On The Capitol Beach, Derek Brockbank talks WRDA with Ryan Seiger, the Staff Director for the Water Resources and Environment sub-committee of the House Transportation & Infrastructure committee. Ryan has been working on WRDAs on Capitol Hill for over 20 years and is one of the most influential people on coastal policy that no one…
Coastal States Organization (CSO) and American Shore and Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) have issued a call for policies, funding, and science to address the unprecedented challenges facing our nation’s coasts. In an era of rising sea, changing Great Lake levels, increasing storm intensity, coastal erosion and flooding, and lack of available coastal sediment, Congress and…
With a major Omnibus-COVID Stimulus bill passed, Congress has averted a government shutdown and passed an FY21 federal budget. Here are the funding levels in the House and Senate appropriations and the final approved amount for some key coastal programs: (All numbers in thousands of dollars.) Energy and Water Appropriations (Includes US Army Corps of…
The federal FY21 budget is operating under a Continuing Resolution (CR) through December 11. Before then, Congress must agree to a budget or the government will shut down (which certainly feels on-brand for 2020, but at this point both House and Senate would like to avoid). Adding to the challenge is the lingering question whether…
House Passes WRDA In late July, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 7575, the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), by voice vote – indicating unanimous support. While the corresponding legislation in the Senate (S. 3591) has only passed the Environment & Public Works Committee, House and Senate staffers and key members from both chambers of…
Almost exactly one year ago, in July 2019, ASBPA testified before the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee on the need to develop water resources legislation that would advance: Regional Sediment Management (RSM) and the Beneficial Use of Dredged Material (BUDM); A modification of the Corps’ Benefit-Cost-Ratio (BCR) process; Natural Infrastructure. This week, the Transportation & Infrastructure…
The Senate is still considering whether and how to provide stimulus funding to state and local governments struggling with budget shortfalls due to the coronavirus pandemic. Budget shortfalls are particularly challenging for coastal and other tourism-based communities. The House of Representatives has already passed the HEROES Act to address this and other challenges of coronavirus….
As Congress considers an infrastructure stimulus bill in response to the coronavirus pandemic, ASBPA is asking Congress to prioritize funding for coastal infrastructure whose purpose is to help tourism and increase the resilience of communities to future economic challenges from the inevitable challenges posed by sea level rise and coastal storms. See our Coronavirus Stimulus Letter…
Congress just passed a full FY20 budget following multiple Continuing Resolutions that extended FY19 funding levels through the fall. ASBPA was pleased to see some important increases to funding for coastal programs. Here how some of the programs in the Energy & Water (Army Corps) appropriations that ASBPA cares about will be funded in FY20…
After a late July budget deal set total budget caps for FY2020 and FY2021, Congress came back to session in September with a goal of passing appropriations bills before the September 30th end of the fiscal year. That goal seems likely to come up short, with Congress expected to pass a short term continuing resolution…