Alabama Advances Coastal Bills to Shield Gulf from Erosion, Seagrass Loss

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (Day.News) — The Alabama Legislature is propelling Senate Bill 119 forward, requiring entities dredging more than 1 million cubic yards of material annually in coastal areas to beneficially reuse at least 70 percent of it.[1] Introduced Jan. 13, 2026, by Sens. Greg Elliott, R-Jacksonville, and Henry Sessions, R-Grand Bay, the measure targets erosion-prone zones along Alabama's 60-mile Gulf Coast, from Gulf Shores to Dauphin Island.[1] The Alabama Department of Environmental Management and Department of Conservation and Natural Resources must adopt implementing rules, potentially revising the Alabama Coastal Area Management Program.[1] Complementing SB119, House Bill 38 — which earned final legislative passage — establishes the Alabama Seagrass Restoration Task Force to combat the rapid decline of seagrass in state marine waters.[3][6] Seagrass beds, vital for fisheries in Mobile Bay and Perdido Bay, have winnowed due to propeller scarring, poor water quality and warming temperatures.[3] The task force will craft a 10-year restoration plan, addressing losses that threaten shrimp, crabs and juvenile fish supporting Baldwin County's $1.2 billion seafood industry.[6] These bills arrive as climate concerns intensify, with sea levels rising 3.3 millimeters annually along the Gulf, eroding beaches in Orange Beach and Fort Morgan.[1][3] Lawmakers also considered SB124 to create a seagrass task force and SB326 for vessel anchoring rules in coastal waters, signaling broader Gulf safeguards.[2][5] Yet, Senate Bill 71's passage, limiting state environmental rules to federal standards, has sparked debate over Alabama's regulatory flexibility for localized threats like those in Theodore or Bayou La Batre.[4]