Contact: Antonia Ferrier (202) 224-5344
Monday, December 5, 2005

WASHINGTON, DC— Today U.S. Senators Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME) and Susan Collins (R-ME), and U.S. Representative Mike Michaud (D-ME) announced that Army Secretary Francis Harvey has approved the Army Materiel Command’s (AMC) plan to award a "bridge" contract for refurbishing Humvees to the Maine Readiness Sustainment Maintenance Center’s (MRSMC) Maine Military Authority (MMA) in Limestone. This month-to-month contract for 42 vehicles per month is expected to run for 3 months.

“While it is certainly welcome news to the hardworking men and women of Limestone, this contract is a temporary solution at best,” said Snowe, Collins and Michaud in a joint statement. “The long term solution is for Secretary Harvey to directly mission the MRSMC to do this vital work that helps keep our fighting men and women safe. We will continue to fight to ensure that our national security and the local economy are preserved.”

In September, Senators Snowe and Collins and Representative Michaud sent a letter to the Secretary of the Army requesting he use the authority granted to him by law to provide additional work refurbishing vehicles at the Maine Military Authority. The letter also detailed MRSMC’s unparalleled track record of providing refurbished Humvees to the Army at a fraction of the cost of new equipment. To date, MRSMC has produced over 3,400 Humvees at a total savings of over $177 million. Furthermore, the Maine facility is capable of refurbishing vehicles at a savings of $12,000-$14,000 over active Army Depots.

In addition, Senators Snowe and Collins successfully included a provision in the final, Senate-passed version of the fiscal year 2006 Defense Authorization bill that reaffirms the Senate’s position that the Secretary of the Army has the authority to waive competition requirements when providing financial assistance to a state’s National Guard. This exception was added to the FY05 defense authorization bill last year at the request of the two Senators. The Maine Readiness Sustainment Maintenance Center is funded through the National Guard bureau. This provision, for example, would enable the MRSMC to be eligible for a renewed sole source contract for work on refurbishing Humvees for the Army.

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