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Amendment to Clear the Way for BIW to Continue Destroyer Work Gets Approval

The U.S. House of Representatives has approved an amendment authored by Maine Second District Congressman Bruce Poliquin designed to ensure BIW is on track to build two DDG-51 destroyers. A provision was added to the House Fiscal Year 2018 National Defense Bill that would have retroactively imposed new statutory requirements on ships authorized and funded in prior fiscal years. Poliquin’s amendment blocks the provision.

Bath Iron Works has released a statement in which it says it’s grateful for the work of Maine U.S. Representatives Bruce Poliquin and Chellie Pingree. BIW says the representatives’ advocacy balances the goal of bringing upgrades to the Navy fleet as soon as possible with the need to have a sufficiently complete design.

Ed is a Maine native who spent his early childhood in Livermore Falls before moving to Farmington. He graduated from Mount Blue High School in 1970 before going to the University of Maine at Orono where he received his BA in speech in 1974 with a broadcast concentration. It was during that time that he first became involved with public broadcasting. He served as an intern for what was then called MPBN TV and also did volunteer work for MPBN Radio.