Alan Simpson: “It is my distinct honor to bring the fiscal year 2016 Energy and Water bill before you today. Before I go into the…”

“It is my distinct honor to bring the fiscal year 2016 Energy and Water bill before you today. Before I go into the details, I would like to recognize the hard work of Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Lowey on this bill and the appropriation process. I would also like to thank my ranking member, Ms. Kaptur. I appreciate her help, and with it, this bill is better because of it. The bill provides $35.4 billion for the activities of the Department of Energy, Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation, and other agencies under our jurisdiction. This is a $1.2 billion increase from last year's funding level, and $633 million below the request. This is a responsible bill that recognizes the importance of investing in our Nation's infrastructure and national defense. As we do each year, we worked hard to incorporate priorities and perspectives from both sides of the aisle. The administration's proposal to cut programs of the Army Corps of Engineers by $750 million would have led to economic disruptions in our ports and waterways as they filled in, and would have left our communities and businesses vulnerable to flooding. Instead, this bill recognizes the critical work of the Corps and provides $5.6 billion for those activities, $865 million above the request and $142 million more than last year. The bill makes use of all estimated annual revenues from the inland waterways trust fund, for a total of $340 million.…”