§ 2326h — Five-year Regional Dredged Material Management Plans

(1) Not later than 1 year after December 27, 2020, and annually thereafter, the District Commander of each district of the Corps of Engineers that obtains dredged material through the construction or operation and maintenance of a water resources development project shall, at Federal expense, develop and submit to the Secretary a 5-year dredged material management plan in coordination with relevant State agencies and stakeholders. (2) Each plan developed under this subsection shall include— (A) a dredged material budget for each watershed or littoral system within the district; (B) an estimate of the amount of dredged material likely to be obtained through the construction or operation and maintenance of all water resources development projects projected to be carried out within the district during the 5-year period following submission of the plan, and the estimated timing for obtaining such dredged material; (C) an identification of potential water resources development projects projected to be carried out within the district during such 5-year period that are suitable for, or that require, the placement of dredged material, and an estimate of the amount of dredged material placement capacity of such projects; (D) an evaluation of— (i) the suitability of the dredged material for a full range of beneficial uses; and (ii) the economic and environmental benefits, efficiencies, and impacts (including the effects on living coral) of using the dredged material for beneficial uses, including, in the case of beneficial use activities that involve more than one water resources development project, the benefits, efficiencies, and impacts that result from the combined activities; (E) the district-wide goals for beneficial use of the dredged material, including any expected cost savings from aligning and coordinating multiple projects (including projects across Corps districts) in the use of the dredged material; and (F) a description of potential beneficial use projects identified through stakeholder solicitation and coordination. (3) In developing each plan under this subsection, each District Commander shall provide notice and an opportunity for public comment, including a solicitation for stakeholders to identify beneficial use projects, in order to ensure, to the extent practicable, that beneficial use of dredged material is not foregone in a particular fiscal year or dredging cycle. (4) Upon submission of each plan to the Secretary under this subsection, each District Commander shall make the plan publicly available, including on a publicly available website. (5) As soon as practicable after receiving a plan under subsection (a), the Secretary shall transmit the plan to Congress. (6) A plan developed under this section— (A) shall be in addition to regional sediment management plans prepared under section 2326(a) of this title; and (B) shall not be subject to the limitations in section 2326(g) of this title.