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Aug 6, 2022by: Larry Dorminy No Comments

AIWA August 2022 Newsletter

Cruisers Net is proud to be a member of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Association whose lobbying work is crucial to keeping the Waterway navigable and safe. Your membership dollars directly support their vital work. Please join and encourage your boating neighbors to do likewise, regardless of their homeport.

August 2022 Newsletter

FY23 Federal Appropriations Moving Forward – Passed by the
U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate Bill Released

July was a big month for appropriations news out of Washington, D.C. with the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate moving the process forward prior to the Congressional recess in August.

The House Appropriations Committee passed their version of the Energy & Water Development Appropriations bill on a 32-24 vote on June 28th. This bill was then forwarded to the full House of Representatives for a vote as part of an appropriations package that included five additional appropriations bills. The House of Representatives passed the six piece appropriations package on July 20th on a 220 to 207 vote.

Following the House of Representatives, the Senate Appropriations Committee released their Energy & Water Development Appropriations Bill on July 28th. The good news is the Senate matched the President’s Request for the AIWW and NJIWW, and a state by state breakdown of the President’s budget, the House of Representatives bill, and the proposed Senate amounts are shown below. One item of note is the Florida allocation is different from the House of Representatives’ version as it includes an additional $2 million Community Project Funding Request (aka earmark) requested by Rep. Brian Mast.

In addition to direct appropriations for each state, the House and Senate bills also included Additional Funding for Navigation Maintenance, Inland Waterways, and Small, Remote or Subsistence Navigation. These funds would be allocated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the waterway is eligible to compete for funds in all three of these categories.

Below lists the different amounts proposed by Congress:
Navigation Maintenance: $40 Million in House Bill, $25 million in Senate Bill

Inland Waterways: $40 Million in House Bill, $15 million in Senate Bill

Small, Remote or Subsistence Navigation: $45 Million in House Bill, $56 million in Senate Bill

Looking ahead, it seems likely we could exceed $100 million in funding for the AIWW/IWW/NJIWW between FY22, FY23 and IIJA (Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act) funding IF the U.S. Senate passes the funding levels included in the proposed Senate Appropriations Committee Bill AND Congress passes the final Appropriations bill this year. At this point, the Senate is moving slower than the House and it is an election year so we should not expect a final FY23 Appropriations bill anytime soon, but we are encouraged with the final House version and the proposed Senate versions of the bill.

Click on graphic for larger view.

U.S. Coast Guard Proposes Changes
to Buoy System along GA and SC Coasts

As noted in the Marine Safety Information Bulletin 13-22 shown below, the U.S. Coast Guard is proposing to discontinue lighted buoys and make other changes at a number of inlets that enter and exit from the intracoastal waterway and other coastal water bodies in Georgia and South Carolina.

This issue has been raised as a safety concern by our AIWA members, and we will be submitting a letter requesting to engage on this issue through public meetings. We invite you to share this notice widely and encourage the Coast Guard to schedule public meetings for more input.

All comments should be emailed to: D07-SMB-DPWPublicComments@uscg.mil or Andrew.m.engle@uscg.mil with the subject line “SC/GA SEACOAST AIDS TO NAVIGATION”. Comments may be mailed to Commander (dpw), Seventh Coast Guard District, 909 SE 1st Ave, Suite 406, Brickell Plaza Federal Building, Miami, FL 33131-3050 to be received by August 14, 2022.

Click on graphic for full-size PDF view.

AIWA Participates at MCAS Beaufort, SC Meeting
to Explore Use of Natural Infrastructure

Dr. Jeff King, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, offers an overview of Engineering with Nature to participants.

AIWA Executive Director Brad Pickel was invited to participate in a two-day meeting in late July with representatives from a number of military, federal, state and multi-sector organizations to learn more about the current state of practice with respect to the use of natural infrastructure for coastal resiliency in coastal systems. The meeting included briefings and site visits to areas within the Marine Corps Air Station in Beaufort, South Carolina to identify possible locations for demonstration projects and full-scale implementation. We appreciate the opportunity to engage in these discussions and efforts to expand the use of natural infrastructure and beneficial use of sediment from the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway in coastal resiliency projects.

Registration continues for the AIWA Annual Meeting on November 16-17 at the Sheraton Waterside Hotel in Norfolk, Virginia. Learn more and register on the annual meeting website.

Thank You Annual Meeting Sponsors
We appreciate your support!Platinum Event Sponsor – Florida Inland Navigation District
Annual Meeting Luncheon – Cross State Towing
Break Sponsor- Cottrell Contracting Corporation
Imprinted Attendee Gift – Taylor Engineering, Inc.
General Sponsor – Mike Hooks, LLC

Click here for more information on available sponsorship benefits!

The AIWA is a national non-profit organization with the mission of securing funding and support for the maintenance of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. We are the only organization dedicated to ensuring the future of the AIWW and proudly represent all stakeholders of the waterway.

Contact:
5A Market
Beaufort, SC 29906
(843) 379-1151 ️ atlanticintracoastal.org

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AIWA August 2022 Newsletter

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AIWA August 2022 Newsletter

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