HR1808-119

What This Bill Does

The Keep America's Waterfronts Working Act amends the Coastal Zone Management Act to protect coastal places used for commercial and recreational fishing, boating businesses, boatbuilding, aquaculture, and other water-dependent businesses. It creates a working waterfronts task force with NOAA's Office of Coastal Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA, EPA, USGS, Navy, National Marine Fisheries Service, EDA, tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, experts, and other agencies. The task force must identify critical needs, threats from trade barriers and environmental changes, agency responsibilities, and options, then report to Congress within 18 months. The bill lets coastal states, coastal tribes, and Native Hawaiian organizations submit five-year working waterfront plans; creates a regionally equitable competitive grant program for acquisition, easements, wharfs, boat ramps, restoration, adaptation, and plan development; caps the federal share at 75 percent with waivers for disadvantaged communities; requires covenants to prevent incompatible conversion; authorizes $50 million annually for fiscal years 2025 through 2029; and creates state working waterfronts preservation loan funds with capitalization grants, 20 percent state matches, tribal and Native Hawaiian reserves, disadvantaged-community subsidies, Davis-Bacon compliance, intended-use plans, and 30- to 40-year loan terms.

Who Benefits and How

Commercial fishing businesses benefit from grants and loans that preserve access to working docks, wharfs, and coastal waters. Coastal states benefit from federal planning, grant, and revolving-loan support for working waterfront preservation. Coastal tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations benefit from eligibility, task force representation, and loan-fund reserves. Disadvantaged coastal communities benefit from potential federal-share waivers and loan subsidies such as principal forgiveness.

Who Bears the Burden and How

NOAA must establish the task force, approve plans, run competitive grants, issue guidance, and report biennially. Federal agencies named by the task force must implement options where practicable and subject to appropriations. Eligible coastal states must create intended-use plans, provide a 20 percent match for loan funds, and manage repayments. Property owners receiving assistance must accept working waterfront covenants that prevent incompatible conversion.

Key Provisions

• Creates a federal working waterfronts task force with agency, tribal, Native Hawaiian, and expert members.
• Establishes competitive grants for working waterfront plans, acquisition, easements, improvements, and climate adaptation.
• Authorizes $50 million per year for fiscal years 2025 through 2029 for the grant program.
• Creates state working waterfront preservation loan funds with capitalization grants, matching requirements, subsidies, covenants, and reporting.