Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024

Floor Speech

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. 4394, and that I may include tabular material on the same.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Chairman, it is my distinct honor to bring the fiscal year 2024 Energy and Water bill before you today. Before I go into the details, I recognize the hard work of Chairwoman Granger and Ranking Member DeLauro on this bill and the entire appropriations process.

I also specifically thank my ranking member, Ms. Kaptur, for being a tremendous partner throughout this year's process.

At a total of $56.958 billion, the Energy and Water bill advances our national security, our energy security, and our economic competitiveness in a fiscally responsible manner.

The bill includes $24 billion for the National Nuclear Security Administration. Within that, the bill fully funds all major weapons programs and infrastructure modernization activities, including the W93 warhead, the nuclear sea-launched cruise missile, the B83-1 sustainment efforts, and the restart of plutonium pit production capability. NNSA funding also supports naval reactors and defense nuclear nonproliferation.

Remaining a leader in nuclear energy technologies will ensure reliable energy here at home and will help allies across the globe.

The bill sustains the Department of Energy's nuclear energy base program and also redirects previously appropriated funds to higher priorities, specifically:

$2.4 billion to develop a domestic capability for producing low- enriched uranium, including high-assay low-enriched uranium that will be necessary for upcoming advanced reactors; and

$1.2 billion to support the ongoing advanced small modular reactor demonstration project.

To reduce our reliance on foreign sources of critical minerals, the bill provides more than $200 million for the full spectrum of production technologies.

The Army Corps of Engineers is funded at $9.57 billion, including full funding of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund activities and ongoing Inland Waterways Trust Fund construction projects. These investments will help ensure goods can be moved safely to and from global markets.

Funding for the Bureau of Reclamation totals $1.8 billion and prioritizes projects that increase water supply and support drought resiliency.

The bill continues strong funding for the Department of Energy Office of Science, including fusion energy science, to enhance America's role as the global leader of scientific discovery and to lay the foundation for future scientific breakthroughs.

In closing, I thank the staff on both sides of the aisle for their hard work throughout this process. On the majority staff, Angie, Perry, Nora, Richie, Scott, and Janet. In my personal office, Ian and Daniel. On the minority staff, Scott, Jocelyn, and Adam.

This is a strong bill, and I urge Members to support it. I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson), my friend.

Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Chairman, the Energy and Water Appropriations bill is critical for national security, energy security, and creating jobs.

I congratulate Chairman Chuck Fleischmann for his extraordinary success in developing this legislation, which is so crucial to achieve peace through strength. I respect but disagree with Ranking Member Marcy Kaptur.

On passing H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act, earlier this year, House Republicans have shown dedication to lead in a way that will secure America's energy independence. I am grateful for the strong actions taken to lower costs for families through deregulation. Biden's disastrous war on fossil fuels has helped war criminal Putin to finance his mass murder in Ukraine.

Increasing domestic energy production is the best way to combat the dangerous dependency on Chinese-made or -supplied electric vehicle batteries and solar panels that further enrich the Chinese Communist Party.

The green energy spending has been diverted into unsustainable boondoggles wasting taxpayers' money.

I appreciate that this legislation supports critical missions at the Savannah River Site, which I am grateful to represent. As the only Member of Congress who ever worked at the Savannah River Site, I know firsthand of its importance and dedicated personnel.

In South Carolina, nuclear energy has provided over 60 percent of the energy matrix, and I am grateful to Governor Henry McMaster, a champion for small modular reactors.

Mr. Chair, I urge passage of the bill.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Simpson), the chair of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Murphy), my friend and also my colleague on the congressional baseball team.
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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa), my very good friend and fellow member of the Italian caucus.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, pursuant to House Resolution 756, I offer amendments en bloc.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, this bipartisan en bloc amendment was developed in coordination with the minority. It contains noncontroversial amendments addressing important issues at the agency's funded in this bill that have been agreed to by both sides.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman of Louisiana (Mr. Graves).

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition, although I am not opposed to the amendment.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, the Upper Colorado River and San Juan River Endangered Species Program enjoys bipartisan support in the region, providing for a collaborative approach to species management, avoiding a heavy-handed ESA listing.

