The House on Tuesday began debate on the $37.4 billion Energy and Water Appropriations bill that Republicans say brings the country closer to energy independence.
The bill is a $259 million increase over the budget passed last year and $168 million more than what President Obama asked for in his fiscal 2017 budget request. It provides funding for the Department of Energy, Army Corps of Engineers and other agencies.
Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, was one of the primary shapers of the bill and said he hopes the bill is popular on both sides of the aisle due to the amount of priorities from Republicans and Democrats it includes. He said it would invest in fossil fuels, nuclear energy and other forms of energy to advance the country’s energy resources.
“This bill makes balanced investments in a true all-of-the-above every strategy,” he said.
The House began discussing amendments to the spending bill Tuesday evening, which was expected to last much of the evening. When the bill passes the lower chamber, it will go to a conference committee with the Senate’s version of the Energy and Water Appropriations Bill.
The bill spends $12.9 billion on the Department of Energy’s nuclear weapons security programs, $11.08 billion for Department of Energy programs and $6.1 billion on the Army Corps of Engineers. Those all represent increases from the previous years.
The budget cuts funding for renewable energy programs and environmental cleanup programs.
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers, R-Ky., says that’s because those programs have received plenty of funding in previous years.
“In order to make these targeted investments, the bill cuts back on other lower priority areas, renewable energy areas that have received significant investment in recent years,” he said.
The bill also blocks the Waters of the United States rule and allows firearms on Army Corps of Engineers land, which rankled Democrats who signaled they will vote against the bill.
Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., said she couldn’t support the bill because it is “billions of dollars short of what we need to meet our infrastructure needs.” She added that the provisions blocking the Waters of the United States rule, which seeks to clarify which waters are protected by federal regulations but critics say is a federal overreach, and allowing guns on Corps land will gum up the appropriations process.
“These controversial riders, year after year, threaten the appropriations process,” she said.
Rep. Donald Beyer, D-Va., attempted to remove parts of the bill that would block the Waters of the United States rule during the amendment process Tuesday evening, but Republican leaders moved to allow the full chamber to vote later on the measure.
Democrats also were dismayed at the cuts in renewable energy funding. Lowey accused Republicans of “burying their heads in the sand” over climate science and Rep. Michael Honda, D-Calif., said the budget missed an opportunity.
“We have an opportunity now to lead the world in innovating the next generation of energy technology … but [we are] underfunding critical energy programs,” he said.
