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NMMA Federal Affairs Team Addresses Industry’s Priorities for Water Infrastructure Legislation

| General Government Relations

The NMMA federal government affairs team has been very active over the last few months preparing for upcoming Water Resources Development Act legislation, as Congress is due to consider a WRDA bill this year. Water infrastructure projects through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) are authorized by Congress, in what is known as the WRDA. NMMA has met with a variety of key Members of Congress and their staffs in both the House and Senate to go over the priorities of the recreational boating industry under the WRDA.

NMMA and our recreational boating colleagues have requested that Congress consider a number of different reforms that will benefit the industry, including:

  • Permitting reforms that will allow for the more efficient buildout of boating infrastructure
  • Amending USACE’s processes to ensure that low tonnage ports and shallow draft channels receive adequate funding
  • Developing a federal pass-through program to be managed by an individual state’s maritime agencies or channel dredging specialists
  • Directing a comprehensive study on Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) prevention and mitigation efforts
  • New boat decontamination stations to prevent the spread of AIS
  • Additional support for the Regional Panels of the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force, which helps coordinate local, state, and federal AIS prevention and mitigation efforts
  • Including a new “economic development” criteria for USACE projects that would encompass marina expansions and other waterfront development projects

Additionally, NMMA has partnered with like-minded groups, including: the Association of Marina Industries (AMI), BoatU.S., and the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA), in putting together a list of industry priorities.

Congress has not announced a specific time table regarding when WRDA legislation will be brought forward. However, NMMA has already laid the groundwork on industry priorities and will keep its members posted on developments as they occur.

For more information, please contact NMMA’s Vice President of Federal & Legal Affairs, Nicole Vasilaros at [email protected], or NMMA’s Director of Federal Government Affairs, Mike Pasko at [email protected].