Working Waterfronts Act of 2025

Summary

Creates new federal incentives and programs to support hydropower and marine energy, expand financing for commercial fishing and seafood processing, build rural seafood processing capacity, strengthen the maritime workforce, and designate regional ocean innovation clusters. It establishes a 30% tax credit for qualifying hydropower and marine energy equipment; extends farm loan eligibility and program access to commercial fishing and fish processing operations and vessels; funds competitive grants to rural seafood processors and a maritime workforce grant program; and directs Commerce to designate regional Ocean Innovation Clusters. The bill affects energy developers (hydro and marine), rural coastal communities and small seafood processors, commercial fishers and processors, maritime training programs, and federal agencies that manage grants and program design (USDA, DOT/Maritime Administration, Commerce/NOAA, and the Treasury/IRS). It authorizes new programs and tax incentives but will require further appropriations and agency rulemaking to implement.

• Establishes a 30% investment tax credit for qualifying hydropower improvement and marine energy property.
• Expands USDA farm loan and program eligibility to explicitly include commercial fishing, fishing vessels, and fish processing facilities.
• Creates a USDA competitive grant program (FY2026–FY2030) to build, repair, or retrofit rural seafood and mariculture processing and cold storage, reserving 50% of funds annually for facilities with <50 employees.
• Creates a Maritime Workforce Grant Program at DOT with $25M authorized annually for FY2026–FY2030 and a 25% rural funding reservation.
• Directs Commerce/NOAA to designate at least seven Ocean Innovation Clusters to support regional Blue Economy growth and cross-sector collaboration.
• Adds workforce health topics (behavioral and physical risks, including substance use and fatigue) to allowable maritime safety training programs and increases certain training funding levels.
• Adds detailed statutory definitions and eligibility rules for hydropower, marine energy, approved remote dams, and interconnection property to support the tax credit.