Coast Guard gets a piece of stimulus pie

[unhappycamper]

Coast Guard gets a piece of stimulus pie
By Amy McCullough - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Feb 17, 2009 18:59:36 EST

The Coast Guard’s chunk of the massive stimulus bill that President Barack Obama signed Tuesday is expected to create or preserve more than 1,600 jobs.

Although the service’s funding was significantly reduced in the final bill and is a very small portion of the overall legislation, the Coast Guard will receive $98 million for acquisitions and improvements, which is expected to “create or preserve” at least 435 jobs, and $142 million for alteration of bridges, which is estimated to “create about 1,200 jobs.”

The Senate originally proposed $450 million for Coast Guard acquisitions and improvements while the House did not include any Coast Guard funding for acquisitions in its version of the bill.

That original Senate figure included $87.5 million for the service’s polar icebreaking fleet.

“This funding cannot be used for pre-acquisition survey, design or construction of a new polar icebreaker,” according to the legislation.


Rest of article at: http://navytimes.com/news/2009/02/coastguard_stimulus_021709/%2e