Window on Washington: Old Faithful

This article originally appeared in the First Quarter 2026 Benedict’s Maritime Bulletin. Reprinted with permission. Any opinions in this article are not those of Winston & Strawn or its clients. The opinions in this article are the author’s opinions only.

Long-suffering readers of Window on Washington will recall that this quarter’s edition regularly covers the year’s significant maritime legislation, which in recent years passes as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the “old faithful” legislative vehicle that has passed Congress sixty-four consecutive fiscal years. This year’s legislation includes the Coast Guard and Maritime Administration reauthorization provisions that tweak laws impactful to the maritime industry.

Following controversy surrounding Coast Guard plans to remove numerous navigational buoys from New England waters in 2025 in favor of electronic aids in a time of limited resources, the NDAA establishes new restrictions on the Coast Guard’s removal of aids to navigation, requiring a formalized process designed with input from local stakeholders, including harbormasters, boaters, ferry operators, coastal residents, and local governments, which process shall include public notice of any proposed removal.