[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 107 (Thursday, July 10, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1141]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 
                                  2015

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 9, 2014

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 4923) making 
     appropriations for energy and water development and related 
     agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2015, and 
     for other purposes:

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chair, I rise to speak on ``H.R. 4923, the 
Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 
2015,'' under final consideration by the House.
  I want to thank Chairman Simpson and Ranking Member Kaptur for their 
stewardship in bringing this legislation to the floor and for their 
commitment to preserving America's great natural environment and 
resources so that they can serve and be enjoyed by generations to come.
  My service in the House of Representatives has focused on making sure 
that our nation is secure and prosperous. A central component of 
national security is the ability of national to remain energy 
independent and that our international ports continue to move goods 
into and out of the country safely and efficiently.
  I appreciate bipartisan support of two Jackson Lee Amendments the 
first increased funding for the Office of Minority Economic Impact in 
the Department of Energy and the second reprograms funds for Department 
of Energy's departmental administration to increase support for 
environmental justice program activities.
  Unfortunately, the bill contains a number of riders that are 
problematic:
  Obstruction of EPA's ability to clarify and define navigable water 
and specifying which of our nation's waterways are covered under the 
Clean Water Act.
  Permanently prohibits the Army Corps of Engineers from modifying the 
definition of ``fill materials'' to include debris and overburden from 
mining and excavation projects to make them subject to the Clean Water 
Act.
  Allows people to carry firearms on all Corps of Engineering lands.
  The bill also faces opposition by the Administration which means if 
it is passed in its current form it will not become law.
  The Administration strongly objects to the funding level of $1.8 
billion provided in the bill for renewable energy, sustainable 
transportation, and energy efficiency programs, a $546 million 
reduction below the FY 2015 Budget request. This reduced funding level 
will stifle Federal investment in innovative clean energy research and 
development (R&D) at a time of significant global competition and 
progress.
  The Administration objects to funding reduction in the bill such as 
the $40 million reduction from the FY 2015 Budget request that would 
reduce the number of grants to academic investigators and funding for 
staff at DOE laboratories working on fundamental discovery science and 
research that underpins advances in clean energy.
  Further, this reduction would also affect access to world class 
facilities used by researchers from all sectors to conduct R&D. The 
bill funds the international fusion project ITER, at a level $75 
million above the FY 2015 Budget request. In light of schedule delays 
and management reforms underway, the Administration is concerned that 
the U.S. contributions would outpace the readiness of the project.
  The bill provides the Corps of Engineers' bill $5.5 billion for works 
program, nearly $1 billion above the FY 2015 Budget request. The FY 
2015 Budget focuses on investments that would yield high economic and 
environmental returns or address a significant risk to public safety. 
The Administration encourages the Congress to fund the civil works 
program at the requested level. The funding increase for the civil 
works program is provided primarily by decreases in other core 
priorities, including clean energy. The Administration also urges the 
Congress to permit the Corps to commence new starts in FY 2015.
  The Administration strongly objects to sections 105 and 106 of the 
bill, which would prevent the use of funds to address deficiencies and 
regulatory uncertainties related to CWA regulations designed to protect 
important aquatic resources while supporting economic development. 
Section 106 in particular would impact an important, ongoing 
Administration effort to provide regulatory clarity on which water 
bodies are covered by the CWA, which has been the subject of two 
Supreme Court cases in which the Court indicated the need for greater 
clarity regarding the statute's scope.
  With less than 50 legislative days remaining, I ask that we carefully 
manage our time and energy to make sure that the bills we passed meet 
our obligations to the American public and can eventually become law.