SENATE PANEL APPROVES DEFENSE SPENDING BILL WHICH INCLUDES SENATOR COLLINS’ REQUEST FOR DD(X), IMPORTANT MAINE DEFENSE PROJECTS

WASHINGTON, DC—The Senate Appropriations Committee has approved the fiscal year 2007 defense spending bill that contains a number of provisions included at the request of Senator Susan Collins, who is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. The spending bill provides full funding of $3.4 billion for the DD(X) program, the amount for which Senator Collins advocated in the Committee, and it includes nearly $50 million in defense related projects for Maine.   “It is good news for our national security and the skilled workers at Bath Iron Works that the Senate Appropriations committee recognizes the importance of the DD(X) program and full funding.  It is also good news that the Committee has approved nearly $50 million in important defense related projects that benefit Maine,” said Senator Collins.  “I will continue to work to ensure that the Senate provisions prevail in the final version of this critical spending bill,” the Senator added.   Highlights of the spending bill are as follows:   ·        It fully funds, at a level of $3.4 billion, the simultaneous construction of two DD(X) ships in fiscal year 2007 and 2008. BIW would build one of the ships.   ·                      $2 million for the Army Center of Excellence on Advanced Materials and Structures for Force Protection at the University of Maine for lightweight, rapidly erectable and blast resistant structures for troops in combat environments.    ·                    $7 million specifically for restoration and modernization projects at the Kittery-Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.   ·                    $3.3 million for the SKYBUS Lighter Than Air Unmanned Aerial Vehicle technologies at Telford Aviation in Bangor. ·                     $2 million for the Low Cost Avionics project at Vicus Technologies in Kennebunk that supports the research of avionic subsystems component interfaces and further design and test prototypes in varying operational conditions.  ·                    $2.5 million for Portland Valve’s Smart Valve, which will help reduce future maintenance required on Navy ships. ·                    $6 million for the Small Watercraft Propulsion Demonstrator developed by Applied Thermal Sciences in Orono to safeguard ports and harbors against increasing terrorist threats and provide escorts to large Navy ships during refueling and port operations. ·                    $2.5 million for Orono Spectral Solutions and the University of Maine’s work on next generation chemical and biological sensors and detectors.   ·                    $12.9 million for the MK47 Mod 0 Striker 40 and $5 million for the XM307 25mm Advanced Crew Serve Weapon System for ongoing work at Saco Defense.  ·                    $5 million to Hodgdon Yachts in East Boothbay, in a joint venture with Maine Marine Manufacturing and the University of Maine, for the Mark V  replacement patrol boat that supports the missions of the Navy, Special  Operations, and the U.S. Coast Guard. ·                    $2.5 million for the weaponization of the Ripsaw Unmanned Ground Vehicle by Howe & Howe of North Berwick.  ·                    $1 million for the Personal Digital Assistant Maintenance Application Project at the Brunswick Naval Air Station ·             $3 million for the New England Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative.   ·              Report language urging the Secretary of the Navy to allocate sufficient funding to ensure the continuation and successful implementation of the Navy’s human resources call center in Washington County, Maine.