	Introduction and Overview

The Energy and Water Development appropriations bill includes funding for civil works projects of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), the Department of the Interior's Central Utah Project (CUP) and Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), the Department of Energy (DOE), and a number of independent agencies, including the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). President Obama's FY2016 budget request, released February 2, 2015, would have provided $36.04 billion for agencies in the Energy and Water Development bill—3.6% above the $34.78 billion appropriated for FY2015. The House approved its version of the FY2016 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill ( H.R. 2028 , H.Rept. 114-91 ) May 1, 2015, by a vote of 244-177. Total funding in the bill, including rescissions, was $35.4 billion, 1.8% below the Administration's request. The Senate Appropriations Committee reported its version of H.R. 2028 ( S.Rept. 114-54 ) on May 21, 2015. Congress enacted an omnibus funding measure for the entire federal government on December 18, 2015, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 ( P.L. The omnibus measure provided a total of $37.3 billion for energy and water programs for FY2016, an increase of 7.3% over FY2015. For FY2015, appropriations for Energy and Water Development programs were included in the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 ( H.R. 83 ). For details, see CRS Report CRS Report R43567, Energy and Water Development: FY2015 Appropriations , coordinated by [author name scrubbed]. Waters of the United States

The Corps requested but did not receive a $5 million increase for Clean Water Act (CWA) rulemaking activities, including developing a final rule to define "waters of the United States (WOTUS)" jointly with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). H.R. Energy Efficiency in Manufacturing and Vehicles

DOE's energy efficient manufacturing research funding would have more than doubled under the Administration request, with most of the increase going to the establishment of two new Clean Energy Manufacturing Institutes as part of the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation. Research on energy efficient vehicles would have risen 59% under the FY2016 budget request. But the House, as it has in the past, rejected funding for the Administration's nuclear waste management program and provided $175 million to continue the Yucca Mountain licensing process. International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor

The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), under construction in France, continues to draw congressional concerns about management, schedule, and cost. The Senate committee proposed eliminating ITER funding. DOE efforts to resume operations at WIPP have continued in FY2016. 114-113 . DOE also proposed for FY2016 to transfer counterterrorism and counterproliferation programs from the Weapons Activities appropriations account to Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation.
The Energy and Water Development appropriations bill provides funding for Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) civil works projects, the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), and the Department of Energy (DOE), as well as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and several other independent agencies. DOE typically accounts for about 80% of the bill's total funding.
President Obama's FY2016 budget request was released February 2, 2015. Including adjustments, the request for Energy and Water Development agencies totaled $36.04 billion, compared with a total of $34.78 billion appropriated for FY2015, an increase of 3.6%. The House approved its version of the FY2016 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill on May 1, 2015 (H.R. 2028, H.Rept. 114-91), and the Senate Appropriations Committee followed on May 21, 2015 (H.R. 2028, S.Rept. 114-54); both bills provided total budget authority of about $35.4 billion.
After lengthy negotiations, Congress enacted an omnibus funding measure on December 18, 2015, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (H.R. 2029, P.L. 114-113). The omnibus measure provided a total of $37.3 billion for energy and water programs for FY2016, an increase of 7.3% over FY2015.
Major Energy and Water Development funding highlights for FY2016 included
Waters of the United States. Language to block a controversial rulemaking to define "waters of the United States" was considered but not adopted; Energy Efficiency in Manufacturing and Vehicles. DOE's energy efficient manufacturing research would have more than doubled and research on energy efficient vehicles would have risen 59% under the FY2016 budget request, but smaller increases were approved; Nuclear Waste Management. The House approved $175 million for the statutorily authorized candidate disposal site at Yucca Mountain, NV, while the Senate Appropriations Committee would have authorized and funded an interim storage pilot facility, but none of those provisions were adopted; ITER Fusion Reactor. Cost, schedule, and management concerns were raised about the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER); Nuclear Weapons Activities. Congress approved the Administration's requested 10.7% increase for weapons activities and a proposal to combine and transfer two counterterrorism programs within DOE's National Nuclear Security Administration; Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Recovery. Efforts to resume operations at the WIPP defense transuranic waste repository in New Mexico are to continue in FY2016 with decreased total funding; and Surplus Plutonium Disposition. Level funding was approved, as requested, for a multibillion-dollar plant to convert surplus nuclear weapons plutonium into civilian nuclear reactor fuel.
For FY2015, appropriations for Energy and Water Development programs were included in the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (H.R. 83, Division D). For details, see CRS Report R43567, Energy and Water Development: FY2015 Appropriations, coordinated by [author name scrubbed].