for the DD-21 Zumwalt Class Destroyer Program, an entirely new class of high-technology land attack destroyer capable of fulfilling all present destroyer missions with the addition of a land attack missile capability. (This is $25 million more than the House included in its version of the bill.) Bath is competing for lead shipyard status on the DD-21 program. $421.3 Million for the LPD-17 Amphibious Assault Transport Ship, a new class of amphibious assault ship, which is essential to modernizing and maintaining 12 Marine Corps Amphibious Ready Groups. $3 million for the DDG-51 Composite Twisted Rudder Project, which will eliminate DDG-51 class rudder cavitation induced corrosion, and reduce detectability. $2 million for the Future Ship Technology Demonstration, which supports the Navy''s vision of the all-electric, reconfigurable ship. $5 million for the Marine Direct/Ship Service Fuel Cell Technology Verification/Trainer Project, which will establish a marine fuel cell technology validation and training capability for engineering students, U.S. Navy, and commercial marine operators.
Pratt & Whitney: $49.4 million for F-15 "E-Kit" Modifications, which will reduce costs, improve reliability, and enhance flight safety. $88 million for Block 42F-16 Fighter Engine Modernization, which replaces the current F100-PW-220 engine with the F100-PW-229 engine.
Brunswick Naval Air Station: $159.4 million for P-3 Anti-Surface Warfare Improvements/Block-mod upgrades to the P-3''s ability to receive and process information, classify targets, deliver weapons against surface targets, and bring older-generation P-3s to the more advanced (Upgrade III) configuration. $3 million for a P-3 Support Facility, which will be used to support the squadrons stationed at Brunswick Naval Air Station. $41.665 million for the construction of a new maintenance hangar at the Brunswick Naval Air Station to replace two World War II era aircraft hangars. $22.63 million for the construction of a new bachelor enlisted quarters to house junior enlisted sailors.
Kittery-Portsmouth Naval Shipyard: $14.62 million for the construction of a new bachelor enlisted quarters at Kittery. $4 million for the Shipyard Apprentice Program, which targets revitalization of the workforce at Naval Shipyard to ensure skills are available to execute future overhaul maintenance and repair of naval ships.
University of Maine: $3 million for the Modular Advance Composite Hull Forms, which focuses on designing, fabricating, and testing a prototype structure for use on high-speed, hybrid surface ships that lead to high- speed troop transports as well as civilian ships. This project is being developed through the University of Maine (Orono) and Applied Thermal Science, Inc. in Sanford. $2 million for Intelligent Spatial Technologies for Smart Maps, which will be used to support spatio-temporal database research; visualization and user interaction testing; enhanced image processing and automated feature extraction research. (This $2 million includes $1 million in addtion to the funds that cleared the Senate Armed Services Committee with an amendment offered by Senator Collins to authorize additional Fiscal Year 2001 funding for the project.) $1.7 million for Ocean Modeling for Mine and Expeditionary Warfare/ Gulf of Maine Ocean Observing System (GoMOOS). This technology is critical for effective mine and submarine warfare, which are dependent on correct and timely environmental data such as numerical models of ocean parameters, including surface currents, waves, wind speed and direction, sea surface temperature, bottom contour and content, thermal layer behavior, and man-made clutter, etc.
Sensor Research Development Corporation: $2 million for a Chemical/Biological Project, which continues research and development to develop thin film sensors for light weight man-portable chemical agent detectors.
Maine National Guard: $11.618 million for an Army Aviation Support Facility in Bangor. This project is a top priority for the Maine National Guard, and this new facility at will meet an urgent requirement for support of its four aviation units and assigned aircraft, including fifteen newly acquired UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters.
General Dynamics Armament Systems, Saco Operations: $2.5 million for the Advanced Lightweight Grenade Launcher/STRIKER system, which provides Special Operations Forces with a dramatic increase in overall survivability. $28.826 million for the MK 19 Mod 3 Grenade Machine Gun. The MK 19 remains a primary force protection component for infantry, Scouts, Military Police, and Combat Support Units.
Fiber Materials, Inc., Applied Thermal Sciences, Inc., and Technology Systems, Inc.: $27 million for the Atmospheric Interceptor Technology (AIT) Program, the only broadband-based technology development program focused on ballistic missile interceptors that operates within the atmosphere. (Research and Development on this technology is conducted at Fiber Materials, Inc. in Biddeford and Applied Thermal Sciences, Inc. in Sanford.) $2 million for the Reentry Systems Application Program, which focuses on design, development, and in-service support of current and modernized reentry systems to insure a functioning technical capability during reentry. (This technology is being developed at Fiber Materials, Inc. in Biddeford.). $5 million for Future Missile Technology Integration, technology for the next generation of tactical missiles being developed to meet the requirement for hypervelocity and to be deployed on a mobile launching system. (This technology is being developed by Intermat, Inc. in Presque Isle, a subsidiary of Fiber Materials, Inc. of Biddeford and Applied Thermal Sciences, Inc. of Sanford.) $4.3 million for Laser Welding and Cutting, which was initiated last year by Congress to support potential cost and weight savings and to enable creative designs and shapes to be fabricated. (Applied Thermal Sciences, Inc., of Sanford and Technology Systems, Inc., of Wiscasset, is developing this technology.)
Land Conveyances: 1)Winter Harbor - The language in the bill authorizes the conveyance of a 26-acre parcel of land that the Navy will hand over to the National Park Service in 2002 for a research and education center. The bill also encourages the Navy to participate in the transition of the base, and authorizes the transfer of an additional 485 acres of base property to the state of Maine or a community. 2) Loring Pipe Line/Mack Point Tank Farm - Language in the bill instructs the conveyance, at no cost, of a petroleum terminal at Mack Point in Searsport from the U.S. Air Force to the state of Maine, specifically the Maine Port Authority, as well as a section of pipeline, currently connected to the Mack Point Tank Farm that provided fuel products to the former Loring Air Force Base. Transfer of the tank farm furthers the goal of developing Mack Point into a major freight and shipping terminal.
Senator Collins also successfully amended the bill to include a provision that would allow military spouses to choose physicians for ob-gyn and prenatal care, as well as a provision to authorize the Secretary of Transportation in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, to waive vehicle weight limits on interstate routes in the state of Maine.
"I believe that we have crafted a spending plan that strengthens our military, supports our men and women in uniform and continues our course of maintaining the best equipped, best trained fighting force in the world."