Ledyard gets grant to help plan industrial park, Norwich Bulletin

Ledyard gets grant to help plan industrial park

Norwich Bulletin

9/19/08

Ledyard, Conn. — Ledyard will receive a $100,000 federal grant to promote a stronger relationship between town businesses and the Naval submarine base in Groton.

U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, announced the grant Thursday. The money, from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration, will help fund the planning and feasibility studies for an industrial park in Ledyard, near the base.

“The EDA award will allow planning to go forward for a project that is a key component of the community's economic development strategy,” Ledyard Planning Director Brian Palaia said.

Sub funding increase advances, New London Day

Sub funding increase advances

House Defense subcommittee report includes $397.6 million for work on Virginia-class boats

By Jennifer Grogan, New London Day, 31 July 2008

U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney made a beeline through the other representatives on the House floor after a vote Wednesday afternoon to reach the chairman of the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee.

The subcommittee had just released highlights from its version of the fiscal 2009 defense appropriations bill, which is the legislation that allocates money to the Pentagon, and included on the list $397.6 million for the Virginia-class submarine program.

To U.S. Rep. John Murtha, the influential Pennsylvania Democrat who heads the subcommittee, Courtney said, “on behalf of the people of southeastern Connecticut, thank you for believing in us and remaining committed to a program that is good for Connecticut and good for our country.”

Courtney, a Democrat, represents the 2nd District, which includes submarine manufacturer Electric Boat in Groton.

Murtha said he has been impressed with the talent and skill of the work force at Electric Boat, and he called Courtney an “effective advocate for the submarine industry.”

”I'm convinced that moving towards construction of two submarines per year is in the best interest of both our industrial base and national security,” Murtha said in a statement issued Wednesday.

The $487.7 billion bill is $4 billion below the president's budget request and $28.4 billion above last year's total.

”You've heard me say that we must 'look beyond Iraq,' and to this degree the committee has added and redistributed funds that will prepare our military for future threats and future conflicts,” Murtha said.

Electric Boat and Northrop Grumman Newport News in Virginia jointly produce one $2.5 billion submarine a year, a production schedule that will increase to two a year starting in 2011.

The Navy could use the $397.6 million to start building two submarines a year in 2010 or to start work earlier on the second submarine in 2011.

Both the Secretary of the Navy and the chief of Naval Operations said last month that they do not support increasing production of submarines before 2011 because the service has to address a range of threats.

The Navy's plan called for an increase in production in 2012 before Courtney began his successful push last year to accelerate the schedule by increasing the funding for the submarine program.

This year, Courtney wanted to further hasten construction and helped shift $300 million in the budget authorization for buying Navy ships into the Virginia-class submarine account.

He then worked with the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee to further amend the authorization to add another $422 million, for a total of $722 million for the construction of two submarines in both 2010 and 2011.

The Senate version has significantly less money for new construction on Virginia-class submarines, $79 million. The authorization act establishes the policy for funding that is allocated through the appropriations process.

”We always knew that given where the Senate was at, $722 million was going to be the hitting a home run with the bases loaded kind of figure,” Courtney said. “This figure, in this budget, still is an extra-bases hit any way you slice it. This is an extremely tight year.”

Kevin Devine, a vice president at Electric Boat, called the subcommittee's action “another step toward the stability the program requires to produce capable and affordable submarines.”

The appropriations committee must approve the funding, followed by the full House expected in September. The differences between the House and Senate versions will have to be worked out in conference.

Congressmen propose additional $422 million to fund submarines, Norwich Bulletin

Congressmen propose additional $422 million to fund submarines

By Michael Gannon

Norwich Bulletin

May 15, 2008

U.S. Reps. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, and Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., the ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, have teamed up to more than double last week’s authorization bill for advance procurement of Virginia-class submarines.

The Hunter-Courtney amendment, made to the Fiscal 2009 National Defense Authorization Act, would increase the House’s funding proposal from $300 million to $722 million. It would allow construction of two subs per year beginning in 2010.

The measure must pass through the Appropriations Committee and the full House of Representatives. If it passes, it must be reconciled with a Senate version of the bill that allows $79 million for advance procurement.

