HJR 13-COAST GUARD NAT'L SECURITY CUTTER FUNDING  2:35:00 PM CHAIR P. WILSON announced that the final order of business would be HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 13, Urging the United States Congress and the President of the United States to complete the funding and acquisition of three additional National Security Cutters and to home port one of the cutters in Kodiak, Alaska. 2:37:12 PM MELANIE LESH, Staff, Representative Alan Austerman, Alaska State Legislature, on behalf of the sponsor, stated that HJR 13 would urge the U.S. Congress and the President of the U.S. to complete the funding and acquisition of three additional National Security Cutters (NSCs) and request one of the cutters should be homeported in Kodiak. She explained HJR 13 aims to raise awareness that the U.S. Coast Guard is in the process of replacing 12 high-endurance cutters with eight technologically advanced NSCs and stressing the necessity to deliver all eight vessels. The sponsor wishes to highlight the strategic importance of Alaska in the region and focus on the importance of the increasing role in the Arctic with more open water in the summer resulting in increased maritime traffic. She stated that Kodiak is the nearest USCG port and would be the base of operations for vessels such as the Bertholf, which is one of the three completed NSCs which patrolled the Arctic this past summer in Operation Arctic Shield. She related that the USCG assists the U.S. Department of Defense's national defense efforts with its specialized capabilities in the region and elsewhere. 2:39:07 PM MS. LESH said that recently, at a national military conference the three chiefs met to discuss the maritime strategic issues, including the Commandant of the USCG, Admiral Robert Papp; the Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, General James Amos; and the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Jonathan Greenert. The main topic of discussion was the Commander-in-Chief's strategic guidance which, in part, requires that the U.S. military will, of necessity rebalance towards the Asia-Pacific region. In conclusion, HJR 13 has been designed to send a reminder to the Congress and the U.S. President to complete the program of record for the funding and acquisition of three additional NSCs cutters. She recognized two retired U.S.C.G. captains in the room here to testify on the resolution. 2:40:22 PM CARL UCHYTIL, Captain, Retired, U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), stated that he is a retired USCG captain who sailed in Alaska's waters and served as the commanding officer of the icebreaker Polar Sea. He commended the committee and said he wholly supports the committee for taking action to encourage the federal government and Department of Homeland Security to maintain a NSC presence in Alaska. Having an NSC specifically homeported in Alaska would not only provide a multi-missioned platform to serve the coastal communities in times of need, but perhaps more importantly, would build mission capacity for the Alaskan resident crew to better understand the unique challenges faced by mariners sailing in the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska. He thanked members for their support for the USCG in Alaska. 2:41:19 PM REPRESENTATIVE ISAACSON asked whether three NSCs would provide enough support and if one NSC will provide enough coverage in Alaska. CAPTAIN UCHYTIL stated one liberty he has as a retired Captain, he cannot speak on behalf of the USCG's needs, but he can speak frankly and provide his opinion based upon his three decades of service in the USCG. Certainly, Alaska has 3,300 miles of coastline. Thus, to adequately cover Alaska would require more than three NSCs, he said. 2:42:47 PM REPRESENTATIVE ISAACSON realized that the resolution does not empower any demand since it is not an executive order. He recalled Captain Uchytil is a retired ice breaker captain. CAPTAIN UCHYTIL answered yes; that he served half of his time on icebreakers. He understood the resolution has to do with NSCs so if this were a different venue he would tout the needs of the nation and encouraged Alaska to build and sustain a viable icebreaker fleet. 2:43:51 PM REPRESENTATIVE ISAACSON asked whether it is feasible to support an icebreaker homeport in Alaska. CAPTAIN UCHYTIL stated that the NSCs have very high technical, high-demand shore side needs to meet the requirements of the crew, which doesn't mean it couldn't be built in a port such as Kodiak, but it probably does not yet exist to really maintain the NSC. Similarly, staff and technical support to maintain the icebreakers would need to be developed. 2:45:03 PM REPRESENTATIVE ISAACSON asked for clarification on whether he is saying Alaska does not currently have the technical expertise for the NSC. CAPTAIN UCHYTIL answered that the expertise could be built but it does not currently exist. REPRESENTATIVE ISAACSON suggested that passage of the resolution would encourage the build out. 2:45:41 PM REPRESENTATIVE FEIGE said HJR 13's supporting documents indicate that the NSC is a legend class of the USCG's fleet. He asked what vessels are currently based in Kodiak. MR. UCITEL answered that the USCG's cutter Munro is a 378 foot high-endurance cutter, which are part of a class of 12 cutters built in the 1960s or 1970s. The USCG has been in the process of decommissioning these 12 vessels and will replace then with the eight NSCs. He said that only five of the eight NSCs have been funded so part of this resolution is to encourage the federal government to build the remaining three vessels. He remarked that his son is currently assigned to the Munro in Kodiak. 