To require the Secretary of the Army to include in any final recommendation for a water resources development project of the Corps of Engineers a plan to maintain equivalent levels of access to existing public recreational amenities, and for other purposes.

Summary of HR 9348 (119th Congress)

Purpose and intent

HR 9348 would require the Secretary of the Army, in the final recommendation for any water resources development project undertaken by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, to include a plan that maintains equivalent levels of access to existing public recreational amenities. In short, the bill aims to ensure that pursuing water resources projects does not reduce public access to recreational opportunities and related amenities.

Key provisions and changes

• Final recommendation requirement: For each water resources development project considered by the Corps of Engineers, the Secretary must include an accompanying plan in the final recommendation that preserves equivalent public recreational access to amenities that exist prior to the project.
• Equivalency standard: The bill directs consideration of maintaining “equivalent levels of access” to public recreational amenities. The specific criteria or metrics for equivalency (e.g., types of access, hours, facilities, or geographic reach) would be defined in implementing guidance or in the bill text, if provided.
• Scope: Applies to water resources development projects under the Corps of Engineers. This could include projects such as flood risk management, navigation, or ecosystem restoration that involve public lands and recreation facilities.
• Interagency coordination: By requiring an access-preservation plan to be embedded in the final recommendation, the bill emphasizes consideration of recreation impacts during project planning and coordination between agencies, potentially including hydrology, recreation, land management, and local stakeholders.

Who or what would be affected

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects: The primary impact is on how the Corps documents and presents recommendations for water resources development projects, ensuring recreation access considerations are incorporated.
• Public recreational amenities: Communities and users who rely on public recreation facilities and access points near water resources could see protections that maintain or require mitigation of access loss.
• Potential stakeholders: Local governments, park agencies, recreational user groups, anglers, boaters, hikers, and other recreationists may be directly affected through the planning process and resulting project conditions or mitigations.

Procedural and timeline aspects

• Referral and introduction: The bill was introduced in the House and referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on June 18, 2026.
• Committee action: As of the current record, the bill has been referred to the committee, with no reported actions listed beyond referral in the provided history.
• Sponsors: Primary sponsor and discussions include a co-sponsor, Laura Friedman, indicating bipartisan or regional interest in recreation access and water resources planning.

notations and considerations

• The bill’s effectiveness depends on its specific language, including how “equivalent levels of access” are defined, how the plan is evaluated, and how enforceable the requirement is within final project documentation and federal approvals.
• If enacted, agencies and the Corps would need to integrate recreation access analyses into project planning timelines, potentially affecting project scopes, mitigation plans, and budget considerations.

If you’d like, I can pull the full text to extract exact definitions, criteria for equivalence, and any defined timelines or reporting requirements to refine this summary.