Blumenthal backs Coast Guard Museum on waterfront
Norwich — U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said Monday that he is confident environmental obstacles recently raised about siting the proposed National Coast Guard Museum near City Pier in New London can be overcome.
Blumenthal, D-Conn., was referring to a column in The Day in which the head of the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Rob Klee, noted that building on the water would be challenging and that the organization coordinating the museum had yet to submit formal plans. He said a determination of whether the museum can be built while adhering to environmental regulations couldn't be made until plans are laid out.
Blumenthal, addressing a breakfast meeting of the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut, told a crowd of more than 200 at the Holiday Inn Norwich that he supports the $100 million museum, adding that the Coast Guard is the only U.S. military branch that does not have such a site.
"That museum should be built on the water in New London, and it should be built as quickly as possible," Blumenthal said.
Blumenthal addressed several other concerns he has been working on in the Senate, including the opioid epidemic, help for veterans and the defense budget.
The overprescription of painkillers is affecting everyone from veterans with post-traumatic stress to athletes recovering from injuries, Blumenthal said.
"This nation has to address this problem more effectively than it has," he said. "These painkillers right now in many cases are overprescribed."
Opioid addiction is one of the problems addressed in the Veterans First bill that Blumenthal is helping to push through the Senate. He added that more psychiatrists and improved health care will be forthcoming for veterans if the bill is passed.
In addition, Blumenthal reported Senate Armed Services Committee support for a defense bill that would target $5 billion for continued construction of Virginia-class attack submarines and an additional $1.9 billion procurement to plan the replacement of Ohio-class, ballistic missile-firing subs. Under the committee-passed budget, an additional $300 million beyond what the Obama administration had sought will go to build new Black Hawk helicopters to replace aging machines, he said.
"National security is vital, but it's also jobs ... in Connecticut," Blumenthal said.
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