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Congresswoman Chellie Pingree's proposal passed last night would invest $10 million in improving structural shops at yard

A major defense bill that contains an amendment intended to improve efficiency at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY) passed a major hurdle late last night when it was approved by the House Armed Services Committee. The amendment, written by Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, provides id="mce_marker"0 million in funding that can be used to help rebuild the structural shops at PNSY.

"The Kittery yard has a world class reputation for high quality, efficient work," Pingree said. "But they need to improve and upgrade their facilities so they can continue to compete and create new jobs in the area. Since the rules in Congress have changed, the designated funding the yard has been depending on is no longer available. That means it's important to get amendments like this one through to secure funding for those improvements."

Congressional leadership has banned the use of earmarks, which PNSY had depended on for years. Pingree was able to secure this funding by getting the Armed Services Committee to include money in a budget item that increases operations and maintenance funding for Navy military construction—which is the budget that would pay for the improvements at PNSY.

Pingree intends to urge Navy Secretary Ray Mabus to make sure the additional funding goes to making the improvements at Portsmouth.

Paul O'Connor, President of the Metal Trades Council, said the funding is key to helping the yard stay competitive.

"We need to make these improvements to the structural shops to ensure we preserve our most advanced capabilities and stay competitive," O'Connor said.

The bill that passed the Armed Services Committee last night—the National Defense Authorization Act—is expected to pass the full House early this summer. The Senate will consider a similar bill in the weeks to come as well.