Posted on August 12, 2026
William P. Doyle, Chief Executive Officer of the Dredging Contractors of America, delivered comments on August 11, 2026, during NOAA’s virtual public meeting on its performance evaluation of the California Coastal Management Program. Doyle highlighted the vital role dredging and marine construction companies play in maintaining navigation channels, improving ports and harbors, restoring coastal habitats, and supporting essential marine infrastructure. He emphasized the industry’s commitment to rigorous environmental standards, permit compliance, beneficial use of dredged material, and the highest levels of worker and public safety. Doyle encouraged clear requirements, early agency coordination, and predictable review schedules for permitted coastal projects, particularly those involving pipelines, offshore energy facilities, desalination systems, and undersea cables. He affirmed the industry’s readiness to work with federal and state agencies, ports, coastal communities, and environmental stakeholders to protect coastal resources while maintaining the infrastructure on which the public depends.
Doyle’s full comments follow:
Good afternoon. My name is William Doyle, and I serve as Chief Executive Officer of the Dredging Contractors of America. Thank you to NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management for this opportunity to comment on its evaluation of the California Coastal Management Program.
Dredging and marine construction contractors work where environmental stewardship, maritime commerce, national security, energy infrastructure, and coastal resilience meet. Our member companies, including companies working in California, maintain navigation channels, improve ports and harbors, nourish beaches, restore wetlands, strengthen shorelines, and construct and maintain essential marine infrastructure.
We support NOAA’s careful review of whether California’s program is fully implementing the Coastal Zone Management Act, including its responsibilities to protect coastal resources, consider the national interest, coordinate effectively with federal agencies, and provide timely and predictable decision making.
Our industry is not asking for environmental standards to be weakened. Dredging contractors operate under extensive federal and state permits, environmental controls, monitoring requirements, and project specific conditions. We understand that responsible marine construction requires sound science, careful planning, protection of sensitive resources, and the highest standards of worker and public safety.
Several subjects identified by NOAA have direct connections to dredging and marine construction. Offshore energy facilities, pipelines, desalination systems, and undersea cables may require seabed preparation, trenching, installation, shoreline approaches, maintenance, repair, and eventual decommissioning. Although our members do not decide whether these projects should be authorized, they are responsible for performing permitted work safely, precisely, and in full compliance with applicable requirements.
For these activities, unnecessary delay and uncertainty can create environmental, safety, and infrastructure risks, particularly when an existing pipeline, cable, navigation channel, or marine facility requires timely maintenance or repair. California’s program should distinguish appropriately among new construction, routine maintenance, emergency response, and decommissioning. It should provide clear information requirements, early agency coordination, predictable review schedules, and workable procedures for urgent work while maintaining appropriate environmental safeguards.
We also encourage NOAA to consider the importance of beneficial use of dredged material. Suitable sediment should be treated as a resource whenever practicable rather than material to be discarded. It can nourish eroding beaches, restore wetlands and wildlife habitat, strengthen natural and constructed shorelines, and improve coastal resilience. These projects can advance environmental restoration while protecting communities and vital infrastructure.
A successful coastal management program should therefore do three things well: maintain rigorous environmental and safety protections; provide clear, consistent, and timely permitting; and create practical pathways for beneficial use and resilience projects to move from planning into construction.
We encourage NOAA to evaluate whether California’s program consistently achieves that balance, avoids unnecessary duplication, and gives appropriate consideration to navigation, national security, energy reliability, communications, water infrastructure, and other nationally significant coastal uses.
The dredging and marine construction industry stands ready to work with NOAA, California, federal agencies, ports, coastal communities, and environmental stakeholders. Through sound science, responsible construction, disciplined permitting, and meaningful collaboration, we can protect coastal resources while building and maintaining the infrastructure on which the public depends.
