eLoran: Current Situation

Current Status

On October 28, President Barack Obama signed the Department of Homeland Defense (DHS) appropriations bill that allows termination of Loran-C in Jan 2010. This bill stipulates prior to termination the following must happen:

(1) the Commandant of the Coast Guard certifies that the termination of the operation of the Loran-C signal as of the date specified in subsection (a) will not adversely impact the safety of maritime navigation; and
(2) the Secretary of Homeland Security certifies that the Loran-C system infrastructure is not needed as a backup to the Global Positioning System or to meet any other Federal
navigation requirement.

If the certifications described above are made, the Coast Guard shall, commencing January 4, 2010, terminate the operation of the Loran-C signal and commence a phased decommissioning of the Loran-C system infrastructure.

As of December 1, 2009 the Commandant has certified the Loran-C signal will not adversely impact safety of Maritime navigation. However the Secretary of Homeland Security has not certified her portion. The latest information is that DHS is "reviewing using eLoran as a backup to GPS."