House Passes Energy and Water Spending Bill, Including Funding for Navigation Rehabilitation, NCGA Notes (5-25-06)

The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is pleased the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5427, the fiscal year (FY) 2007 Energy and Water Development appropriations spending bill, which includes funding for major rehabilitation for locks and dams on the Upper Mississippi River System The bill passed by a vote of 404-20.

“We are happy the House of Representatives included in the appropriations bill funding for major rehabilitation for locks and dams critical for keeping navigation continuing and uninterrupted along the Upper Mississippi River system,” said Lisa Kelley, NCGA director of public policy. “However, we are very disappointed the bill did not include any funding for preconstruction engineering and design (PED) of pending lock modernization for the inland waterway system.”

On the Upper Mississippi River system, major rehabilitation funding was provided for Lock and Dam 11 at $20.3 million; Lock and Dam 19 at $5.444 million; Lock and Dam 24 at $3.9 million; and Lock and Dam 27 at $3.4 million. In 2006, the final Energy and Water Development appropriations bill funded PED at $9.9 million.

Kelley noted that although funding was not included in the House bill, NCGA is working with the Senate to ensure PED money will be included in their appropriations bill. “Funding of PED will ensure that, when authorized, the modernization program of the locks and dams along the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers can aggressively move forward,” Kelley said. “We are working with Senate staff in order to educate them on the importance of this funding and to make sure to include the funding in their bill.”

Additionally, the bill provides $24.373 billion for the Department of Energy, $327 million more than the FY 2006 level and $299 million more than President George W. Bush’s request. Other programs important to NCGA funded in the appropriations bill include the Biomass and Biorefinery Systems R&D Program, funded at $149.687 million and the U.S Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works Program, including operations and maintenance and construction, was funded at more than $4.9 billion.