II 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 574 

To modify the project for navigation, Mississippi River Ship Channel, Gulf 

of Mexico to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 14, 2013 

Ms. LANDRIEU introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 

referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works 

A BILL 

To modify the project for navigation, Mississippi River Ship 

Channel, Gulf of Mexico to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 

and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘ ‘Dredging for Restora5 tion and Economic Development for Global Exports Act 

6 of 2013’ ’’ or the ‘‘ ‘DREDGE Act of 2013’ ’’. 

7 SEC. 2. MISSISSIPPI RIVER SHIP CHANNEL, GULF OF MEX8 ICO TO BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA. 

9 (a) PROJECT MODIFICATION.—The project for navi10 gation, Mississippi River Ship Channel, Gulf of Mexico to 

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1 Baton Rouge, Louisiana, authorized by the matter under 

2 the heading ‘‘MISSISSIPPI RIVER SHIP CHANNEL, GULF TO

3 BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA’’ of section 201(a) of the Water 

4 Resources Development Act of 1986 (100 Stat. 4090), is 

5 modified as follows to direct the Secretary of the Army, 

6 acting through the Chief of Engineers— 

7 (1) to achieve, operate, and maintain a naviga8 tion channel of 50 feet with respect to the portion 

9 of the project from Baton Rouge to the Southwest 

10 Pass sea buoy; 

11 (2) to complete the work required under para12 graph (1) not later than the last day of the third fis13 cal year beginning after the date of enactment of 

this Act (completing at least 1 14 ⁄3 of that work in each 

15 of the first 2 fiscal years beginning after the date of 

16 enactment of this Act); and 

17 (3) to conduct a pilot disposal and sediment 

18 project in the Southwest Pass area to determine the 

19 cost-effectiveness of pump-out disposal operations 

20 for hopper dredges for— 

21 (A) environmental enhancement; and 

22 (B) dredged material disposal. 

23 (b) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out subsection 

24 (a)(3), the Secretary of the Army, acting through the 

25 Chief of Engineers, shall consult with appropriate Federal, 

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1 State, and local agencies and stakeholders to determine 

2 the safe placement and timing of pump-out disposal oper3 ations that protect, create, restore, and nourish coastal 

4 wetlands and aquatic habitat. 

5 (c) TREATMENT OF COSTS.—All costs of the work re6 quired under subsection (a) shall be treated as operation 

7 and maintenance costs, including the first costs of achiev8 ing a navigation channel of 50 feet. 

9 (d) FEDERAL SHARE.—Notwithstanding section 

10 101(b)(1) of the Water Resources Development Act of 

11 1986 (33 U.S.C. 2211(b)(1)), the Federal share of the 

12 cost of the work required under subsection (a) shall be 

13 100 percent. 

14 (e) FUNDING.—Notwithstanding section 210 of the 

15 Water Resources Development Act of 1986 (33 U.S.C. 

16 2238) or section 9505 of the Internal Revenue Code of 

17 1986, the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief 

18 of Engineers, shall pay 100 percent of the costs of the 

19 work required under subsection (a) out of amounts made 

20 available to the Secretary from the Harbor Maintenance 

21 Trust Fund for operation and maintenance expenses. 

22 (f) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 2 years 

23 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 

24 the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, shall 

25 submit to Congress a report on— 

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1 (1) the cost and the environmental, storm dam2 age reduction, and social benefits of the pump-out 

3 disposal operation carried out under subsection 

4 (a)(3), as compared to standard dredging practices 

5 for the area; and 

6 (2) the total quantity of dredge material pro7 duced during operation and maintenance activities in 

8 the New Orleans District and the quantity that is 

9 beneficially used. 

10 (g) LIMITATION ON STATUTORY CONSTRUCTION.— 

11 Nothing in this section affects the authority of the Sec12 retary of the Army with respect to the width of the project 

13 referred to in subsection (a). 

Æ 

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