BILL SUMMARY: Energy and Water Development Fiscal Year 2025 Appropriations Bill
Bill makes new investments to propel scientific research, support critical water infrastructure, sustain environmental cleanup projects, and more
Washington, D.C. – The Fiscal Year 2025 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act provides $61.467 billion in total funding for the Department of Energy, Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation, and independent agencies.
“This bipartisan bill delivers new investments to advance cutting-edge scientific research happening at labs across the country, to support critical water infrastructure, and to prepare communities for extreme weather events. It sustains our investments in renewable energy and climate research—and our efforts to help strengthen and build up our energy grid as we transition to clean energy sources,” said Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development. “This bill increases funding to maintain our nation’s ports and harbors, which are so important to our economy. Importantly, this bill also supports critical nuclear nonproliferation efforts and strengthens funding to clean up the Hanford Site and other environmental cleanup sites across the country.”
Key Points & Highlights – Corps of Engineers
Delivers crucial funding to maintain our ports and harbors and strengthen our competitiveness, invests in keeping communities safe and prepared for extreme weather events, and protects endangered species by supporting ecosystem restoration efforts across the country.
Corps of Engineers: The bill provides $10.344 billion in total funding for the Corps of Engineers.
Ports and Harbors: The bill provides a historic $3.147 billion—a $319 million increase over fiscal year 2024—for the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund to improve navigation through dredging ports, maintain our nation’s waterways, and ensure goods and people can get to where they need to be. The bill also includes funding for critical inland waterways navigation projects, which transport important commodities like grain, iron, and petroleum.
Protecting Communities from Extreme Weather: The bill continues investments in critical construction projects to protect communities from extreme weather events and more frequent flooding. This funding supports projects and programs that use natural infrastructure and environmental restoration efforts to support keystone species.
Key Points & Highlights – Bureau of Reclamation
Strengthens our efforts to combat drought, provide reliable water to irrigate crops that feed families across the country, and protect habitats for keystone species that are essential to local economies and ecosystems.
Bureau of Reclamation: The bill provides $2.04 billion in total funding for the Bureau of Reclamation to deliver reliable water and hydroelectric power to the western United States—a $120 million increase over fiscal year 2024.
Investing in Underserved Communities: The bill includes over $150 million for rural water projects to provide clean, reliable, and safe drinking water to rural communities across the country. It also includes funding to support the continued commitment to fund Indian Water Rights Settlements. Funding both of these efforts builds on critical progress made under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Key Points & Highlights – Department of Energy
Strengthens our investments in scientific research to keep America on the cutting edge, sustains vital funding for climate-related programs, and provides new resources to support our nuclear nonproliferation and environmental clean-up efforts.
The bill provides $17.740 billion—a $296 million increase over fiscal year 2024—for the Department of Energy’s non-defense programs, including:
Scientific Discovery: The bill provides $8.6 billion in new directed funding—$360 million over fiscal year 2024—for the Office of Science. This funding will help continue implementation of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. The Office of Science is the largest federal sponsor of basic research in the physical sciences and supports 22,000 researchers at 17 national laboratories and more than 300 universities. The bill continues to advance the highest priorities in materials research, high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, biology, and clean energy research to maintain and strengthen our global competitiveness. It also boosts funding for the Office’s work on artificial intelligence and advanced computing to help the Department implement the Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence for Science, Security, and Technology computing initiative.
Technology Coordination and Commercialization: The bill provides $34.5 million for technology transfer and commercialization efforts. This includes funding for the Foundation for Energy Security and Innovation, for the Technology Transitions Office, and for industrial emissions and technology coordination to coordinate clean industrial research, development, demonstrations, and deployment across the Department of Energy, with a focus on energy-intensive industries.
Renewable Energy: The bill provides $3.46 billion for energy efficiency and renewable energy programs—sustaining key investments and funding provided in fiscal year 2024. This includes resources for wind energy, water technologies, and advanced manufacturing to strengthen our global leadership in renewable energy technologies and manufacturing. It also provides critical funding to bolster necessary manufacturing supply chains.
Protecting Our Energy Grid: The bill provides $200 million for Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response to help ensure the continued success of the Department’s programs aimed at strengthening the security and resilience of our energy sector and grid. It also provides $280 million for the Office of Electricity and $60 million for the Grid Deployment Office to help deploy transmission for the buildout of clean energy.
Nuclear Energy and Fuel Security: The bill provides $1.675 billion for nuclear energy research and development, including funding for microreactor development and accident-tolerant fuel important for nuclear reactor safety. Further, $800 million in repurposed supplemental emergency funding will support the advanced reactor demonstration program and nuclear fuel development.
Tribal Energy: The bill provides $70 million for the Indian Energy Policy and Programs. The funding will help continue electrifying the 30,000 Tribal homes that do not have access to power.
The bill provides $34.516 billion for the Department of Energy’s atomic energy defense activities and defense environmental cleanup, including:
Nuclear National Security: The bill provides $19.93 billion for Weapons Activities. This includes $70 million for SLCM-N and $1.2 billion for the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility. It also provides $760 million for the Inertial Confinement Fusion program, $70 million above fiscal year 2024. This funding allows for necessary infrastructure sustainment at the National Ignition Facility in Livermore, California, which first achieved ignition in December 2022. The bill also includes $879.5 million for Advanced Simulation and Computing at the National Nuclear Security Administration, a $49.5 million increase above fiscal year 2024.
Nuclear Nonproliferation: The bill provides $2.63 billion to support our nuclear nonproliferation programs, a $49 million increase over fiscal year 2024. The bill funds efforts to secure radiological materials in the U.S. and abroad, the installation of radiological detection equipment at border crossings and seaports around the world, and research and development activities on nuclear proliferation and detonation detection.
Naval Reactors: The bill provides $2.077 billion for Naval Reactors. The bill funds operations and infrastructure activities at facilities in New York and Columbia-class Reactor Systems Development at the budget request level.
Environmental Cleanup: The bill provides $7.5 billion to fund the federal government’s responsibility to clean up the nation’s defense sites. In particular, the bill provides additional funding for clean-up sites in Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Washington state.
Key Points & Highlights – Independent Agencies
Continues to invest in economically disadvantaged communities across the nation, boosts economic opportunities for local communities affected by job industry shifts, works to break down economic barriers communities of color face, and keeps people safe by regulating nuclear reactors and radioactive materials.
Appalachian Regional Commission: The bill provides $200 million for the Appalachian Regional Commission to continue serving communities across the Appalachian region—creating economic opportunity and improving people’s quality of life.
Delta Regional Authority: The bill provides $32.5 million for the Delta Regional Authority to serve communities and create economic development in the lower Mississippi River regions.
Denali Commission: The bill provides $18.5 million for the Denali Commission to serve indigenous communities and economically distressed communities in Alaska.
Northern Border Regional Commission: The bill provides $46 million for the Northern Border Regional Commission. The commission invests in infrastructure and economic development assistance for communities experiencing persistent poverty in the Northeastern United States.
Southeast Crescent Regional Commission: The bill provides $21 million for the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission.
Southwest Border Regional Commission: The bill provides $14 million for the Southwest Border Regional Commission.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission: The bill provides $138 million for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which is responsible for ensuring the safe use of nuclear reactors and radioactive materials while protecting people and the environment.
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