H.R. 6276 — Dredging Coordination Improvement Act

This section directs the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, when entering maintenance dredging contracts on or after enactment, to (1) consult with stakeholders, including the non-Federal sponsor, and prioritize—to the extent practicable—dredging for commercial navigation, emergencies, environmental windows, and national interests ahead of recreation or non-navigation uses; and (2) allow skipping such consultation if an emergency or national interest exists. The section further requires the Secretary, upon receiving information about changes likely to affect a dredging contract's performance period, to notify the non-Federal sponsor by the third business day; and, upon request, to provide the non-Federal sponsor with capability numbers for the dredging activity. (Maintenance dredging by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers maintains federal navigation channels, typically cost-shared with non-Federal sponsors such as ports and harbors.)