The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has published its request for proposals for beneficial use of dredged material pilot projects pursuant to Section 1122 of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2016. The USACE is looking to recommend 10 projects for the beneficial use of dredged material (BUDM) program that would allow for…
ASBPA’s 2017 Government Affairs agenda continued to focus on three main areas: Federal Funding, including advocating for funding for coastal projects and coastal research; and changing policies to allow coastal projects to include their full range of benefits in benefit-cost-ratios and thereby compete better for federal funding. Improved permitting and regulatory, including expediting Endangered Species…
What can Congress do to protect our country’s invaluable coastal resources? First and foremost, fund coastal infrastructure. The American Shore & Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) is recommending at least $5 billion over ten years to rebuild and restore our nation’s beach, dunes, wetlands and other coastal flood risk reduction infrastructure. This should include building already…
When the word “infrastructure” comes up, most people think of steel and concrete, bridges and ports. But our water and coastal infrastructure is just as critical to the American economy and creates (and protects) just as many jobs, but does so with sand and sediment, roots and grass. Infrastructure refers to the structures, systems, and…
On Dec. 10, the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate passed S.612, the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act” or the “WIIN Act” (also known as the Water Resource Development Act [WRDA]), which includes provisions to help protect, restore, and increase the resilience of U.S. coastlines. The bill passed the House 360-61 and the…
Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate passed S.612, the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act” or the “WIIN Act” (also known as the Water Resource Development Act [WRDA]), which includes many provisions to help protect, restore, and increase the resilience of U.S. coastlines. The bill passed the House 360-61 and the Senate 78-21,…
On Thursday, the U.S. Senate passed S.2848, the Water Resource Development Act (WRDA), which includes many provisions to help protect, restore, and increase the resilience of U.S. coastlines. The bill passed 95-3, with overwhelming bipartisan support. The House of Representatives must now act for the bill to move to the President’s desk. “Hurricane Hermine should serve…
On Wednesday, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure passed a Water Resource Development Act (WRDA) that included a new pilot program to beneficially use sediment dredged from navigation channels to restore shorelines, beaches, and wetlands. The Senate WRDA (S.2848), which passed in committee in April, also included a provision on beneficial use of dredged…
Healthy coasts are a wise investment. Coastlines protect communities from storms and sea level rise, provide habitat and ecological benefits, support coastal economies, provide recreation to local residents and draw tourists from around the world. This means healthy coastlines bring multiple returns on the investment made by the federal government, state and local project sponsors…