News Releases

Thursday, March 11, 2010 - 2010 Annual VSRA Communications Survey

YOUR ASSOCIATION WANTS TO HEAR FROM YOU.

VSRA has accomplished incredible things with our members support and now is the time for YOU to TELL US what would make your Association better for your company! Please click on the link below to take a short 10 minute (MAX) survey and thank you for contributing your voice to our efforts!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VNL9HXK

Wednesday, March 10, 2010 - OSHA Norifies 15,00 Workplaces

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration surveys employers to collect workplace injury and illness data it uses to identify employers whose injury and illness rates are considerably higher than the national average. A letter has been sent to about 15,000 workplaces with the highest numbers of injuries and illnesses resulting in days away from work, restricted work activities or job transfers, known as the DART rate.

“Receipt of this letter means that workers in that particular establishment are being injured at a higher rate than in most other businesses of its kind in the country,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Dr. David Michaels. “Employers whose businesses have injury and illness rates this high need to take immediate steps to protect their workers.”

Employers receiving the letters also were provided copies of their injury and illness data, along with a list of the most frequently cited OSHA standards for their specific industry. The letter offered assistance in helping to reduce workplace injuries and illnesses by suggesting, among other things, the use of OSHA’s free safety and health consultation services for small businesses provided through the states.

OSHA identified businesses with the nation’s highest rates of workplace injuries and illnesses through employer-reported data from a 2009 survey of about 100,000 worksites. (This survey collected injury and illness data for calendar year 2008.) Workplaces receiving notifications had DART rates more than twice the national average among all U.S. workplaces.

OSHA’s consultation program is available to assist in addressing safety and health in the workplace for employers with 250 or fewer workers. This program is administered by a state agency and operated separately from OSHA’s enforcement program. The service is free and confidential, and there are no fines even if problems are found. Designed for small employers, the consultation program can help an employer identify hazards while finding effective and economical solutions for repairing them. In addition, the OSHA state consultant can assist in developing and implementing a safety and health management system for the workplace.

A list of the employers receiving the letter is available on OSHA’s public Web site at https://www.osha.gov/as/opa/foia/hot_16.html. A list of OSHA’s consultation services is available at https://www.osha.gov/dcsp/smallbusiness/consult.html.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to assure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, outreach, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

Monday, March 08, 2010 - Jo-Kell - World Class Supplier

VSRA Member receives important award

Chesapeake, VA (January 18, 2010) - Jo-Kell Inc., a local electrical distribution and engineering company was recognized for their outstanding performance and support of Northrop Grumman Corporation's Socio-Economic Business Programs (SEBP). The award was presented on December 4, 2009 at the company's annual recognition event in Redondo Beach, California. Jo-Kell CEO, Suzy Kelly and President, Marty Kelly were proud to accept the award at the event.

Northrop Grumman annually recognizes companies with the World Class Supplier Award who consistently demonstrate responsiveness and flexibility to help meet Northrop Grumman's needs with a high quality of work, on-time delivery, outstanding cost management and reliable performance.

"It is an to honor to receive this prestigious award from Northrop Grumman", said Jo-Kell CEO Suzy Kelly. "Jo-Kell is grateful to be recognized for the hard work, dedication and commitment of our employees. Our company's primary focus is to provide high-quality products, systems and superior customer service", Kelly added.

Jo-Kell is one of only a few LEAN Certified suppliers for Northrop Grumman Newport News. LEAN incorporates principles of identifying value, eliminating waste and improving processes.

Monday, March 08, 2010 - SCA Weekly Round-Up ... 3/5/2010
SCA Spring General Membership Meeting 2010

April 26-28th, 2010

Washington, DC

The registration form for the Spring General Membership Meeting is now available HERE. Hotel information for the SCA discounted rate is located at the bottom of the form. A list of speakers will be made available as we approach the meeting.

Please contact Brian Elliott at belliott@balljanik.com or at (202) 347-5462 if you have any questions.

National Ship Repair Industry Conference 2010

Thank you to everyone that attended this year's conference and continuing to make this annual event a success. We had a great lineup of Navy Executives on Tuesday and on Wednesday we were able to relay our messages directly to members of Congress. Also, thank you again to all of our sponsors:

Virginia Ship Repair Association

Jacksonville Area Ship Repair Association

Port of San Diego Ship Repair Association

Puget Sound Ship Repair Association

Ship Repair Association of Hawaii

Presentations from Navy Day are available online HERE.

If you have any questions regarding the conference please contact either RDML Joe Carnevale (Ret.) or Brian Elliott.

SCA Spring Safety & Health Seminar 2010

Registration is now available for the Spring Safety & Health Seminar which will be held March 11-12, 2010 in Mobile, AL. A registration form can be downloaded HERE and includes information on the SCA room block. A detailed agenda is available HERE.

Please contact Ian Bennitt with any questions.

Offshore Drilling: Interior plans to release comprehensive strategy this month

3/3/210

E&E News PM

Noelle Strub, E&E Reporter

The Obama administration hopes to unveil a comprehensive offshore oil and gas drilling plan by the end of the month, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said today.

