Appropriations Committee Releases Fiscal Year 2022 Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies Funding Bill

July 11, 2021

Press Release

Legislation creates good-paying jobs, invests in clean energy, and rebuilds water infrastructure

The House Appropriations Committee today released the draft fiscal year 2022 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies funding bill, which will be considered in subcommittee tomorrow. The legislation funds agencies and programs in the Department of Energy, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation, and several independent agencies.

For 2022, the bill provides $53.226 billion, an increase of $1.474 billion above 2021. The legislation:

• Creates tens of thousands of good-paying jobs with a focus on deploying clean energy technologies and the green jobs of tomorrow in communities across the country
• Confronts the climate crisis with more than $14 billion of transformative investments in clean energy and science, which will help develop clean, affordable, and secure American energy
• Rebuilds our nation's water infrastructure, critical to protecting communities from more frequent and severe storms and addressing the worsening drought

'I'm pleased that the legislation we are unveiling today makes good on our promise to the American people to Build Back Better,' Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee Chairwoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-09) said. 'It helps sustain life on earth and address our nation's most pressing challenges. This bill not only meets the needs of the current moment but provides a foundation for addressing the many challenges we face at the dawn of this new era in energy and water. The legislation makes critical investments in combating the climate crisis by funding clean energy innovation, rebuilding our nation's water infrastructure, and tackling the drought crisis in the West. I am proud to support the Biden administration's agenda to urgently address the climate crisis while reinvesting in areas and workers too often left behind. This bill will put Americans to work while keeping our nation at the forefront of global energy innovation, accelerate improvements to water infrastructure, responsibly fund our nuclear deterrent, and ensure that low-income households across the country have energy-efficient and more livable homes.'

'As our nation builds back from the coronavirus pandemic, we must turn challenge into opportunity by transitioning to a clean energy economy that creates good-paying jobs, directly confronts the climate crisis, and addresses the worsening drought in the West, ' Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) said. 'By deploying clean energy technologies, investing in cutting edge research, and strengthening our nation's water infrastructure, this legislation will set us on the course for a clean, affordable, and secure energy future.'

A summary of the draft fiscal year 2022 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies bill is below. The text of the draft bill is here. The subcommittee markup will be webcast live and linked from https://appropriations.house.gov/events/markups.

Bill Summary:

Army Corps of Engineers - For fiscal year 2022, the bill provides a total of $8.66 billion, an increase of $1.9 billion above the President's budget request.

• Investigations - The bill provides $155 million, $2 million above fiscal year 2021 and $49.2 million above the request.
  
• Construction - The bill provides $2.6 billion, $799.4 million above the request.
  
• Operation and Maintenance - The bill provides $4.8 billion, an increase of $967.3 million above fiscal year 2021.
  
• Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund projects receive an estimated $2.05 billion, an increase of $370 million above fiscal year 2021 and $424.1 million above the request. The bill provides these funds in accordance with the budgetary adjustments made by the CARES Act and the Water Resources Development Act of 2020.
  

Department of the Interior and Bureau of Reclamation - For fiscal year 2022, the bill provides a total of $1.97 billion for the Department, an increase of $274.9 million above fiscal year 2021 and $413 million above the President's budget request.

• Central Utah Project - The bill provides $20 million, the same as the budget request.
  
• Bureau of Reclamation - The bill provides $1.95 billion, an increase of $276 million above fiscal year 2021 and $413 million above the request. Within Reclamation:
  • The bill provides $413 million in additional funding for water resources projects, including those authorized in the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act.
  • The bill provides $191.4 million for WaterSMART programs, $62.4 million above fiscal year 2021 and $137.4 million above the budget request, to assist western states and communities as they respond to the historic drought.
  • Within additional funding, $55.7 million above the request is provided for rural water projects.

Department of Energy - For fiscal year 2022, the bill provides a total of $45.1 billion for the Department, an increase of $3.2 billion above fiscal year 2021 amounts.

• Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy - The bill provides $3.77 billion, an increase of $906 million above the fiscal year 2021 level. This funding provides for clean, affordable, and secure energy and ensures American leadership in the transition to a global clean energy economy.
  • Weatherization Assistance Program - The bill provides $375 million, an increase of $65 million above the fiscal year 2021 level. This funding will support the weatherization of nearly 50,000 low-income households.
  • Build Back Better Challenge Grants - The bill provides $100 million for a new program to support novel state-, local-, and Tribal-level approaches that encourage early action and novel methods for clean energy deployment, prioritizing investments that meet energy needs at the local level and are inclusive in elevating impoverished, disenfranchised, marginalized, or overburdened communities.
    
• Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response - The bill provides $177 million, an increase of $21 million above the fiscal year 2021 level. This funding provides for efforts to secure the nation's energy infrastructure against all hazards, reduce the risks of and impacts from cybersecurity events, and assist with restoration activities.
  
• Electricity - The bill provides $267 million, an increase of $55 million above the fiscal year 2021 level. This funding will advance technologies to increase the resiliency and efficiency of the nation's electricity delivery system with capabilities to incorporate growing amounts of clean energy technologies.
  
