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1 1 (October 26, 2020)

handle is hein.crs/govdcim0001 and id is 1 raw text is: * October 26, 2020 Coast Guard Waterways Commerce Cutter (WCC) Program: Background and Issues for Congress The Coast Guard's Waterways Commerce Cutter (WCC) program envisages procuring up to 35 replacements for the Coast Guard's 35 aging river buoy tenders (WLRs), inland construction tenders (WLICs), and inland buoy tenders (WLIs). The Coast Guard wants to award the first contract for constructing the new WCCs in FY2022, and to have the first new WCC be in service by 2025. The Coast Guard's proposed FY2021 budget requests $25.0 million in procurement funding for the WCC program. The issue for Congress is whether to approve, reject, or modify the Coast Guard's proposed acquisition strategy and FY2021 funding request for the WCC program. Decisions that Congress makes on this issue could affect Coast Guard capabilities and funding requirements, the U.S. shipbuilding industry, and U.S. waterway commerce. Cutters are Coast Guard vessels that are more than 65 feet long and have accommodations for a crew. (Coast Guard vessels less than 65 feet long are called boats.) The term waterways refers here to the intra-coastal waterways along the U.S. East and Gulf coasts, and U.S. inland waterways, such as the Mississippi River. Tenders are vessels whose primary mission is to maintain or repair something. The designations of Coast Guard tenders begin with WL, meaning Coast Guard vessel (W) and tender (L). (The W in the acronym WCC, however, stands for waterways.) VVCC Msin WCCs perform three primary missions under the Coast Guard's statutory role of providing aids to navigation (ATON): river buoy tending; inland construction tending (which involves driving and removing piles and erecting and repairing range towers and major lights); and inland buoy tending. The waterborne commerce supported by WCCs is important to the U.S. economy. Additional missions for WCCs include ports, waterways, and coastal security (PWCS); search and rescue (SAR); marine environmental protection; and marine safety. The Coast Guard's 35 existing WCCs (one of which is shown in Figure 1), are built to nine different designs, and include 18 WLRs, 13 WLICs, and four WLIs. As of 2020, the 35 vessels were an average of 56 years old, with the oldest two being 76 and 75 years old, the youngest two being 30 years old, and the others 44 to 66 years old. Figure I. Coast Guard River Buov Tender (WLRI source: Coast Uuard photograph. Geographdc Dsrbto As of 2019, the 18 WLRs were based at cities along the Mississippi and other inland rivers in Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky (two cutters), Mississippi (three cutters), Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee (four cutters). Although these locations are in the central and eastern United States, the rivers in question are referred to by the Coast Guard as the western rivers. As of 2019, the 13 WLICs were based at cities along the U.S. East and Gulf coasts in Alabama, Florida (three cutters), Louisiana (two cutters), Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas (three cutters), and Virginia. As of 2019, the four WLIs were based at locations in Alaska, Michigan, Oregon, and North Carolina. The Coast Guard wants to replace the 35 existing waterways cutters because their annual maintenance costs are rising rapidly, they break down frequently (and can remain out of operation for periods of 30 to 45 days while being repaired), and they have poor living conditions for their crew members. The Coast Guard argues that replacing the aging cutters will be more cost effective than continuing to operate and maintain them. WVCC Prograzm The WCC program was initiated in the Coast Guard's FY2018 budget submission. It was originally called the Inland Waterways and Western Rivers Tender (or Cutter) program. It was renamed the WCC program in the FY2019 budget submission. Some budget documents may continue to use the program's older name. -.-,'~-' *.~ \\\\'\\ \ \N \ \I \N,\ \\ \ \ Q\\ \\\ \\\

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