The proposal will address a number of pressing issues, including a court-ordered review of the current 2007-2012 five-year plan, a proposal for the next five-year plan that would run from 2012-2017, and whether Interior will proceed with a lease sale next year off Virginia's coast, Salazar said.

"We are working to finalize the documents that are needed to make sure that we have plans that can withstand the force of litigation in the process moving forward," Salazar told reporters on Capitol Hill.

The Bush administration had floated a draft plan days before leaving office that would greatly expand offshore leasing, including multiple sales off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and run from 2010 to 2015, supplanting much of the current program. But Salazar indicated Interior is not likely to pursue that timeline and instead will produce its next plan as scheduled to begin in 2012.

The Interior announcement will also address the court-ordered review of the current 2007-2012 plan.

Interior's 2007-2012 five-year offshore leasing program is undergoing review in response to a court order last April that found deficiencies in one of the environmental analyses underpinning the plan and sent it back to Interior for additional analysis.

The court found that Interior, when preparing the plan, botched its implementation of a requirement under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act that federal officials consider the "relative environmental sensitivity" of different OCS areas and ordered a new evaluation. The court later clarified that the decision applied only to Alaska and would not affect lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico.

The offshore proposal will also address whether to move forward with a lease sale planned for 2011 off Virginia, Salazar said. He added that gathering more information about resources off the Atlantic Coast "is important to do because we have no recent information -- it's 30 years old, and it's very hard to make decisions without having that information."

During the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing, ranking member Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) urged Salazar to move quickly, saying industry will miss out on drilling off the coast of Alaska this year if decisions are not made soon.

"I am very, very aware of that fact it is what is driving some very hard work that is under way as we speak," Salazar said.

Wind power and shipyard industries call for investments

Baird Maritime

Monday, 01 March 2010

The Community of European Shipyards’ Association (CESA) and the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) are calling on the European Commission and the European Investment Bank (EIB) to support the building of new ships to serve the expanding offshore wind energy market over the coming years.

CESA and EWEA urged the European Commission to develop programmes and funding mechanisms, and for the European Investment Bank to take the necessary measures to support the risk related to the necessary significant investments to ensure that a sufficient number of installation vessels are available to the offshore wind industry.

They also argue that the offshore wind power industry should be identified as a key industry in the EU’s 2020 strategy for smart, green growth.

Investments in new ships totalling US$3.2 billion are needed for the predicted growth of offshore wind. By 2020, the installation of thousands of offshore wind turbines as wee as the necessary substructures and cables, is foreseen.

“From 2020 we will see 40,000MW per year build offshore,” said Eddie O’Connor, founder and CEO of Mainstream Renewables and EWEA Secretary. “This will require ten to twelve new heavy lift vessels, other vessels for transporting foundations, towers, nacelles and blading systems. New ports will have to be built across Europe.”

“Offshore wind power provides the answer to Europe’s energy and climate dilemma- exploiting an abundant energy resource which does not emit greenhouse gases, reduces dependence on increasingly costly fuel imports, creates thousands of jobs and provides large quantities of indigenous, affordable electricity,” added Justin Wilkes, Policy Director of EWEA.

Monday, March 08, 2010 - VSRA - ASNE DINNER 3/17/2010
VSRA is partnering with the American Society of Naval Engineers to co-sponsor a dinner on Wednesday, March 17th, 2010, beginning at 6:00 PM. The dinner will be held at the Springhill Suites on Newtown Road, Norfolk.

The speaker will be Peggy Harrell, Assistant Deputy Commander, Regional Maintenance Centers, Naval Sea Systems Command (SEA 04Y). Details of the dinner, as well as the speakers bio, can be see on the VSRA - ASNE March Dinner Flyer.

Register at http://www.asne-tw.org/. This will certainly be very well attended, so make your reservations early.

Monday, February 22, 2010 - SCA Weekly Round-Up ... 2/19/2010
SCA Spring General Membership Meeting 2010

April 26-28th, 2010

Washington, DC

The registration form for the Spring General Membership Meeting is now available HERE. Hotel information for the SCA discounted rate is located at the bottom of the form. Locations and a list of speakers will be made available as we approach the meeting.

Please contact Brian Elliott at belliott@balljanik.com or at (202) 347-5462 if you have any questions.

National Ship Repair Industry Conference 2010

The National Ship Repair Industry Conference 2010 will be held in Washington, DC on March 1-3. Last year’s conference was a great success and featured a strong list of Navy Executives and twelve Congressmen on the Hill Day. This year’s conference looks to be just as informative from the events that the five ship repair associations and SCA have put together.

A registration form for the NSRIC 2010 can be found HERE. If you have any questions, please contact RDML Joe Carnevale (Ret.) or Brian Elliott.

SCA Spring Safety & Health Seminar 2010

Registration is now available for the Spring Safety & Health Seminar which will be held March 11-12, 2010 in Mobile, AL. A registration form can be downloaded HERE and includes information on the SCA room block. A detailed agenda is available HERE.

Jobs Bill Update...