• Nuclear Energy - The bill provides $1.68 billion, an increase of $167 million above the fiscal year 2021 level. The funding invests in research, development, and demonstration activities that develop the next generation of clean and safe reactors, further improve the safety and economic viability of our current reactor fleet, and contribute to the nation's long-term leadership in the global nuclear power industry.
  
• Fossil Energy and Carbon Management - The bill provides $820 million, an increase of $70 million above the fiscal year 2021 level. This funding advances carbon reduction and mitigation in sectors and applications that are difficult to decarbonize, including the industrial sector, with technologies and methods such as carbon capture and storage, hydrogen, and direct air capture, while assisting in facilitating the transition toward a net-zero carbon economy and rebuilding a U.S. critical minerals supply chain.
  
• Science - The bill provides $7.32 billion, an increase of $294 million above the fiscal year 2021 level. The Office of Science funds basic science research in physics, biology, chemistry, and other science disciplines to expand scientific understanding and secure the nation's global leadership in energy innovation. The supported research supports nearly 28,000 researchers located at over 300 institutions, spanning all 50 states. The supported scientific user facilities serve over 36,000 users.
  
• Nuclear Waste Disposal - The bill provides $27.5 million for interim storage of nuclear waste and oversight of the Nuclear Waste Fund.
  
• Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy - The bill provides $600 million, an increase of $173 million above the fiscal year 2021 level. This funding supports research aimed at rapidly developing energy technologies that are capable of significantly changing the energy sector to address the nation's critical economic, environmental, and energy security challenges.
  
• Indian Energy Policy and Programs - The bill provides $70 million, an increase of $48 million above the fiscal year 2021 level. This funding will provide technical assistance, direct and remote education, policy research and analysis, and financial assistance to Indian tribes, Alaska Native Village and Regional corporations, and Tribal Energy Resource Development Organizations.
  
• National Nuclear Security Administration - The bill provides $20.2 billion for DOE's nuclear security programs. This funding will maintain a safe, secure, and credible nuclear deterrent while addressing the threat of nuclear proliferation and terrorism. This includes:
  • Weapons Activities - $15.5 billion, equal to the budget request, to maintain a safe and reliable nuclear deterrent.
  • Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation - $2.34 billion, an increase of $80 million above the fiscal year 2021 level and $406 million above the request. This funding secures nuclear material at home and abroad, combats the threat of nuclear terrorism, and provides emergency response capabilities.
  • Naval Reactors - $1.87 billion, equal to the request, to continue safe and reliable operation of the Navy's nuclear-powered fleet.
    
• Environmental Management - The bill provides $7.76 billion, an increase of $171 million above the fiscal year 2021 level. This funding is used for nuclear cleanup work at 16 sites across the country. This includes:
  • Non-Defense Environmental Cleanup - $334 million, an increase of $14.7 million above the fiscal year 2021 level.
  • Uranium Enrichment Decontamination and Decommissioning - $831 million, equal to the budget request.
  • Defense Environmental Cleanup - $6.6 billion, an increase of $166 million above the fiscal year 2021 level.
    
• Loan Guarantee Programs - Maintains funding consistent with the fiscal year 2021 levels.
  
• Power Marketing Administrations - The bill provides the net budget request levels for the Southeastern Power Administration, Southwestern Power Administration, and Western Area Power Administration.

Independent Agencies

• Nuclear Regulatory Commission - The bill provides a total net appropriation of $131 million, equal to the request. This funds regulatory activities to ensure the safe use of nuclear reactors and radioactive materials while protecting people and the environment.
  
• Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board - The bill provides $31 million, equal to the request. The Board provides recommendations regarding public health and safety matters at Department of Energy defense nuclear facilities.
  
• Appalachian Regional Commission - The bill provides $210 million, an increase of $30 million above the fiscal year 2021 level. The Commission funds efforts in the Appalachian Region to promote economic and community development, education and job training, and critical infrastructure.
  
• Delta Regional Authority - The bill provides $30 million, equal to fiscal year 2021. This funding targets the economic development needs of distressed portions of the Mississippi River Delta Region.
  
• Denali Commission - The bill provides $15 million, equal to fiscal year 2021. This funding provides critical utilities, infrastructure, health services, and economic support throughout Alaska.
  
• Northern Border Regional Commission - The bill provides $32 million, an increase of $2 million above fiscal year 2021 and $1.9 million above the request. This funding targets the economic development needs of distressed portions of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York.
  
• Southeast Crescent Regional Commission - The bill provides $2.5 million, equal to the request. This funding targets the economic development needs of distressed portions of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.
  
• Southwest Border Regional Commission - The bill provides $2.5 million, equal to the request. This funding targets the economic development needs of distressed portions of Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas.
  
• Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board - The bill provides $3.8 million equal to the request. The Board provides independent technical oversight of the Department of Energy's nuclear waste disposal program.

117th Congress