2:46:46 PM REPRESENTATIVE LYNN asked why not include the Under Secretary of the Treasury and the U.S. President among those receiving a copy of the resolution. CAPTAIN UCHYTIL answered that the USCG falls under the Department of Homeland Security; that at one point the USCG was under the U.S Department of the Treasury, then U.S. Department of Transportation, and now falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security. 2:47:27 PM ED PAGE, Captain, Retired, U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), stated that he served in the U.S. Coast Guard for 30 years. He said he served on the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Boutwell in 1973 in Alaska. He appreciated the resolution, noting he has been retired for 12 years, but served in Anchorage, Ketchikan, and Juneau. The USCG feels appreciated by Alaskans, which makes sense since Alaska is a maritime state. He characterized the USCG's relationship as being a symbiotic and good relationship with the state. He applauded the legislature's efforts to work to obtain the presence of more USCG cutters. He pointed out his perspective is different from Captain Uchytil's perspective since he served on USCG cutters for many years in Alaska. He pointed out his work has been in the field of marine safety programs, relating he was the Chief of Marine Safety for the Pacific Area and for Alaska. He explained that he was involved in allocating cutters and enforcement oversight in fisheries. Clearly, the enormity of Alaska makes the challenge even greater and exacerbating that problem is the growing body of water due to the environmental warming and climate change. Additionally, Alaska has more traffic and more activity with offshore exploration. He explained he was on some of the drilling platforms in 1984 when they initially performed exploratory drilling in the Chukchi Sea, but things have changed substantially since then. He said the USCG's presence is important, just as having policemen on the highway deters motorists from speeding. 2:49:57 PM CAPTAIN PAGE said that the USCG's presence and monitoring is important, but when something happens the USCG will provide an effective response to help prevent loss of life, property, and environmental harm. Thus it seems logical that with the opening up of more water in Alaska, the USCG must have more USCG cutters. In fact, it is one of the metrics used to determine where cutters should go and how to allocate them. He emphasized the USCG considers the size, the issues, how important the issues are in determining the USCG's role. Certainly, considering the reconnoitering Alaska's waters [the USCG has discovered] other nations, such as China, have a great interest in tapping Alaska resources just offshore. 2:51:07 PM CAPTAIN PAGE anticipated it could happen that the U.S. will extend its borders further, which could increase the USCG's jurisdictional areas. He emphasized that the USCG is the right agency and resource to carry this mission out. He offered his support for HJR 13, which he said is appropriate, needed, and timely. He offered his belief that Alaska also impacts the rest of the nation, in particular, Alaska's resources has national ramifications. The fisheries, resource protection, and oil production development are all national issues, he said. He offered his belief that people in Maine, Boston and New York are paying attention and the USCG is best suited to ensure it is done. 2:52:26 PM CHAIR P. WILSON asked him to assess how many ships Alaska needs [for adequate coverage of Alaska's waters]. CAPTAIN PAGE replied that with more vessels sailing in the Alaska's waters enroute to the Far East, and with more vessels using the Northern sea route and the Northwest passage that even with three [vessels] the fleet will be stretched for resources. He pointed out these ships typically have six months of maintenance annually and servicing. He concluded that the proposed three vessels represent a good presence and is realistic in terms of the nation's status and resources. 2:53:59 PM CHAIR P. WILSON said that Kodiak is a long way from the Bering Sea. She wondered if Alaska will need another port that is better situated for impacts in the arctic. CAPTAIN PAGE answered that the real challenge will be to support the vessels, which is why the USCG likes to comingle vessels, which helps provide technical support to maintain the vessel. He suggested that spreading them out is less effective. As a practical matter, due to the speed of vessels, a vessel is only 24 hours away from any point. 2:55:20 PM REPRESENTATIVE KREISS-TOMKINS pointed out that three NSCs are built, five are funded, and eight are planned. He asked whether he knew where the other NSCs will be homeported, and whether there is a possibility any others may be stationed in Kodiak. CAPTAIN PAGE said was unsure. He offered his belief that the USCG will try to accommodate all the maritime interests in the country. The Alaska's Congressional Delegation has been influential and the USCG has been quite responsive to the needs of Alaska; however, he was unsure. 2:56:19 PM CHAIR P. WILSON, after first determining no one else wished to testify, closed public testimony on HJR 13. 2:56:35 PM   REPRESENTATIVE LYNN moved to adopt Conceptual Amendment 1, on  page 2, line 20, to include the President of United States,  [Barack Obama], and the [U.S.] Secretary of Homeland Security,  [Janet Napolitano], to the list of people to receive the  resolution. There being no objection, Conceptual Amendment 1  was adopted. 2:57:20 PM REPRESENTATIVE ISAACSON moved to report HJR 13, as amended, out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes. There being no objection, the CSHJR 13(TRA) was reported from the House Transportation Standing Committee.