Two US shipyards receive small shipyard grants

Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay and Fraser Shipyards in Superior have been awarded nearly US$2 million in 2018 Small Shipyard Grants from the US Department of Transportation.

The Small Shipyard Grant Program aids small shipyards to make capital improvements and train workers to, "remain competitive in the global marketplace".

President Trump's proposed Fiscal Year 2019 budget would have eliminated the program. Senator Tammy Baldwin led the Senate Appropriations Committee in rejecting that budget and including US$20 million for the Small Shipyard Grant Program in the FY19 THUD Senate Appropriations bill.

Last year, Senators Baldwin and Bill Cassidy introduced the Small Shipyards and Maritime Communities Act to reauthorise the Small Shipyard Grant Program through 2020.

The bipartisan legislation was signed into law as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018.