We are ecstatic that the U.S. Coast Guard will operate another cutter out of Petersburg after the Anacapa is taken out of service. True, it’s a smaller vessel than the Anacapa, with a smaller crew, but we’ll take it.

The Coast Guard’s Petersburg operations make a huge impact on our economy. The payroll alone is significant. Then start adding in lease payments to the borough for the mooring facilities, housing for families, supplies and goods — often purchased locally, fuel purchases and all manner of repairs and the sum starts to become significant.

Then there are the indirect benef...