Mullin, Ezell introduce Dredging Coordination Improvement Act

Consumers across America rely on the nation’s maritime shipping industry. To maintain this essential logistics system and keep consumer prices low, Reps. Kevin Mullin (CA-15) and Mike Ezell (MS-04) introduced the bipartisan Dredging Coordination Improvement Act.

According to the officials, more than 400 ports and 25,000 miles of navigation channels need to be dredged on a regular basis to ensure shipping vessels can reach their destinations and deliver goods to consumers.

The Army Corps ultimately decides which channels to prioritize for dredging, and while non-federal stakeholders, such as ports rely heavily on these projects, they are not always adequately consulted and can be left in the dark when there are foreseeable delays.

Uncertainty around dredging timelines and project delays disrupt supply chains, costing ports, shipping companies – and ultimately consumers – hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars, the officials said.

“The Dredging Coordination Improvement Act would streamline coordination among stakeholders, particularly between the Army Corps and local partners, prioritize dredging to facilitate commerce and navigation, and increase transparency between the federal government and ports,” Mullin and Ezzel said in their official announcement.

Key provisions of the bill include:

• Requiring the Army Corps to consult with stakeholders on the scope and timeline of maintenance dredging projects,
• Prioritizing maintenance dredging in commercially and navigationally critical waters over areas used primarily for recreational purposes,
• Ensuring timely communication with non-federal sponsors regarding any changes to project timelines,
• Increase transparency of federal funding availability to help non-federal sponsors plan in advance.