Today, the House passed a Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 minibus appropriations package by a vote of 220 yeas to 207 nays. The package included six appropriations bills: Agriculture, Transportation-HUD, Interior-Environment, Financial Services, Military Construction-VA and Energy & Water Development (E&WD).

NESP (National Ecosystem Sustainability Program) is a big win for IL farmers as $49.3 million is expected to go to preconstruction enginnering and design for LaGrange Lock.

IL Corn invests in NESP in various ways including working with Congressman LaHood and Congresswoman Bustos to ask for this specific level of funding for NESP.

Other highlights of the bill include:

For the Investigations account, $160 million was allocated, up $17 million from FY22 and $54 million above the President’s request.

• Inland Projects Funded:
  • Lower Saint Anthony Falls disposition study received $550,000

For the Construction account, $2.47 billion was allocated, an increase of $1.25 billion above the President’s request.

• Inland Waterways Trust Fund (IWTF) construction projects funded via the President's Budget:
  • Chickamauga Lock funded to completion at $39.3 million

• Community Project Funding (earmarks) for inland waterways construction projects:
  • $49.3 million for the Navigation & Ecosystem Sustainability Program (NESP). Funds are expected to go to Preconstruction Engineering and Design (PED) for LaGrange Lock.
    • The Community Project Funding request was submitted by Reps. Bustos (D-IL), Graves (R-MO), LaHood (R-IL) and Luetkemeyer (R-MO)

The House bill does not provide full use of the IWTF. Instead, it recommends spending approximately $31 million of the estimated $130 million in receipts during FY23, for a total of $88.6 million for inland waterways construction projects. The report states that it is the Committee’s understanding that the Corps does not have any further capability for ongoing projects.

For the Operations & Maintenance (O&M) account, $5.15 billion was allocated, an increase of $580 million above FY22 levels and $2.55 above the President’s Budget.

The bill provides an additional $40 million funding above the FY23 budget request for additional O&M activities on the inland waterways system. The Senate Appropriations Committee is slated to release its version of the E&WD bill before the August recess. WCI will keep our members apprised once that bill is released.