ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — U.S. Sen. Mark Begich says the Coast Guard is including $860 million in its five-year budget plan for a new heavy polar icebreaker.
The Alaska Democrat says in a release that news of the plan came at a hearing Wednesday of the Senate Oceans, Fisheries and Coast Guard Subcommittee. Begich is subcommittee chairman.
Alaska’s congressional delegation has pushed for an icebreaker as Arctic waters become a focus for petroleum drilling, tourism and transportation.
The country has two heavy icebreakers. The 399-foot Polar Sea has been docked in Seattle since experiencing engine problems in 2010. Its sister ship, the Polar Star, is going through $57 million in upgrades.
