DEEP Act
Key claim: The DEEP Act would establish a nationwide Clean Water Act permit for dredging ports and navigation channels and repeal the Foreign Dredge Act of 1906 to permit foreign-flagged vessels to dredge U.S. waters.
Abstract
(S3355 · 117th Congress) Dredging to Ensure the Empowerment of Ports Act or the DEEP Act This bill replaces the existing permitting process under the Clean Water Act for projects that involve the dredging of ports or their navigation channels within navigable waters with a new process under a nationwide permit. In addition, the bill repeals the Foreign Dredge Act of 1906. Latest action (2021-12-09): Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Why this matters
The proposal would change both access to the U.S. dredging market and permitting for infrastructure used by importers and exporters. Those changes could affect dredging competition, project timing, and freight costs, but the finding establishes neither realized savings nor consumer-price effects. Its status is introduced, not enacted.