UPDATE: Senate passes Energy and Water Appropriations Bill On June 25, the Senate passed HR 5895, the Energy & Water Appropriations Bill. The write-up below has been updated. ASBPA has been pleased to see the FY19 budget process moving forward. As part of the budget deal passed in February, Congress agreed to “spending caps” for…
ASBPA submits Testimony on Army Corps – Civil Works Budget to House Appropriations Committee. As Congress takes up FY19 appropriations legislation, ASBPA submitted “Outside Witness Testimony for the Record” to the House Energy & Water Appropriations sub-committee with a focus on three areas of the Army Corps of Engineers-Civil Works budget: Shore Protection, construction –…
On Friday, March 23rd, the President signed the FY18 omnibus budget bill, funding the government through September. Coastal agencies finally have predictable funding for the remainder of the year after four short-term continuing resolutions in the past six months prevented them from planning or fully spending out their budgets. ASBPA had weighed in on a…
We are collecting information to help us better understand how local shoreline projects often rely on blended streams of funding — local taxes, grants, state cost-share programs, etc. ASBPA hopes to identify tools and best practices that will help local communities navigate beach and shoreline project funding. We look forward to sharing the results of…
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…
As Congress begins the process of drafting a Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2018, ASBPA is working to improve the US Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) budgeting and planning process for coastal projects. ASBPA has been working with the Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works and House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure, to…
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…
On August 21st, ASBPA – together with our friends at Florida Shore & Beach Preservation Association – submitted comments to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) on how to streamline National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) permitting and regulatory process. As many of our members well know, coastal restoration and resilience projects, particularly those in the…
As Congress heads out of DC for its August recess/district work period[1], here’s an update of where coastal FY18 appropriations stand. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) coastal appropriations. The full House of Representatives passed the Energy & Water Appropriations Bill on July 27th as part of a “mini-omnibus” that included Defense, Veterans Affairs, and…
Capitol Hill Day: Wednesday, July 12th. Register here. In District Day(s): Wednesday, August 16th (or anytime during August Congressional recess). Register here. This summer is the most important time in decades for the future of federal coastal funding. Coastal funding is facing unprecedented threats from the administration and Congress that is actively seeking to make major cuts…