Introduction of the Washington Channel Public Access Act
Floor Speech
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Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I rise to introduce the Washington Channel Public Access Act. This bill would prohibit the Secretary of the Army from finalizing, implementing or enforcing a proposed rule, or any other rule, that would restrict access to the Washington Channel (Channel) in the District of Columbia. The proposed rule is arbitrary, capricious and unnecessarily restricts recreational and commercial access to the Channel without providing any security benefits.
The proposed rule would establish a permanent restricted area in the Channel adjacent to Fort McNair, which would restrict access to the navigable portion of the Channel by narrowing the waterway where recreational and commercial vessels can traverse and prohibiting anchoring and mooring altogether. The U.S. Army Military District of Washington cites security needs at Fort McNair to justify the proposed rule.
Neighborhoods like the Navy Yard and the Wharf have reinvigorated community engagement on the waterfront, and the Channel is increasingly used for regional transportation and recreation. The stretch of the Channel past Fort McNair is the only connection to the Potomac River. The proposed rule would likely force kayaks, paddleboards and recreational boats into the same space as water taxis and river cruise ships, creating a potentially dangerous situation.
I hosted a public meeting in which community members expressed overwhelming opposition to the proposed rule, but military officials did not address the question of whether less restrictive measures could provide the same security. I then wrote asking Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to direct the U.S. Army Military District of Washington and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to withdraw the proposed rule and to prohibit these agencies from proposing a similar rule. In response, the U.S. Army indicated that the proposed rule will not be finalized until an appointee of President Biden can review it. Despite this positive response, this bill is necessary to ensure the proposed rule, or any other rule that would restrict public access, does not go into effect.
I strongly urge my colleagues to support this bill.
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