Legislative Update: House Appropriations Committee Approves FY 2016 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill

On April 22, 2015, the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations approved its fiscal year (FY) 2016 energy and water development appropriations bill, which provides $95 million for ARC's nonhighway programs. This is the amount recommended in President Obama's proposed FY 2016 federal budget and $5 million more than ARC's FY 2015 funding level. Of the $95 million, $15 million is allocated for the POWER+ Plan (PDF: 58 KB) proposed in the president's budget, and $10 million would continue a program of high-speed broadband deployment in economically distressed counties in Central Appalachia that have been most negatively impacted by the downturn in the coal industry. ARC's regular programs would receive $70 million, as in FY 2015.

Full House consideration of the bill is expected later this spring. The Senate has not yet begun work on its energy and water development appropriations bill.