House Proceeding 10-22-09 on Oct 22nd, 2009 :: 0:06:45 to 0:11:00
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0:06:34 to 0:06:54( Edit History Discussion )

James L. Oberstar: strength of the coast guard by 1,500 service personnel to a level of 47,000. now that, i just have to point out that compares to 39,000 authorized personnel in my first year in congress, first year in which i also

0:06:45 to 0:11:00( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: James L. Oberstar

0:06:55 to 0:07:16( Edit History Discussion )

James L. Oberstar: served on the then marina and fisheries committee and the coast guard subcommittee. since that time, the congress has added 27 new missions and responsibilities for the coast guard without substantially increasing the personnel or the fu carry out those missions. now, m

0:07:17 to 0:07:38( Edit History Discussion )

James L. Oberstar: that unique color of blue uniform have prided themselves on being a multimission agency, prided themselves on being able to carry out the many responsibilities, but they are working shorthanded, they are working underfunded and they need this authorization bill and need this increased service personnel strength we provide

0:07:39 to 0:08:01( Edit History Discussion )

James L. Oberstar: in the bill before us. we authorize $153 million for a new replacement icebreaker i yield myself an additional two minutes. the chair: the gentleman yields himself an additional two minutes. mr. oberstar: last year we had a situation where ships were

0:08:02 to 0:08:23( Edit History Discussion )

James L. Oberstar: moving in the upper lake, lake superior, and through the lochs, beset with heavy ice cover, while the ice breaker was in the lower lakes on an ice breaking mission. now the coast guard has been provided funding for and have operated harbor ice breakers. fine, they can operate in the

0:08:24 to 0:08:48( Edit History Discussion )

James L. Oberstar: ha around but they can't break the big ice. when our iron ore needs to move from the upper lakes to lower lakes steel mill, it's got to get through heavy ice and we need an upper lakes and the lower lakes. this legislati

0:08:49 to 0:09:11( Edit History Discussion )

James L. Oberstar: funding for a second major mack gnaw-class ice -- major macnau class ice breaker. last year, they were moving coal from the power plants, coal that comes by train to the lake superior, those ships and

0:09:12 to 0:09:34( Edit History Discussion )

James L. Oberstar: our iron ore vessels sustained $1.5 million or more in damages because of the decreased ice breaking capability of the coast guard. five of the coast guard's smaller sized, 1200 capability vessels are at the end of their serv

0:09:35 to 0:09:57( Edit History Discussion )

James L. Oberstar: we need a mackinaw-class vesse on the great lakes in addition to the one that's now operating. we, in this bill, respond to the shortcomings in coast guard acquisition efforts over the past several years and require coast guard to develop life cycle cost estimates for assets that will cost more than $10 million, have a service life of at least 10 years.

0:09:58 to 0:10:20( Edit History Discussion )

James L. Oberstar: we'll prohibit contractor self-certification, an issue that arose in the 10-hour hearing chairman cummings conducted. mr. lobiondo was part of it. we went late into the night. i yield myself an additional minute, to address this

0:10:21 to 0:10:42( Edit History Discussion )

James L. Oberstar: extraordinary failure of length contractual relationships between the coast guard and its contractors. so the legislation takes the lessons learned in that intensive hearing and months-long investigation to establish the chiefing an sigses officer as a qualified acquisition professional. we held a hearing on mariner

0:10:43 to 0:11:02( Edit History Discussion )

James L. Oberstar: education and work forest in the coast guard subcommittee -- work force in the coast guard subcommittee. we heard concerns that there will be a shortage of qualified and experienced personnel if the coast guard oversees expansion of industry imports and exports -- import and