Washington Waves: Waterway News From D.C.

A key House committee advanced a bill Republicans say would promote new construction at ports and other infrastructure projects by cutting red tape, streamlining reviews and providing greater regulatory certainty.

On a 34 to 30 roll call with no Democratic support, H.R. 3898, the Promoting Efficient Review for Modern Infrastructure Today (PERMIT) Act was forwarded to the House for a floor vote. Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said the package, which includes proposals introduced by others, will unleash America’s power to build.

“The legislation does not overhaul or roll back the Clean Water Act,” Graves said. “It instead makes targeted reforms to the law informed by on-the-ground feedback.”

Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), the committee’s ranking member, described the bill as a disappointing departure from the panel’s bipartisan work.

“All communities deserve access to clean water, which is why T&I Democrats stood united in opposition to this package that puts polluters over people by weakening Clean Water Act protections for the nation’s rivers, streams, lakes and wetlands,” Larsen said.

FEMA Review Council

The Federal Emergency Management Agency Review Council is scheduled to meet in person for one hour July 9 to receive updates from members with the meeting open virtually to the public in listen-only mode.

According to the notice published by the Office of Partnership and Engagement, the location of the in-person meeting is to be determined later.

Registration to attend the 2 p.m. EDT meeting is required and must be received via email no later than 5 p.m. EDT July 8. Each individual must provide their full legal name and email address to Patrick Powers at FEMAreviewcouncil@hq.dhs.gov. Members of the public who have registered to participate will be provided the agenda and virtual link.

Comments may be submitted via http://www.regulations.gov under Docket No. DHS-2025-0026, email at FEMAreviewcouncil@hq.dhs.gov with Docket No. DHS-2025-0026 in the subject line or mail at Patrick Powers, Designated Federal Officer of the Federal Emergency Management Agency Review Council, Office of Partnership and Engagement, Mailstop 0385, Department of Homeland Security, 2707 Martin Luther King Jr Ave. SE, Washington, DC 20032.

For additional information and requests for special accommodations due to a disability, contact Patrick Powers at 202-891-2283 or FEMAreviewcouncil@hq.dhs.gov.

USMMA Departures

Vice Admiral Joanna Nunan, the 14th superintendent of the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), and Rear Admiral David Wulf, the deputy superintendent, announced their departures from the school’s leadership.

Released by the Department of Transportation (DOT), the announcement credited Nunan and Wulf for their instrumental roles in forging a long-term agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and in developing a comprehensive plan for campus modernization.

One day earlier, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy cited the state of the campus in his address to the USMMA’s Class of 2025.

“You all have faced so many challenges over the last four years,” Duffy said before dropping his “polite” approach. “Allow me to be a little blunter. For years, this institution has been neglected by Congress and mismanaged. The campus has been allowed to fall into disrepair.”

Duffy went on to describe the graduates as the class of stupid COVID rules, no hot water for months, not enough food, paper plates and plastic forks, dorms with mold and a dilapidated library.

He assured the graduates that their frustrations, sacrifices and calls for change have been heard.

“This administration understands that restoring maritime dominance is critical to our national security. And to do that, our nation needs more brave men and women to sail those ships,” Duffy said.

Retired Capt. Anthony Ceraolo, who became the academy’s chief of staff in 2023, will serve as acting superintendent during a search for new leadership.

Transportation Funds

A federal judge barred the Trump administration from withholding transportation funds from states that do not cooperate with immigration enforcement, calling that requirement unconstitutional.

U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell, Jr. issued his ruling in response to a 20-state coalition’s challenge to a so-called “Duffy Directive” issued in April by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

“The states face losing billions of dollars in federal funding, are being put in a position of relinquishing their sovereign right to decide how to use their own police officers, are at risk of losing the trust built between local law enforcement and immigrant communities and will have to scale back, reconsider or cancel ongoing transportation projects,” said McConnell, who serves as the chief judge for the federal district of Rhode Island.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said the funding has nothing to do with immigration, calling the administration’s attempt to hold it hostage outrageous.

Duffy called McConnell’s ruling “judicial activism,” vowing to continue to fight in the courts.

“I directed states who want federal DOT money to comply with federal immigration laws. But, no surprise, an Obama-appointed judge has ruled that states can openly defy our federal immigration laws,” he said.

FMC Departure

Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) Chairman Louis Sola bid a “very heartfelt farewell,” announcing his departure from the agency.

“I have had the privilege of helping safeguard the integrity of the U.S. maritime industry, bringing greater transparency to port operations and overseeing a supply chain that moves more than $5 trillion in goods annually,” Sola said, calling his service on the FMC “the honor of a lifetime.”

He was nominated to the FMC by President Donald Trump in 2018 and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

On January 20, just hours after his second inauguration, Trump named Sola as chairman.

“I often reflect on the improbability of this journey. That a kid from Goodland, Indiana, who lost his mother to opioids, joined the U.S. Army at 18 and worked his way through service and adversity could then lead a vital federal agency is a testament to the promise and opportunities of this country,” Sola said.

Great Lakes Advisory Committee

The Great Lakes Pilotage Advisory Committee is scheduled to meet July 23 in Port Huron, Mich., to discuss proposed Great Lakes Pilotage regulations and policies. Open to the public, the meeting is to begin at 9 a.m. EDT in the conference room at the DoubleTree Hotel, 800 Harker St., Port Huron, MI 48060.

Comments and supporting documents should be submitted by 1 p.m., July 16, preferably via https://www.regulations.gov under Docket No. USCG-2025-0145.

For additional information, contact Francis Levesque at 571-308-4941, with requests for accommodations due to disability submitted as soon as possible.