The House Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee will convene today (Wednesday, April 15) at 1000 am EDT to mark up the Fiscal Year 2016 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill (E&W). The House E & W Bill proposes to fund the Corps of Engineers Civil Works Program at $5.6 billion, this amount is $142 million over the level funded in Fiscal Year 2015 and $865 million over the requested amount outlined in President Obama’s FY 16 Budget Request.
The proposed Corps’ Navigation program funding level is $2.4 billion, which is approximately $50 million above the Fiscal Year 2015 or “Cromnibus Appropriations” level. The Subcommittee proposed Harbor Maintenance Tax level of $1.178 billion is $68 million more than last year’s Cromnibus Appropriation of $1.1 billion, although this amount is still $76 million below the $1.25 billion target established in the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 (WRRDA 2014).
Senators David Vitter (R-LA), Robert Casey (D-PA) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) are circulating the attached Hit the HMT and Inland Users Tax Targets in cooperation with the Navigation 1 stakeholder group.
RAMP members are encouraged to request that their Senators sign on in support of this letter. The points of contact are for Senator Vitter, Charles Brittingham at: charles_brittingham@vitter.senate.gov and for Senator Casey, Jack Groarke at jack_groarke@casey.senate.gov.
An updated Navigation information sheet, provided by the American Association of Port Authorities, is attached here. Please use this fact sheet when discussing funding levels.
The mark-up will be available by webinar at http://appropriations.house.gov/
For the complete text of the subcommittee draft of the FY 2016 Energy and Water Appropriations bill, please visit: http://appropriations.house.gov/UploadedFiles/BILLS-114HR-SC-AP-FY2016-EnergyWater-SubcommitteeDraft.pdf
Tags: appropriations, policy, water