“While the appropriations process has a long way to go, this is a truly bipartisan show of force in support of the Virginia-class submarine program,” Courtney said. Hunter could not be reached for comment.

If it survives intact, it would allow the Navy to start construction on two submarines per year in 2010 and 2011. It would double the production now at Electric Boat in Groton.

Sean Sullivan, the Republican challenging Courtney in the fall, sent out a press release early Wednesday accusing Courtney of talking about supporting submarines but taking his name off the amendment at the last minute. Sullivan later said he may have misunderstood the process for making an amendment, but credit for the money belongs to Hunter.

“The Sullivan campaign has demonstrated yet another credibility problem and an inability to grasp the federal legislative process,” Courtney spokesman Brian Farber said.

Reach Michael Gannon at 425-4231 or at mgannon@norwichbulletin.com

Hartford Courant: Two Submarines A Year

A healthy submarine industry in Connecticut is good for the state's economy and the nation's defense. Both will benefit from President Bush's signature this week on the defense appropriations bill, which includes funding to double the number of attack submarines built every year to two.

Considering that the Pentagon had tried (and failed) only two years ago to close the Groton submarine base, expanding the submarine program represents quite a victory for the state's congressional delegation.

Give much of the credit to Rep. Joe Courtney, whose district includes the Groton submarine base and who inserted the $588 million request in the bill. Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania, the chairman of the House defense appropriations subcommittee, has stood in Connecticut's corner. He passed the bill with Mr. Courtney's request intact.

The $588 million amounts to about 25 percent of what it will cost to build the first of the two-a-year submarines by about 2010.

Most of that money will go to purchase the reactor, engine and propulsion parts of the submarine. But about $70 million of it will pay for parts that are manufactured at Electric Boat in Groton.

In subsequent years, more of the money will be directed to Electric Boat, which will thus preserve its highly skilled work force.

The submarine fleet, considered a crucial component of the nation's military forces, will be able to maintain a competitive edge over those of Russia and China and others.

After a rough two years, Connecticut can boast that it is back in the saddle of the submarine-building business.

Hartford Courant, Editorial, 11/16/07

Norwich Bulletin: Courtney, Murtha Key in Getting Sub Funding

A freshman Democratic congressman and an ex-Marine from Pennsylvania's landlocked 12th District are receiving credit for securing seed money for an anticipated doubling of submarine production at Electric Boat.

U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, had made building two Virginia-class submarines per year a priority, seeking $588 million for advance procurement of parts and components. Tuesday morning, President Bush signed the bill into law.

Even Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell credited the congressman.

“This is great news for Connecticut’s defense industry, and I applaud the successful efforts of Congressman Courtney,” Rell said. “This funding impacts thousands of jobs in southeastern Connecticut and throughout the state. An increase in submarine production is important for Connecticut’s economy, and it is important for the nation’s military readiness.”

When the Senate bill appropriated $100 million less, Courtney credited U.S. Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., chairman of the defense subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, with delivering.

“The $588 million was definitely the better number for Groton,” Courtney said. “John Murtha showed he is a staunch ally of our district by holding the line in the (House-Senate) conference committee.”

“I wholeheartedly support increasing our Navy’s shipbuilding program, and in particular the successful Virginia-class submarine,” Murtha said Tuesday. “Our military needs a 300-ship Navy, and I believe that producing two submarines per year is good for our nation, good for our Navy and good for our domestic industrial base.”

Murtha visited EB along with Courtney and U.S. Rep. John Larson, D-1st District, in April.

“When I visited Electric Boat with Congressmen Courtney and Larson, I saw firsthand Groton’s capability, innovation and enthusiasm,” Murtha said. “From this visit, along with discussions with both the Navy and Joe Courtney, I became convinced that we must increase our submarine production, and that we must start immediately.”

Norwich Bulletin, by Michael Gannon, 11/14/07

The Day: Bush Signs Measure for Sub Funding

Millions in federal dollars will be available for the local submarine industry to build more Virginia-class submarines now that the president has signed a defense spending bill.


"We've turned the corner on the decline of America's submarine fleet," U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, said Tuesday. “For over a decade, we've been limping along at one submarine a year despite the fact that the fleet size is declining at a faster pace than that. And this year, with the new Congress, we are taking action to stop that harmful trend.”

