House Appropriations Committee Passes FY27 Energy And Water Development Bill

​The House Appropriations Committee marked up and passed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies appropriations bill May 20. The bill includes approximately $9.8 billion for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Civil Works mission, an increase of $3.14 billion from the president’s budget request of $6.66 billion.

The bill funds Montgomery Lock on the Ohio River to completion and gives Upper Mississippi Lock and Dam 25 $250 million.
​After clearing the full committee, the House Appropriations Committee’s Energy and Water Development bill must go to the full House of Representatives for floor debate, amendment and passage. Once it passes the House, the Senate Appropriations Committee will draft and pass its own version of the bill. It will then be debated and voted on by the full Senate.
​House and Senate versions usually contain different funding levels and policy riders. Committee versions are important indicators of levels of support. Leaders from both chambers form a conference committee to negotiate a compromise version.
​The final reconciled bill must be approved by both the House and Senate, after which it will go to the president to be signed into law.
​The House Appropriations Committee noted that it is encouraged that the Corps included funding in the FY27 budget request for inland waterways construction for the first time since FY23. .
​The committee recommended $2.4 billion for construction, including $417.2 million with at least $104.3 million coming from the Inland Waterways Trust Fund (IWTF) for two inland construction projects:

Highlights of the bill include the following, Waterways Council Inc., noted in a statement:

The Operations and Maintenance account was allocated $6.255 billion, an increase of $4.14 billion from the president’s FY27 request of approximately $2.12 billion, specifically for:

The Investigations account received $175 million, up $137 million from the FY27 president’s budget request of $38 million. (A separate $23 million was also requested for investigations activities under the Mississippi River and Tributaries account), specifically for:

Mississippi River and Tributaries (MR&T) was allocated$470 million, an increase of $308 million above the President’s FY27 budget request of $162 million, specifically for:

​“As partners to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, we are elated at the strong funding levels provided by Congress for Fiscal Year 2027, and funding to complete Montgomery Lock and the $250 million toward Lock & Dam 25 in the E&WD appropriations bill,” said Tracy Zea, president and CEO, Waterways Council, Inc. “Now is a critical time for the inland waterways,and it is extremely important that the Corps, industry and Congress work together. This bill is a strong statement that underscores that.”