Contact: Barbara Riley
Wednesday, September 24, 2008

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Judd Gregg (R-NH), John Sununu (R-NH), Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Susan Collins (R-ME) today announced that the Fiscal Year 2009 Continuing Resolution – a measure which will fund the federal government through March of 2009 – includes the Fiscal Year 2009 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill, which contains a total of $22.11 million for the construction of a new Dry Dock #3 Waterfront Support Facility at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY).  Additionally, the Senators were able to secure the required $20.6 million funding authorization in the Fiscal Year 2009 Defense Authorization bill, which is an equally critical step. 

Together, these two pieces of legislation represent the final Congressional steps to fully fund the vital construction and modernization of Dry Dock #3, a top priority for the Shipyard.  Upon completion, the state-of-the-art facility will enhance productivity and efficiency on submarine depot availabilities and assist the Shipyard in its mission of supporting the Navy’s newest Virginia Class submarines. 

The Continuing Resolution will be considered by the House today and the Senate is expected to take up this measure this week.  The corresponding Defense Authorization bill will be considered by the House today and is expected in the Senate later this week.  Once passed by both chambers, both bills will then head to the President’s desk to be signed into law.

            “The Senators stated, “When we began discussions with leadership of the Shipyard this spring, they made it extremely clear to us that fully funding the Dry Dock Facility was their number one priority.  Throughout the Congressional funding process we, in the Senate, have worked diligently to ensure that the required amount for this project - $20.6 million - was included in every step of the process.  The fact that our request for the full funding of the Dry Dock Waterfront Support Facility was included in both the bills is a big win for the Shipyard and a testament to the collaborative Senate effort on the Shipyard’s behalf.  Fortunately, the final bill did not defer to the House funding level of $1.45 million which would have underfunded and delayed completion of this critical project by the time the Shipyard is slated to begin work on the Virginia Class Submarines in 2010. 

            “The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and its workers have withstood many tests over the years and have always come out on top because they continue to prove themselves as the yard that delivers the best work on time and under budget.  This project will make sure that Portsmouth is able to continue its gold-standard of performance, maintain a stable and robust workload, and make sure the Shipyard has a state-of-the-art facility to best serve our nation’s submarine fleets for years to come. We will continue to support the employees at the Yard by getting full funding for the Dry Dock #3 project to the President’s desk and signed into law.”

The bill also includes $9.9 million to consolidate aging facilities at the yard into a more efficiently configured warehouse with automated material handling systems, thereby reducing overhead support costs, energy usage, overtime, and infrastructure repair expenditures.  

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