President Bush Tuesday morning signed into law the fiscal 2008 Department of Defense Appropriations Bill, which includes $588 million for the advanced procurement of nuclear reactor components and main propulsion components for an additional Virginia-class submarine prior to 2012.

Electric Boat President John P. Casey said, “I've been waiting to be ecstatic for a long time, and now I really am.

“This is the first critical and concrete evidence we've had that will allow us to begin building two submarines a year. We've been working on this for almost a decade, so it's very exciting news.”

Bush said the spending bill was not perfect and includes some unnecessary spending, but he signed it to “make sure our military has the full support of the federal government,” according to a transcript of a speech he made Tuesday in New Albany, Ind.

The Army's modernization program, called Future Combat Systems, and the missile-defense budget were the two primary areas that were cut, freeing up funding for other endeavors, including the Virginia-class production increase, Courtney said.

“The funding for a second submarine has been an extended battle for Connecticut, and today we declare victory,” Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., said in a statement. “The additional submarine will fortify Connecticut jobs and will make the entire country safer.”

After hearing the news, John C. Markowicz, chairman of the Subase Realignment Coalition, said “hallelujah” and then added a “thank you” to Bush.

Currently, Electric Boat's Groton shipyard and Northrop Grumman Newport News in Virginia produce one $2.5 billion submarine a year, a production schedule the Navy had planned to step up to two submarines a year starting in fiscal 2012.

“As this year has worn on, my confidence has grown each step of the way,” Casey said. “When we started to see visits from senior people and various questions from staff members on key committees, I became increasingly optimistic that this would actually occur this year.”

U.S. Rep. John Murtha, the Pennsylvania Democrat who chairs the Appropriations defense subcommittee, visited EB in April. On Tuesday he said he “became convinced that we must increase our submarine production, and that we must start immediately.”

“I believe that producing two submarines per year is good for our nation, good for our Navy and good for our domestic industrial base,” Murtha said in a statement.

The Navy is now expected to revise its shipbuilding plan to take into account the $588 million.

EB will share the construction workload under a teaming agreement with Newport News, meaning that one submarine a year will be delivered from the Groton yard. Casey said this will allow the company to “stabilize employment and accurately predict manning levels.”

“An increase in submarine production is important for Connecticut's economy and it's important for the nation's military readiness,” Gov. M. Jodi Rell said in a statement.

Members of the state's congressional delegation have said they hope the work will begin at EB in 2010.

“The submarine is finally getting the credit it deserves as a critical component of our nation's defense,” Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., said in a statement. “This bill is a vote of confidence in the workers of Connecticut, who make the equipment that our military depends on to keep our nation safe.”

The spending bill also includes $5 million secured by the state's delegation to begin initial conceptual-design work on the next-generation ballistic-missile submarine.

The Day, by Jennifer Grogan, 11/14/07

The Day: A Sub-Stantial Victory

Congress has finally done what it should have done years ago- provide the money to ramp up Virginia-class submarine production to two per year.

The just-approved $471 billion defense spending bill for 2008 includes $3.1 billion for attack submarines, including $588 million above the president's request to begin advance purchases that could lead to increased submarine production by 2010, rather than 2012 as currently planned. The spending bill still needs President Bush's signature, but a veto appears unlikely, despite the administration's opposition to speeding up submarine construction, now just one per year.

On Thursday the bill passed overwhelmingly in the House and on a voice vote in the Senate.
Increasing the production of the attack submarines is the right thing to do both from a defense standpoint and in the interest of keeping the expert work force at Electric Boat in Groton in place.

The U.S. will face a growing Chinese Navy in coming years. The slow pace of U.S. submarine construction threatened to drop force levels to 40 submarines or less sometime in the next decade, a level many military experts felt was insufficient to assure the nation's naval superiority.

And submarines have proved their merit in the war on terrorism. They have tremendous intelligence gathering ability and can furtively deliver special operation forces where needed.

With the increased funding EB will be able to maintain the 2,500 tradesmen and managers who build submarines. The industry risked losing that expertise if EB continued to build only one submarine every other year. Currently Newport News, Va. also delivers a submarine every other year to meet the current one-per-year program.