This program enables robust power production at Glen Canyon Dam, and I support the gentleman's amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I rise to claim time in opposition, although I do not oppose the amendment.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, similar to my colleague's previous amendment, this program enjoys broad bipartisan support and enables robust hydropower production that provides electricity to benefit the entire region.

Mr. Chair, I support the gentleman's amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I rise to oppose the amendment.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I share some of my colleagues' concerns about the excess spending at EERE, particularly in light of the billions in increased spending provided in past appropriations bills, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

EERE still has billions in unobligated funds, and that is exactly why this bill, the bill that we have before the House, includes a large reduction to this account.

However, in my view, respectfully, my colleague's amendment would go too far to practically eliminate the EERE account. This would impact the important work performed by the national labs and universities to implement the research and development goals of EERE. These goals include advancing energy efficiency solutions for the manufacturing of cement, steel, and iron; creating and improving battery technologies; and developing critical mineral alternatives.

While I am a supporter of EERE, I also recognize fossil fuels are going to be an important resource for many years to come. However, I don't believe these two accounts need to be at odds with each other.

I personally favor an all-of-the-above approach to meet the Nation's future energy needs. That approach includes strategic reductions to EERE that prioritize research activities like the goals I mentioned earlier.

My distinguished colleague's amendment, in my view, upends that strategy and goes too far, respectfully. For these reasons, I must oppose the amendment and urge my colleagues to do the same.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur).

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to this amendment.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, I thank the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Roy) for filing this amendment, but I respectfully oppose the same.

I do share some of my colleague's concerns about the excess spending at EERE. I would also like to emphasize that EERE received over $16 billion from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and many of these dollars are still unobligated.

These reasons are exactly why the original bill reduced EERE by $466 million below the fiscal year 2023 level and why I offered further reductions in this bill of $1 billion.

In total, these reductions would bring EERE below the fiscal year 2016 level. However, my colleague's amendment goes too far in eliminating EERE.

I am a supporter of the EERE program and the work they do to advance research and development on renewable technologies, advanced manufacturing, and battery improvements. That includes essential work on critical minerals that will help lay the groundwork for technologies that will reduce our reliance on foreign supplies.

I think this is an issue that we all can support. I support strategic reduction to EERE, but I am not in favor of eliminating the account and walking away from its ongoing work.

For these reasons, I must respectfully oppose the amendment, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur), the ranking member.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to this amendment.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, I thank my good friend from Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry) for filing this, but I must respectfully oppose the amendment.

The Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations is primarily responsible for implementing and managing over $21 billion provided by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

I am keenly aware of the scale of that sum of money and the importance of our oversight responsibility to ensure taxpayer funds are correctly administered.

That is exactly why the House bill includes no funding--and I repeat no funding--for the office to conduct new demonstrations and instead, only includes funding for program direction for staff to provide project management oversight.

My colleague's amendment would eliminate that function, preventing the office from ensuring that our taxpayer dollars are being used effectively and efficiently.

That would directly impact the success of important programs within the office's jurisdiction like the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program.

The Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program enjoys strong bipartisan support. The program is essential to the deployment of advanced reactors, ensuring our Nation's energy security and regaining U.S. leadership in nuclear energy.

We can't abandon our oversight responsibilities and risk the success of programs like these. For these reasons, I must respectfully oppose the amendment, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, I thank my dear friend and colleague from South Carolina (Mr. Norman) for filing this, but I must respectfully rise in strong opposition to the amendment.

My colleague's amendment would eliminate the Advanced Research Projects Agency, or ARPA-E. ARPA-E's mission is to fund projects that are not yet addressed in the private sector but can bring about transformational shifts in current energy technologies.

Nearly 75 percent of ARPA-E awards go to small businesses and academia. ARPA-E projects have led to over 1,000 patents being issued and have attracted more than $11.5 billion in follow-on funding from the private sector.

These projects push the envelope on what is possible in the energy sector and will continue to play an important role in maintaining U.S. leadership to develop the next generation of energy technologies. I believe these are goals that all of us can support.

I, therefore, must respectfully oppose the amendment and urge my colleagues to do the same.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur).
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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to oppose the amendment.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I thank my distinguished friend from Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry) for filing the amendment.

