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…
Congress is in the midst of working to move forward another Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) – the first since 2014, which had an additional R (for “Reform”) included. Why is that news for coastal communities? First, WRDA bills are the way the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers gets its marching orders on all water…
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…
Last week, the House of Representatives and the Senate committees with jurisdiction over funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers put out their proposals for fiscal year (FY) 2017 funding. Both the House and the Senate provided funding for shore protection in the Army Corps’ civil works construction budget, after it had been left…
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…
“Healthy Coasts: A Wise Investment”: That’s a thought we all can agree with, and one the American Shore & Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) is bringing to Washington, DC, from Tuesday, Feb. 23, through Thursday, Feb. 25, as the theme for its 2016 Coastal Summit. But what does this slogan really mean and how will we…