Summary#
This bill adds new sections to the Coastal Zone Management Act to help preserve and expand "working waterfronts"—places that provide access to coastal waters and support fishing, boating, aquaculture, boatbuilding, and similar water-dependent businesses. It creates a federal Task Force to identify needs and recommend actions, sets a process for covered entities to prepare approved working waterfronts plans, establishes a competitive Working Waterfronts Grant Program, and creates a Working Waterfronts Preservation Loan Fund to capitalize state revolving loan programs.
The Task Force must include federal agencies, experts, tribes, and Native Hawaiian organizations, produce a report to Congress within 18 months, and identify which federal agencies should act on recommended options. Approved working waterfronts plans are effective for five years and can be used to apply for grants. Grants can be used to buy or improve waterfront property, build or repair wharfs and ramps, and carry out climate adaptation activities. Grants generally require a nonfederal match (federal share may not exceed 75%), but the Secretary may waive matching in specified circumstances. Grant-funded properties generally must be covered by working waterfront covenants that preserve water access and restrict incompatible conversion. The loan fund provides capitalization grants to eligible coastal states to create revolving funds that make loans, refinance debt, or guarantee local obligations for working waterfront projects. The bill authorizes annual appropriations for both the grant program and the loan fund for fiscal years 2025–2029.
What it means for you#
- If you are a coastal state agency, tribal government, Native Hawaiian organization, local government, or nonprofit, you can prepare an approved working waterfronts plan to become eligible for grants and loans.
- Coastal businesses and users (commercial and recreational fishing, boatbuilding, aquaculture, boating businesses) may benefit from projects that preserve or improve access, docks, ramps, and climate resilience measures.
- Projects using grant funds generally must expand, improve, or preserve reasonable public access to coastal waters unless public access would be unsafe for industrial or fishing operations.
- Property owners whose land is acquired or supported by grants may need to enter into a working waterfront covenant that limits future conversion and can include reversion or conveyance provisions if the covenant is violated.
- Qualified holders (local governments or nonprofit organizations designated in an approved plan) can hold title or interests in working waterfront property acquired with grant funds.
- Approved plans last five years; entities must resubmit plans to remain eligible for the grant program.
Expenses#
- The bill authorizes $50,000,000 per year for the Working Waterfronts Grant Program for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029.
- The bill also authorizes $50,000,000 per year for the Working Waterfronts Preservation Loan Fund for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029.
- The Secretary may use up to 5 percent of grant program funds each year for technical assistance and up to 5 percent for administrative expenses.
- Eligible coastal states receiving capitalization grants must deposit at least 20 percent of the capitalization grant amount into their loan fund as a non-Federal contribution.
- An eligible coastal state must reserve 0.2 percent of its loan fund each fiscal year to assist Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations.
- For disadvantaged communities, eligible states may provide subsidies (forgiveness, grants, negative interest, restructuring) limited so that total subsidies do not exceed 35 percent of a capitalization grant; the portion for disadvantaged communities shall not be less than 12 percent if sufficient applications exist, as determined by the Secretary.
- No publicly available information on estimated total federal cost over multiple years beyond the authorization amounts or on funding sources.
Proponents' View#
No publicly available information.
Opponents' View#
No publicly available information.