Bill Sets $8.7B Spending for USCG

Lawmakers have reached agreement on a law authorizing $8.7b spending by the U.S. Coast Guard this year. The bill, H.R. 889, the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2006, was approved by a House-Senate conference committee on April 7. The law includes provisions that will, its authors say, increase the Coast Guard's capacity for its homeland security, illegal drug and migrant interdiction, search and rescue, and fisheries enforcement missions. The bill sets $1.6b funding level for the Integrated Deepwater Systems Program, the Coast Guard's program to replace or modernize the ships and aircraft it uses in its deepwater missions, and requires detailed reports on its implementation. It also contains provisions designed to promote the transportation of liquefied natural gas on U.S. vessels, rather than foreign-flagged ships. (Source: UPI)