Federal standard for dredged material disposal or placement

(a) In general The Secretary shall update the regulations under chapter II of title 33, Code of Federal Regulations that are applicable to establishing the Federal standard for dredged material disposal or placement for a water resources development project— (1) to align the requirements and policy of such regulations with— (A) section 1130 of the Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (138 Stat. 3018); (B) section 125(a) of the Water Resources Development Act of 2020 (33 U.S.C. 2326g), including— (i) the directive to include the economic benefits and efficiencies from the beneficial use of dredged material in any determination relating to the Federal standard; and (ii) the national goal established in subsection (a)(1)(B) of such section of beneficially using not less than 70 percent by volume of suitable dredged material obtained from the construction or operation and maintenance of water resources development projects; and (C) section 1122 of the Water Resources Development Act of 2016 (33 U.S.C. 2326 note); and (2) taking into consideration— (A) the capacity of facilities using the confined aquatic disposal methodology to store dredged material, including the available capacity to store contaminated dredged material; (B) benefits, including monetary value creation, attributable to the beneficial use of dredged material; (C) any monetary benefits of environmental and coastal resiliency attributable to the beneficial use of dredged material; (D) the demand on the Corps of Engineers for environmental and ecological restoration projects in coastal areas; and (E) any incremental cost borne by non-Federal interests in implementing beneficial dredged material placement separately from a project. (b) Initiation timeline Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall initiate a rulemaking to carry out subsection (a).

(a) In general The Secretary shall update the regulations under chapter II of title 33, Code of Federal Regulations that are applicable to establishing the Federal standard for dredged material disposal or placement for a water resources development project— (1) to align the requirements and policy of such regulations with— (A) section 1130 of the Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (138 Stat. 3018); (B) section 125(a) of the Water Resources Development Act of 2020 (33 U.S.C. 2326g), including— (i) the directive to include the economic benefits and efficiencies from the beneficial use of dredged material in any determination relating to the Federal standard; and (ii) the national goal established in subsection (a)(1)(B) of such section of beneficially using not less than 70 percent by volume of suitable dredged material obtained from the construction or operation and maintenance of water resources development projects; and (C) section 1122 of the Water Resources Development Act of 2016 (33 U.S.C. 2326 note); and (2) taking into consideration— (A) the capacity of facilities using the confined aquatic disposal methodology to store dredged material, including the available capacity to store contaminated dredged material; (B) benefits, including monetary value creation, attributable to the beneficial use of dredged material; (C) any monetary benefits of environmental and coastal resiliency attributable to the beneficial use of dredged material; (D) the demand on the Corps of Engineers for environmental and ecological restoration projects in coastal areas; and (E) any incremental cost borne by non-Federal interests in implementing beneficial dredged material placement separately from a project. (b) Initiation timeline Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall initiate a rulemaking to carry out subsection (a).