REMOVAL OF ABANDONED VESSELS.

SEC. 1124. REMOVAL OF ABANDONED VESSELS. (a) In General.—Section 19 of the Act of March 3, 1899 (33 U.S.C. 414) is amended— (1) by striking “Sec. 19. (a) That whenever” and inserting the following: “SEC. 19. VESSEL REMOVAL BY CORPS OF ENGINEERS “(a) Removal of Obstructive Vessels.— “(1) In general.—That whenever” ; (2) in subsection (b)— (A) by striking “described in this section” and inserting “described in this subsection”; and (B) by striking “under subsection (a)” and inserting “under paragraph (1)”; (3) by striking “(b) The owner” and inserting the following: “(2) Liability of owner, lessee, or operator.—The owner” ; and (4) by adding at the end the following: “(b) Removal of Abandoned Vessel.— “(1) In general.—The Secretary is authorized to remove from the navigable waters of the United States a covered vessel that does not obstruct the navigation of such waters, if— “(A) such removal is determined to be in the public interest by the Secretary, in consultation with any State in which the vessel is located or any Indian Tribe with jurisdiction over the area in which the vessel is located, as applicable; and “(B) in the case of a vessel that is not under the control of the United States by reason of seizure or forfeiture, the Commandant of the Coast Guard determines that the vessel is abandoned. “(2) Interagency agreements.—In removing a covered vessel under this subsection, the Secretary— “(A) is authorized to enter into an interagency agreement with the head of any Federal department, agency, or instrumentality that has control of such vessel; and “(B) is authorized to accept funds from such department, agency, or instrumentality for the removal of such vessel. “(3) Liability.—The owner of a covered vessel shall be liable to the United States for the costs of removal, destruction, and disposal of such vessel under this subsection. “(4) Covered vessel defined.— “(A) In general.—In this subsection, the term ‘covered vessel’ means a vessel— “(i) determined to be abandoned by the Commandant of the Coast Guard; or “(ii) under the control of the United States by reason of seizure or forfeiture pursuant to any law. “(B) Exclusion.—The term ‘covered vessel’ does not include— “(i) any vessel for which the Secretary has removal authority under subsection (a) or section 20; “(ii) an abandoned barge for which the Commandant of the Coast Guard has the authority to remove under chapter 47 of title 46, United States Code; and “(iii) a vessel— “(I) for which the owner is not identified, unless determined to be abandoned by the Commandant of the Coast Guard; or “(II) for which the owner has not agreed to pay the costs of removal, destruction, or disposal. “(5) Authorization of appropriations.—There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029.” . (b) Conforming Amendment.—Section 20 of the Act of March 3, 1899 (33 U.S.C. 416) is amended by striking “the preceding section of this Act” and inserting “section 19(a)”.