Washington Waves: Waterway News From D. C.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), who chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, cited “vastly different” provisions between the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) advanced by her panel and the version recently passed by the House.
“So, we are in negotiations on that,” Moore Capito said. Despite the differences between the two bills, she expressed confidence the current talks would succeed in getting a bill through Congress and on to the president’s desk. WRDA bills usually are “a lot easier to get over the finish line,” Moore Capito added. She cited the congressional track record of passing a WRDA bill every two years since 2014 and expressed confidence in maintaining that record this year.
Differences between the two bills cited by a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report include provisions on pausing or terminating projects, transferring certain counties into other districts and updating regulations on dredge material disposal.
H.R. 9497, the House version of WRDA 2026, was passed September 19 by that chamber with a 415 to 9 vote.
S. 4949, the Senate version, was advanced unanimously by Moore Capito’s panel on July 15.
‘Digital Front Door’
President Donald Trump announced the launch of America.gov, a “unified digital front door” to the federal government, defined by “simplicity, speed, accuracy, security and respect for the individual.”
“America.gov will not be merely another website, search engine or directory of government links,” stated the executive order signed by Trump following his speech announcing America.gov.
“It will be a secure, intelligent and service-oriented point of entry through which an individual may sign in, communicate in plain language, receive accurate answers and, where authorized and technically available, complete government transactions without being required to navigate the websites of multiple agencies.”
Crowd Management Training For Seafarers
The Coast Guard announced it is amending its merchant mariner training regulations to implement amendments to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978, and the Seafarers’ Training, Certification and Watchkeeping Code to require personnel serving on U.S.-flagged passenger ships carrying more than 12 passengers on international voyages to complete passenger ship emergency familiarization.
Effective October 26, the final rule also expands the applicability of the required crowd management training to include specified ratings on passenger ships, the service stated, adding the required trainings would promote the safety of life at sea.
Documents can be viewed at www.regulations.gov under Docket No. USCG-2022-0649.
For additional information, contact Megan Johns Henry at 571-610-3303 or Megan.C.Johns@uscg.mil.
Ocean Dredged Material Disposal Sites
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a rule expanding the existing EPA-designated ocean dredged material disposal sites offshore of Corpus Christi, Texas, specifically, the Corpus Christi Ship Channel site and the Corpus Christi New Work site to serve the long-term need for locations to dispose of suitable material dredged from the Corpus Christi Bay area.
“The modified sites will be subject to monitoring and management to ensure continued protection of the marine environment,” the EPA stated September 28 in the Federal Register. The rule takes effect on October 28.
The EPA stated that potentially affected categories and people include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers civil works projects and port authorities, marinas and harbors, shipyards and marine repair facilities, berth owners and state, local and tribal governments that own or are responsible for ports, harbors, berths and government agencies requiring disposal of dredged material associated with public works projects.
The EPA has established Docket No. EPA-R06-OW-2025-3359 for the action with all documents in the docket listed at http:// www.regulations.gov.
For additional information, contact Wendy Jacques at 214-665-7395 or jacques.wendy@epa.gov.
Further information is available via the EPA website at https://www.epa.gov/marine-protection-permitting/marine-protection-permitting-epa-region-6.
Comment Period Reopened
The Coast Guard announced it has reopened the comment period on its draft Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circular (NVIC) 02-99, Change 1, Guidance on the Streamlined Inspection Program.
The original comment period closed on September 23, and the Coast Guard said stakeholders notified the agency that they needed more time to prepare their comments.
Comments now must be submitted by October 29.
Identified by Docket No. USCG-2026-0041, they may be submitted at https:// www.regulations.gov.
In its initial announcement, the service said the NVIC would modernize the program guidance to reflect industry advancements in digital recordkeeping, maintenance management systems and third-party auditing.
“This update would emphasize a risk-based verification model that reduces redundant physical inspections, broadens acceptable compliance formats and provides updated procedures for deficiency management and temporary hull repairs,” the Coast Guard stated.
For additional information, contact Lt. Cmdr. Samuel Rodriguez at 571-608-7959 or Samuel.Rodriguez-Gonzalez@uscg.mil.
