US welcomes increased dredging funding

The final draft of the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (WRDA) comes after several months of discussions reconciling the differences between the House version passed in July and the Senate version passed in August.

“Moving the people, energy, and goods of a vibrant economy would not be possible without regular passage of the Water Resources Development Act,” said Cary S. Davis, AAPA president and chief executive.

“We commend the committees for including much-needed harbour deepening provisions to accommodate the growing size of ships and we encourage Congress to pass this bill without delay to maintain the flow of commerce in our federal navigation channels.”

The most significant provision in the WRDA bill affecting ports changes the depth threshold for Army Corps of Engineers-funded dredging projects. For construction dredging, the Corps will now cover 75% of the costs for dredging projects between depths of 20 to 55 feet. Previously, this funding level applied only up to 50 feet.

Additionally, the Corps will now fully fund operations and maintenance projects for depths up to 55 feet, whereas it previously provided full funding only for depths up to 50 feet.

According to Sam Graves (R-MO), chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the bill is expected to be considered by the full House next week.

It remains uncertain whether WRDA will pass as a standalone bill or be included in larger legislation, such as the National Defense Authorization Act. This will mark the sixth consecutive Congress since 2014 to pass a biennial WRDA bill.