With $447 million for Everglades Restoration Included, Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill Heads to House Floor for Final Passage

Washington, DC – Today, Representative Lois Frankel (FL-21), a member of the House Appropriations Committee, released the following statement after helping pass the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies funding bill for Fiscal Year 2023 out of committee. The bill rebuilds America’s water infrastructure, lowers energy costs, and confronts the climate crisis while creating tens of thousands of good-paying jobs with a focus on deploying clean energy.

“This bill continues to fund the restoration of the Everglades, the main source of drinking water for South Florida, at historic levels.” said Rep. Frankel. “It protects the beaches and waterways that serve as economic engines and a way of life in our community by increasing funding for beach restoration and intracoastal waterway dredging. And, importantly, it encourages the Army Corps of Engineers to follow science, not politics, in determining the water levels of Lake Okeechobee to make sure that the drinking water needs of all users are met.”

As a member of this Appropriations subcommittee, Rep. Frankel advocated for an array of programs, including:

Florida Priorities:

• $447 million for Everglades Restoration ($97 million increase from 2022).
• $8.9 billion for the Army Corps of Engineers ($545 million increase from 2022).
• $40 million for beach restoration ($20 million increase from 2022).
• $2.318 billion for Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund projects ($269 million increase from 2022).
• Language encouraging the United States Army Corps to use best science when determining proper water levels for Lake Okeechobee, to ensure proper water supply for all water users of South Florida.
• $125 million for intracoastal dredging ($25 million increase from 2022).

Department of Energy:

• $48.2 billion for the Department of Energy ($3.3 billion increase from 2022).
• Provides $4 billion for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy ($800 million increase from 2022), to provide for clean, affordable, and secure energy and ensure American leadership in the transition to a global clean energy economy.
• $6 million for the US-Israel Cooperative Energy Cooperative to accelerate technology innovation. 
• $370 million for the Weatherization Assistance Program, ($55 million increase from 2022), which provides technical and financial assistance to help low-income residents reduce their energy bills.
• $190 million for development of water power technologies, like FAU’s ocean current energy project.

Now that the legislation has passed out of committee, it will be brought to the House floor for a vote in the coming weeks. If the Senate passes its own bill, appropriators will reconcile the differences to then send the result to the President’s desk for a signature.

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