During the administration of President Clinton it was projected that by 2002 two Virginia-class submarines a year would be built, but that target has been continually pushed back as the Navy shifted money elsewhere, often to construction programs operating far less efficiently than submarine production. Submarines have been built on time and within budget. Adjusted for inflation, production costs are actually dropping.

Freshman Democrat Rep. Joe Courtney deserves credit for pushing the measure through the U.S. House. While Rep. Courtney presented a compelling argument, politics certainly played a role. The Democrats took control of the Congress in the November 2006 election. Rep. Courtney's 2nd District seat is absolutely one the party's leadership would like to hold on to. So when the freshman came asking, he found a sympathetic ear.

The Republican most likely to challenge Rep. Courtney in 2008 is Sean Sullivan, who happens to be the former commander of the Naval Submarine Base in Groton. By supporting Rep. Courtney in his quest to speed up EB submarine construction, congressional Democrats have neutralized what could have been among Mr. Sullivan's strongest issues.

The fight is not over. It never is. It costs about $2 billion to build an attack submarine, so the $588 million is a down payment of sorts. Support for submarine production will have to continue in future defense-spending bills.

But there is no question Thursday's vote was a significant victory for national security and for the future of southeastern Connecticut's economy.

The Day, Editorial, 11/10/07

The Day: A Freshman with Chops

Editorial

Funding aimed at ramping up submarine production to two ships per year sooner than the current 2012 target date has gained approval from the House Appropriations Committee, a key victory that significantly improves chances of the funding gaining final approval.

Submarine warfare experts have argued that national security could be jeopardized if the current one-submarine-per-year construction schedule is not ramped up. Increasing submarine production would also be good news for Electric Boat and the local economy.

U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, played a vital role in fighting for the funding. During the 2006 campaign, Rep. Courtney's opponent tried to make the case that the Democrat, if elected, would not have the political chops to protect the state's submarine industry. He has proved that argument was wrong.

He persuaded the House leadership to give him a seat on the House Armed Services Committee, a plum assignment for a freshman lawmaker, and within that committee he serves on the Seapower and Expeditionary Forces and the Military Readiness subcommittees. Those assignments placed him in a position to fight for the increased funding.

In an astute political move, Rep. Courtney sought and gained the support of powerful Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Jack Murtha, D-Pa., for increased submarine production.

The $588 million approved by the Appropriations Committee is now part of the 2008 National Defense Authorization spending bill and would be used for the advanced procurement of items needed to increase production of the Virginia class. If adopted into law, the authorization could lead to two-submarines-per-year production as soon as 2009.

The funding is far from assured, however. It still has to survive the appropriations process and gain full House approval. It would also have to be accepted by the Senate, where Connecticut's two veteran senators, Christopher J. Dodd and Joe Lieberman, would be responsible for attracting the necessary votes.

The current slow pace of construction threatens the continued erosion of the expert work force needed to build submarines. The one-submarine approach could also lead to the submarine force dropping to 40 ships, or less, sometime in the next decade, a number that could imperil national security.

Submarines, with their intelligence-gathering capability and the ability to stealthily deliver special operation forces where needed, can play a vital role in dealing with the asymmetric nature of the terrorism conflict. They are also a key component to any conventional war planning.

Increased production deserves congressional support.

Editorial, The Day, July 27, 2007

Norwich Bulletin: House Panel OKs Buying 2 Subs a Year

Groton- Citing the Virginia class submarine program as "one of the few Navy shipbuilding programs that appear to be on track," the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee Wednesday approved a measure to provide the funding to increase submarine production from one to two per year.

"That's the best news we've heard in a very long time," said Ken DelaCruz, president of the Metal Trades Council at Electric Boat, the umbrella union representing the shipyard's waterfront workers. "We've just been scraping by with one ship per year. There's been a lot of talk about increasing production. It's nice to see some progress being made."

The House 2008 Defense Appropriations Bill, which still needs full House approval, provides $588 million for the advance procurement of parts to begin construction of two boats per year. It's anticipated the actual construction could begin as early as fall 2009.

U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, and Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Chairman Jack Murtha, D-Pa., said Wednesday the rest of the funding to build the $2 billion sub will be included in next year's bill.

"I don't see any reason why it shouldn't be there for '09," Murtha said in a teleconference call Wednesday with Courtney.