Early last week, Senate Democrats scrapped a bipartisan jobs bill in favor of one Sen. Reid says is leaner and focused solely on putting Americans back to work. This new, pared down proposal followed criticism that the bipartisan version wouldn't create many jobs.

Sen. Reid's new plan is to focus on popular provisions aimed at boosting job creation, including a new tax break negotiated with Republicans for companies that hire unemployed workers and for small businesses that purchase new equipment. It also would renew highway programs and help states and local governments finance large infrastructure projects.

SCA will continue to work with the Senate to include provisions we feel will create jobs such as SSAP and Title XI funding among others.

News from RDML Carnevale...

A draft solicitation for services in support of U.S. ships bought, leased or transferred in FMS programs was floated late last year:.. Read more HERE.

A couple of interesting articles in Inside the Navy. The first is one... Read more HERE.

National Defense Magazine has published this article on the LCS program and competition. Pretty good comparison of the ships.

Injury and Illness Data Update

SCA's 4th quarter TRIR was 5.39, the lowest in 2 years! The SCA 2009 year-end TRIR was 6.27, again the lowest since 2007. Please find the SCA 4th quarter survey results HERE, as well as updated data sheets showing all year-end aggregates HERE.

Thank you to all those companies that contribute to this valuable data collection and benchmarking initiative. The data remains a key examples exhibiting to OSHA our member's commitment to safety. As our rates continue to fall, and as the new regime at OSHA ramps up its enforcement and regulatory priorities, it is more important than ever.

Reminder - Those companies that submit completed surveys for all four quarters of 2009 will be eligible to receive the 2009 SCA Award for Excellence In Safety and/or our Award for Improvement in Safety. These Awards will be distributed at our April General Membership Meeting in Washington, DC, and recipients will be notified in early March.

Previous survey results are also available on the SCA website HERE.

Monday, February 08, 2010 - DOD Releases Important Funding Proposals

DOD Releases Defense Reviews, 2011 Budget Proposal, and 2010 War Funding Supplemental Request

                President Barack Obama today sent to Congress a proposed defense budget of $708 billion for fiscal 2011. The budget request for the Department of Defense (DoD) includes $549 billion in discretionary budget authority to fund base defense programs and $159 billion to support overseas contingency operations (OCO), primarily in Afghanistan and Iraq. This proposal continues the reform agenda established in last year's DoD budget request and builds on the initiatives identified by the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) and 2010 Ballistic Missile Defense Review (BMDR).

                The QDR examines DoD strategies and priorities. It assesses the threats and challenges that the nation faces and re-balances DoD's strategies, capabilities, and forces to ensure the U.S. military has the flexibility to address today's conflicts and tomorrow's threats. The BMDR evaluates the ballistic missile threat to the U.S. and its allies and articulates policy. It determines the appropriate role of ballistic missile defense in the country's national security and military strategies.

                "The fiscal 2011 budget request builds on the reforms begun in last year's defense budget," said Defense Secretary Robert Gates. "These substantial changes to allocate defense dollars more wisely and reform the department's processes were broadened and deepened by the analysis and conclusions contained in the Quadrennial Defense Review."

                The fiscal 2011 base budget request represents an increase of $18 billion over the $531 billion enacted for fiscal 2010. This is an increase of 3.4 percent, or 1.8 percent real growth after adjusting for inflation. The DoD needs modest real growth to maintain, train, and equip the forces that sustain our wartime efforts.

                The fiscal 2011 OCO request will provide additional resources needed to sustain U.S. forces in Operation Enduring Freedom – in Afghanistan and elsewhere – and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Included are funds for pay and benefits, logistics and other support, force protection, continuing efforts to counteract improvised explosive devices, as well as funding to fully support the buildup in Afghanistan and to carry out a responsible drawdown in Iraq.

                "The choices made and priorities set in these budget requests and strategic defense reviews reflect America's commitment to succeed in the wars we are in while making the investments necessary to prepare for threats on or beyond the horizon," said Gates.

                Also accompanying the 2011 budget proposal is a fiscal 2010 supplemental request of $33 billion to support the added costs of the President's new strategy in Afghanistan and strengthen U.S. force levels with approximately 30,000 additional troops.

                "To make sure we have the resources needed to support our troops deploying to the Afghanistan theater, I will be asking the Congress to enact the supplemental by spring 2010," said Gates.

                Key highlights of the proposed DoD budget are outlined in the attached summary and charts. For more information and to view the entire fiscal 2011 budget proposal, please visit http://www.budget.mil and download the "FY 2011 Budget Request Overview Book."

                The 2010 QDR and BMDR are available online at www.defense.gov/DefenseReviews.

                Transcripts from applicable budget and strategic defense review briefings can also be viewed at www.defense.gov/transcripts.

U.S. Department of Defense

Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)

Thursday, January 07, 2010 - Navy Force Structure Study Released
The Congressional Research Service has released a new report to congress entitled "Navy Force Structure and Shipbuilding Plans: Background and Issues for Congress." The study's author is Ronald O'Rourke, Specialist in Naval Affairs.

Navy Force Structure and Shipbuilding Plans