U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said the 2013 National Defense Authorization bill would bring millions in federal dollars to Maine — including major contracts for Bath Iron Works.
Collins issued a news release saying the bill includes continued funding for shipbuilding at Bath Iron Works, submarine repair at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, defense projects at Pratt & Whitney in North Berwick, General Dynamics in Saco, and others.
The bill also includes a provision requested by Collins that provides multi-year procurement authority for up to 10 DDG-51 destroyers, one more than the President’s budget request, which would contribute significantly to the workload at BIW through 2017. Funding for a second Virginia-Class Submarine to be built in was also approved as part of the bill.
The value of the contracts for the Navy’s DDG-51 program was tabbed at $3 billion, with $669 million for the DDG-1000 program, both built at Bath Iron Works.
The bill will now be sent to the White House.
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