"I would have liked to have seen it in 2008, but I think 2009 is doable," said retired Groton businessman Bud Fay, who has led a grassroots effort to lobby Congress on the issue.

EB and Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia share the submarine building contract, alternating annually on the lead construction of each new sub. In the past, the Navy has resisted efforts to speed up the shipbuilding program. It has maintained the price would have to be lowered from $2.6 billion to $2 billion per submarine before two subs per year was feasible.

EB President John Casey believes that can be achieved with the increase in construction to two per year.

"The Appropriations Committee's vote is an important step forward in increasing submarine production to two per year and meeting the chief of naval operations' goal to reduce the price of the Virginia Class ships," Casey said Wednesday. "The Virginia Class submarines have proven to be exceptionally capable, and the Navy has said it needs more of them. This is good news for Electric Boat, the Navy and the nation."

EB job cuts

In recent years, EB has been forced to lay off or furlough workers because of a lack of work at the shipyard.

Courtney has led the effort this year in the House to expedite submarine construction, citing the potential threat to national security if that industrial base and the highly skilled work force were to continue to erode.

"The committee's strong support today is a testament to the skill and dedication of southeastern Connecticut's work force," Courtney said. "They have made enormous strides in streamlining the submarine construction process and delivering subs on time and on budget. The employees of Electric Boat have given our nation a shipbuilding program that we can all be proud of."

A good part of Courtney's success came from winning Murtha's support, which came when Murtha visited EB in April.

"I recognized that the Navy is falling far short of the modernization that it needed," Murtha said. "But the Navy didn't think it could afford it. I believe it's absolutely essential for the Navy and the nation."

In addition to Murtha's support, Courtney credited state and local community leaders.
Gov. M. Jodi Rell, who has lobbied Congress to support increasing construction, applauded the committee's actions.

"These funds will enable us to maintain the technological advantage we currently enjoy -- an advantage which could be eroded if we fail to increase production to two submarines a year," Rell said Wednesday in a statement released by her office.

Maintaining jobs at EB is a critical component to the state's economy, particularly since high-paying manufacturing jobs have declined dramatically through the years, replaced with lower-paying service jobs.

"I don't know a lot about the defense aspect of it, but looking at it from an economic side, we need those jobs," said Barry Dobbs of Norwich.

"If it means more jobs, it's a good thing," said Jay Cholewa of Griswold. "EB is a big part of the local economy."

Senate biggest hurdle

The biggest hurdle yet to be faced will be achieving Senate approval. Although the Senate Armed Services Committee has authorized the construction increase, the Senate Appropriations Committee not begun work on its version of a defense spending bill.

"The funding included in the House version of the Defense Appropriations Bill is crucial to providing the best possible national defense," said U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn. "It will also allow the skilled workers at Electric Boat to ensure that Connecticut remains the 'submarine center of excellence' in the world. I applaud the work of Congressmen Courtney and the rest of the Connecticut delegation in the House, and I vow to continue to work with Sen. (Christopher J.) Dodd to make sure our colleagues on the Senate side remain committed to this effort."

Ray Hackett, Norwich Bulletin, July 26, 2007

Shrinking Submarine Force Tied To High Cost of Iraq War (NEW LONDON DAY)

By U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney:

On Jan. 20, 2001, the day President George Bush was sworn into office, the United States Navy consisted of 315 ships. Despite the president's professed support for a strong national defense, by September 2006 that fleet had fallen in size to 276, driven by anemic shipbuilding budgets in that timeframe. This past January, the president submitted a budget to Congress that continues this decline with a proposed seven new ships to be built in 2008. Given the shelf life of an average ship as 30 years, simple math demonstrates that his policies will result in a U.S. Navy with a total fleet size of 210 ships in a short period of time.

It may be that some observers and military planners support this policy and the resulting effect it will have on American national security and our shipbuilding industrial base. However, the downward trend of the Navy is not happening in the context of a real debate about maritime security threats now and in the future, but rather it is happening as a consequence of the expanding, voracious demands of the war in Iraq.

