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Jan 6, 2025by: Larry Dorminy No Comments

AIWA Newsletter January 2025

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.

A Year in Review and Thank You
to our AIWA Supporters

We are honored to begin the 26th year as the Voice of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AIWW). We remain focused on fulfilling our mission to support the operations and maintenance needs of the AIWW which generates more opportunities for increased economic activity and waterway usage.

Our collective approach of working with Congress and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has led to the reduction of the AIWW maintenance dredging backlog by over $60 million within the last decade. Waterway projects have been conducted in every state along the AIWW in the last eight years, while new work was executed in 2024, and now underway in 2025.

In the final FY24 appropriations bill passed by Congress in March 2024, waterway funding exceeded $28 million. In addition, the AIWW received $20.5 million in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for FY24. This is equivalent to an additional year of annual funding and brought us to almost $150 million in total for FY22, FY23 and FY24 funding for Marine Highway 95. We are on track to receive over $30 million in FY25. If the most recent appropriations amount from the House of Representatives bill is enacted, we could top $40 million.

We continued working with Congressional offices to highlight the AIWW’s importance and request increased funding for additional dredging needs for FY25. In March and May, we returned to Washington, D.C. and met with 19 Congressional offices. With the recent election, we look forward to meeting with new members this spring.

We partnered with federal agencies and universities to implement beneficial use projects using dredged material from the AIWW. From in-water placement and bird island creation in Georgia, to re-handling dredged material for beach placement in South Carolina, the AIWW is at the forefront of the beneficial use of dredged material for habitat creation and coastal resiliency. We participated in the Natural Infrastructure Innovation Project Launch (Tidelands) led by Auburn University, University of Pennsylvania and University of Virginia in April, and I serve on their Technical Advisory Committee. We also recently held a panel discussion at our annual meeting with speakers from the Corps, the Tidelands team, and the Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems from the University of Georgia.

We participated in regional and national coalitions to increase awareness of AIWW issues. We are on the board of directors and executive committee of the National Waterways Conference, Inc., and we partner with national organizations including the American Boating Congress and National Marine Manufacturers Association, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatU.S.), Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, numerous Marine Trades Associations, and federal agencies including the Maritime Administration of the U.S. DOT, NOAA, U.S. Coast Guard, and the Corps.

The AIWA Annual Meeting was held in Charleston, SC on November 18-20, 2024. Our 25th anniversary meeting was a celebration of previous accomplishments, and the opportunity to identify our future path. We will share more about those future efforts in future newsletters, yet be assured that federal funding for waterway maintenance continues to be our primary mission. You can view presentations from the meeting at the following link: https://atlanticintracoastal.org/annual-meeting-2024

Over our first 25 years, we have successfully worked to highlight the AIWW as an integral part of the nation’s marine transportation system designated as Marine Highway 95. Our collective work is more important than ever with the current situation in Washington, DC. Our members can be certain of our desire to continue as an effective, unified voice for the waterway through advocacy and education, outreach and coalition building with other non-profit and private organizations representing all stakeholders of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. Thank you for your continued partnership and financial support to protect the future of the AIWW. Anchors aweigh for another 25 years!

Sincerely,
Brad Pickel
Executive Director

The 119th Congress is in Session
President Trump Certified as 47th President

Earlier today on January 6th, Congress certified the presidential election results recognizing Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States. This action comes on the heels of the recent swearing in of the 119th Congress and the election of Representative Mike Johnson as the Speaker of the House on January 3rd. In the 119th Congress, we have nine new senators (four Democrats and five Republicans) and 63 new representatives (33 Democrats and 30 Republicans).

While there were no new senators elected along the AIWW, we will have a new senator appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis in Florida with the nomination of Marco Rubio as Secretary of State. In the House of Representatives, we also have one new representative in a Florida district along the waterway. Rep. Mike Haridopolos (R, FL-8) will be representing the area that includes Titusville, Melbourne, Cocoa Beach, and Cape Canaveral, Florida. Fortunately for the AIWA, the Florida Inland Navigation District is a great partner of ours and will do an outstanding job to ensure these new Congressional members are up to speed on issues impacting the waterway, while we support their efforts and focus on educating the other 70 new members and administration staff on the value of the nation’s marine transportation system and the AIWW.

On December 21st, Congress passed a Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the government until March 14th averting a government shutdown. This was the second CR they have passed for FY 2025 and sets up another round of negotiations that must be completed before the March 14th deadline to avert a government shutdown. With the new Congress and Administration now moving into place, we can expect them to include their priorities in the proposed bill. As mentioned in the last newsletter, the CR included over $100 billion in disaster relief, of which a portion will be allocated to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. USACE will be required to submit a work plan with identified projects by mid-March and this could include funding for dredging projects along the waterway that were impacted by hurricanes.

The table below reflects the current breakdown of funding as it stands today. In addition, the House and Senate have also included the following amounts in the Additional Dredging Needs funding pots which we are eligible to receive.

General Navigation – House: $931.945 million, Senate: $20 million
Inland Waterways – House: $50 million, Senate: $64.987 million
Small, Remote & Subsistence Navigation – House: $90 million, Senate: $329,178 million

We await passage of the next appropriations bill before we are can identify funding amounts for FY25. The good news is that contracted work continues on the waterway, and we are not yet facing impacts from this delay.

Deep Creek Bridge Deviation with Impacts to Transiting the Dismal Swamp Canal
USCG MSIB 001-25

Mariners are advised of an infrastructure refurbishment project on the Deep Creek Bridge, mile 11.1 over the Dismal Swamp Canal, in Chesapeake, Virginia. The project will require the bridge to be maintained in the closed-to-navigation position from January 6 through March 21, 2025 to facilitate construction of the new bascule span of the new bridge. During this time period, visitors to Lake Drummond will be able to access the Dismal Swamp Canal via the South Mills Locks in South Mills, North Carolina or from the various boat ramps along the canal. Vessels transiting the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway will need to use the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal as an alternate route during this timeframe.

Comments or concerns can be sent to the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Virginia Waterways Management Division via email at virginiawaterways@uscg.mil.

Photo: The Great Dismal Swamp, North Carolina

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:
Atlantic Instracoastal Waterway Association
5a Market | Beaufort, SC 29906
(843) 379-1151 | atlanticintracoastal.org

Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Association · 5A Market · Beaufort, SC 29906-9107 · USA

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AIWA Newsletter January 2025

Deep Creek Bridge Deviation with Impacts to Transiting the Dismal Swamp Canal
USCG MSIB 001-25

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Do you ALREADY RECEIVE the Cruisers' Net Weekly Newsletter?

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AIWA Newsletter January 2025

Deep Creek Bridge Deviation with Impacts to Transiting the Dismal Swamp CanalUSCG MSIB 001-25

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Deep Creek Bridge Deviation with Impacts to Transiting the Dismal Swamp Canal
USCG MSIB 001-25

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