Detroit News: House passes McDonald Rivet bill directing Great Lakes icebreaker plan

Washington ― First-term U.S. Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet of Michigan got her first bill passed through the House on Wednesday ― a bipartisan provision that would require the Coast Guard to develop a plan to design and build a new icebreaker for the Great Lakes.

The legislation says the service must produce a cost estimate and timeline and authorizes a five-year pilot program for the Coast Guard to test whether its icebreaking fleet on the lakes can keep the priority waterways open during ice season, according to a bill summary.

The Great Lakes maritime industry and its allies have lobbied for years to expand the Coast Guard’s icebreaking fleet on the lakes by adding a second icebreaker capable of breaking up heavy ice, saying the current fleet of U.S. icebreakers isn’t enough during a harsh winter to keep shipping lanes clear of ice and respond to coastal flooding. 

"For those of us from Michigan, this just seems like a 'duh' moment, right?" McDonald Rivet said.

"I don't exactly know why it's taken so long, but I can tell you that it was really lovely to be able to have a bipartisan approach to it ― something that's going to be practical and something that really is going to matter both to our economy and to people."

She sponsored the legislation with Republican U.S. Reps. Tony Wied of Wisconsin and Max Miller of Ohio. She serves on the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure with Wied.

The lawmakers estimated that inadequate icebreaking capabilities on the Great Lakes can lead to losses of up to $1 billion annually for the industry and threatens jobs.

Their legislation was incorporated into a broader House bill reauthorizing the Coast Guard through fiscal 2029. It passed the House by a vote of 399-12 and included a second provision by McDonald Rivet that would instruct the Coast Guard to study the impact of reduced search-and-rescue operations after 24/7 operations were cut last year at certain stations under the Biden administration, she said.

One of the affected stations was the Coast Guard Station Saginaw River, which went from around-the-clock coverage to 40 hours a week, according to her office. That means the Coast Guard will sometimes have to respond to emergencies from areas like Tawas, she said.

"It is deeply problematic. There is a ton of recreation that happens in the bay, swimming, boating, ice fishing, and it will take somebody from Tawas an hour and a half to get to Bay for search and rescue," McDonald Rivet said.

"I've been pushing on it, and what we were able to get in the bill is essentially a study that demands that they look at the data of the impact that these cuts made. ... We need our Coast Guard station back. This is about public safety."

Republicans on the panel said the legislation would create greater parity with the other armed services through the creation of a Secretary of the Coast Guard and enhances protections for members of the Coast Guard from sexual assault and harassment.