Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2001: report of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on S. 951

OCLC Number: (OCoLC)48667660 Excerpt: ... prosecution; increase advancement authority for the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund (OSLTF); eliminate redundant OSLTF reports; extend the Territorial Sea to 12 miles with regard to radiotelephone regulations for foreign flag vessels; exempt certain non- critical entertainment and service workers from merchant marine documentation requirements; and extend the charters of various marine advisory committees. Summary of Major Provisions Authorization Levels.--S. 951, as reported, authorizes appropriations for the Coast Guard accounts covered in the bill that total over $5.2 billion in FY 2002. Appropriations for FY 2002 are authorized at the levels equal to or greater than the Administration's request. Within the AC&I account, the Committee is supportive of the Coast Guard's need to upgrade its Deepwater assets. This multi- year effort to recapitalize the service's offshore surface fleet, aviation assets, and command and control system is critical to the long-term viability of Coast Guard operations in offshore waters. With an aging fleet of cutters and aircraft, maintenance and personnel costs will rise dramatically unless the fleets are replaced. Further, the multi-mission nature of the Coast Guard requires a modern and flexible fleet that will continue operating as a unique vehicle of national security. The Committee is also very supportive of the need to modernize the National Distress & Response System. This system is crucial for the Coast Guard to improve its capabilities to respond to and aid mariners in distress. Indeed, this capability is what most individuals and certainly most mariners view as the Coast Guard's primary mission, yet the timeline for this urgently needed upgrade has lagged far behind the schedule originally established and now is estimated for completion by 2006. The reported bill also authorizes for FY 2002 an end-of-year active dut...