To put this into perspective, the newest class of attack submarines, the Virginia program built in Connecticut, was scheduled to be produced at a modest two-sub-a-year clip starting in 2002 at a cost of $2.5 billion per submarine. That schedule has been pushed back over and over again to 2012, by the Pentagon and the last few Congresses despite the progress sub manufacturers have made in reducing the cost per boat. This has occurred at the same time we are spending $9 billion a month in Iraq and at the same time the Chinese Navy is producing 2.5 submarines per year.

Retirement takes its toll

During the height of the Cold War in the 1980s, the United States Navy was building up to five new submarines per year. Obviously, the maritime threat was vastly different in that era and the goal was to have a fleet of 100 submarines. It is important to note that our present fleet of 52 submarines is a holdover from that time.

Just as rapidly as the Los Angeles-class submarines of that era were built during the 1980s, so too will be the rapid rate at which they will be retired in the next decade. That is when the real impact of the president's shipbuilding budgets from 2001 to the present will emerge in the form of a shrunken Navy.

The Navy's official position is that a fleet of fewer than 48 submarines will put our nation at risk as other nations such as China are rapidly accelerating their submarine programs.

A nation left vulnerable

The president's current plan to build just one new Virginia-class submarine per year through 2012 ignores the Navy's warning that the United States should have no fewer than 48, since the president's plan results in a dip far below that number, to 40 submarines for an extended period of time, leaving our nation's security quite vulnerable.

In recent weeks I have been pushing to increase the Navy's Virginia program to two a year, as was originally planned in 2002. Along with Rep. John Larson, D-1st District, and Rep. Jack Murtha, D-Pa., we met with the workers and management of Electric Boat in Groton to see the precarious state of our shipbuilding industrial base.

What we saw was that the president's neglect of our naval force not only jeopardizes America's status as a premier maritime power, but also has eroded the shipbuilding work force of this nation that is holding on by its fingernails.

Over the last two years, about 2,000 workers have lost their jobs at Groton's Electric Boat facility due to the anemic one-sub-a-year building program. Given the skills required for submarine production, these jobs are not easy to replicate. As an admiral recently stated to me, the unique team of designers and builders have a set of skills that exceed those of the scientists and engineers that make up our space program. They are able to create a vessel that keeps 150 sailors alive for up to 120 days at a time in conditions that otherwise would not support human life.

After our tour, Rep. Murtha powerfully made the point that the draining costs of the war in Iraq have an impact on our nation's domestic needs and on our defense infrastructure. Make no mistake about it - the Bush budget and his war policies will jeopardize further losses to a uniquely skilled work force that our national security infrastructure will not be able to reconstitute overnight.

This past week the House of Representatives approved a $588 million investment in the initial components of an additional Virginia-class nuclear submarine, which is what I have advocated for in Congress since I was first sworn into office. This is a good first step toward developing a more robust submarine force and funding two submarines per year. This summer, the House will be asked to consider funding last week's authorization, for which I will continue to fight. We must reverse the trend of a diminished naval force.

Hartford Courant: House Panel Backs Sub-Building Speedup

May 11 2007 - U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney's office announced some headway Thursday in the attempt to increase submarine construction rates at Groton's Electric Boat, in his 2nd District.

The House Armed Services Committee, of which Courtney is a member, passed a late-night authorization bill Wednesday that would include $588 million to buy the initial power and propulsion components for an additional Virginia-class submarine. Instead of waiting for the Navy's existing shipbuilding plan, which calls for the U.S. submarine production rate to double to two boats a year in 2012, this authorization would allow the Navy to get that increase sooner.

But this week's progress is only one step toward that goal. Last year, the district's previous congressman, Rob Simmons, won such an authorization, but couldn't manage the next step - an appropriation. Spending has to be authorized, meaning it's approved as a proper expense, but it also has to be appropriated, meaning the money is actually found to pay for it.

Still, authorization is a necessary step in the campaign that Courtney and others in Congress have been leading to disregard the Navy's plan and the Bush administration's recent budget proposal to pay for only one submarine in 2008. Courtney and officials at Electric Boat have expressed concerns that the specialized industry of southeastern Connecticut might, because of a lack of work, suffer losses to the workforce that won't be easily replaced.

A statement from Courtney's office Thursday, which called this a "first major hurdle cleared," said that the authorization bill should go before the full House by next week.

It's unclear when an additional submarine might be built. The $588 million will cover only about the first quarter of the sub's overall cost.