My great State of Tennessee, which I represent the Third District of Tennessee, our State and other States greatly benefit from the Appalachian Regional Commission.

This amendment would eliminate the Appalachian Regional Commission which provides funding for hundreds of cost-shared projects, partnering with private industry to bring needed jobs to this depressed region.

The energy and water bill maintains funding for the ARC at the fiscal year 2023 level of $200 million. These communities, and many of which I represent, cannot afford to lose millions of dollars in private investment this Commission leverages.

Mr. Chair, I respectfully urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur).

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I rise to oppose the amendment.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, once again, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for filing this amendment, but I must strongly oppose it.

This bill provides $31.1 million for the Delta Regional Authority. This small investment targets hundreds of depressed communities in the Mississippi River Delta region. These communities cannot afford to lose the millions of dollars in private investments this commission leverages.

Mr. Chair, I respectfully urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Louisiana (Ms. Letlow). I congratulate the great State of Louisiana on the election of our Speaker. They also have our great majority leader, as well.

Ms. Letlow has been just a wonderful member of the Appropriations Committee, and it has been great to have her on the committee representing Louisiana.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I rise to oppose the amendment.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, once again, my distinguished friend and colleague from Pennsylvania has been consistent in his opposition to these regional commissions, and I do appreciate the gentleman's positions on this. However, I respectfully disagree.

The amendment would reduce funding for the Denali Commission, which is funded at $17 million in this bill, the same as fiscal 2023. The regional commission helps distressed communities across Alaska with basic infrastructure, like water and sewage systems and power generation.

Mr. Chair, I respectfully urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, again, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for bringing this motion on behalf of my distinguished friend from South Carolina.

Like the previous amendment, although this one is a bit more draconian, I respectfully rise in opposition to it for the reasons I alluded to earlier, and I urge a ``no'' vote.

Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, this bill provides $40 million for the Northern Border Regional Commission, the same as last year.

This commission seeks to create jobs in distressed communities of the four-State northern region.

While the impact to overall spending in this bill would be small, the impact felt by these communities would be large.

Mr. Chair, I respectfully urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, once again, I thank my distinguished colleague and friend from Pennsylvania for being consistent and very thorough in all of his investigations, and I do really appreciate this.

This has been insightful, but once again, I must respectfully rise to oppose the amendment. The energy and water bill includes flat funding for the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission.

The amendment would reduce this amount by 99 percent, leaving only $250,000, not even enough to cover all administrative costs. This commission seeks to create jobs in some of the most poverty stricken areas of our Nation, and funding should not be decimated.

Mr. Chair, I respectfully urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I rise to oppose this amendment.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, my friend and colleague from Pennsylvania once again has been consistent in his opposition to these regional commissions.

This amendment seeks to cut funding for the Southwest Border Regional Commission in half. This Commission seeks to create jobs in some of the most poverty-stricken areas of our Nation. This bill provides $5 million equal to fiscal year 2023. This amount ensures this Commission can continue its work and cutting it in half would virtually do nothing compared to the overall spending in the bill.

Mr. Chair, I respectfully urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Ciscomani), my dear friend and also a fellow member of the Committee on Appropriations.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, once again, I thank my distinguished friend from Pennsylvania and colleague for his very thoughtful work on this entire project. He has covered all of these regions.

Mr. Chair, this amendment seeks to cut funding for the Great Lakes Authority in half, and I strongly oppose it. This is a newly authorized regional commission intended to create jobs in communities that need it most.

As we crafted this bill, Mr. Chairman, we actually listened to Members and got Members' requests. This Commission, the Great Lakes Commission received a tremendous amount of bipartisan support for it. It is newly created, and that is one of the reasons that it has not had its funding. It has never had funding because it is brand-new.

Mr. Chair, in that regard, especially in terms of the strong bipartisan support for this bill and for this Commission, I urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, I move that the Committee do now rise.

The motion was agreed to.

Accordingly, the Committee rose; and the Speaker pro tempore (Mr. Fallon) having assumed the chair, Mr. Moran, Acting Chair of the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union, reported that that Committee, having had under consideration the bill (H.R. 4394) making appropriations for energy and water development and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and for other purposes, had come to no resolution thereon.

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