Legislative Update: Senate Appropriations Committee Approves FY 2017 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill Containing $151 Million for ARC April 2016

On April 14, 2016, the Senate Committee on Appropriations approved its fiscal year (FY) 2017 energy and water development appropriations bill, which provides $151 million for ARC’s nonhighway programs. This amount is $5 million more than ARC received for FY 2016. The total includes $75 million for ARC's base program (an increase of $5 million from FY 2016); $50 million for the administration’s POWER+ Plan to help communities that have been adversely impacted by changes in the coal industry and power sector; $20 million for a program of industrial site and workforce development focused primarily on the automotive supplier sector and the aviation sector in Southern and South Central Appalachia; and $6 million for a program of basic infrastructure improvement in economically distressed counties in Central Appalachia.

On April 13 the House Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development approved its version of the FY 2017 appropriations legislation. It provides $146 million for ARC, the same amount the Commission received in FY 2016. The full House appropriations committee is expected to consider the bill on April 19.