The climate is changing and our coasts are facing unprecedented threats – from sea level rise and increasing storm intensity to on-going erosion and sediment loss. The new Administration and 117th Congress must take major actions to restore and preserve America’s shores and beaches. As we wade into these new waters, ASBPA recommends the following…
The American Shore and Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) and Coastal States Organization (CSO) commend the U.S. House of Representative and U.S. Senate for the introduction of the bipartisan S. 1811, the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2020, and encourage Congress to pass this legislation before the end of the year. This bill contains numerous…
In a joint Capitol Beach and WaterLog podcast, the American Shoreline Podcast Network’s full Washington DC team, Derek Brockbank, Howard Marlowe, and Dan Ginolfi team up to provide perspective and analysis on how the election results will impact federal coastal policy and politics in 2021 and beyond, as well as in the remaining weeks of…
On The Capitol Beach, Derek Brockbank speaks with representatives from the US Army Corps of Engineers, US EPA, the State of Washington and the State of Oregon – just a few of the many members of the Lower Columbia Solutions Group, who won this year’s Robert Wiegel Coastal Project award from the ASBPA for the…
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…
Very often, understanding federal coastal policy means understanding the flow of federal funds. Once again, The Capitol Beach explores a federal funding program that advances coastal resilience, but this time by meeting with National Fish & Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) to hear about the National Coastal Resilience Fund (NCRF). This program, funded by Congress and administered…
On this joint episode of The Capitol Beach and Sea Change podcasts, Derek Brockbank & Jenna Valente interview two congressional staffers to discuss what it’s like to work on coastal policy-making from inside and outside the halls of congress. Yes, the so-called “revolving door” of staffing in Washington DC is not always about making money,…
The Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA, or S.3422), which recently passed the Senate, directs a significant portion of federal revenue from offshore oil and gas development to the Land & Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which fund parks and public lands, and deferred maintenance in National Parks. While fully funding LWCF and addressing maintenance backlog at…
Given the challenges presented by the coronovirus pandemic, the American Shore & Beach Preservation Association will host its 2020 National Coastal Conference as a “virtual,” online-only conference platform. We have changed the theme to “2020 Vision for Our Coasts: Navigating Stormy Times.” With a reduced registration cost, no associated travel costs, and no concerns about…
ASBPA has long supported policies that ensure revenue from coastal and offshore energy development is used for coastal restoration and resilience in the states and regions that support that development. We are therefore advocating that current legislation, titled the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA, or S.3422), includes an increase in funding going to coastal states…