FY24 House and Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Bill Summary
Please see below for a statement from Mae Stevens, top water expert and chief executive officer of the American Business Water Coalition (ABWC), as well as a memo that summarizes both the House and Senate bills.
Comment from ABWC CEO, Mae Stevens:
“The Senate Interior-Environment appropriations bill released on July 27 presents a sensible alternative to the House version of the bill, which would slash water infrastructure funding to unfathomable levels.
At a time when water-related crises are occurring daily across the U.S., Congress should be fully funding the programs that protect our drinking water, not pinching pennies on programs that every American and the entire economy rely on.”
The following memo provides an overview of levels of funding included in the House and Senate Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies FY2024 appropriations bills, released by the House on July 12 and the Senate on July 27.
The House version of the bill notably includes major cuts to EPA, including to the Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) Programs. Earmarks in the House bill also make up nearly 90% of the overall appropriations to the SRFs. The Senate bill contains far more robust funding for the SRFs. While it does not appropriate the full authorization of $3 billion for each SRF, it does keep funding flat from FY23 levels, and limits earmarks to roughly 20% of the overall appropriation.
The two chambers will need to conference their bills into a final version, with the goal of doing so before the end of the current fiscal year on September 30. Most likely, Congress will elect instead to pass a short-term continuing resolution, with the remaining work on appropriations handled during the fall months.
Further, while it appears unlikely, a government shutdown is not out of the question, as multiple House Republicans have stated that they will firmly oppose legislation that does not significantly decrease discretionary spending. The Senate, with its slim Democratic majority, is instead pressing for final spending bills that look very similar to final FY23 numbers, and that are in line with the parameters of the debt limit deal passed earlier this summer.
| Program | FY24 House Bill | FY24 Senate Bill | FY23 Enacted Level |
| Interior-Environment Topline | $25.4 billion | $42.7 billion | $40.45 billion |
| EPA Topline | $6.17 billion | $9.9 billion | $10.1 billion |
| State and Tribal Assistance Grants (STAG) Topline | $2.58 billion | $4.52 billion | $4.48 billion |
| Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) | $535 million | $1.64 billion | $1.64 billion |
| CWSRF Earmarks | $470.13 million[i] | $345.13 million[ii] | $863.1 million |
| Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) | $460.61 million | $1.13 billion | $1.13 billion |
| DWSRF Earmarks | $410.3 million[iii] | $243.64 million[iv] | $609.3 million |
| Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) Direct Loan Subsidy | $65.97 million | $75.6 million | $68 million |
| Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse Municipal Grants | $50 million | $50 million | $50 million |
| Assistance for Small and Disadvantaged Communities Grants | $23.2 million | $30.2 million | $30.2 million |
| Voluntary School and Childcare Program Lead Testing and Reduction Grant Program | $30.5 million | $30.5 million | $30.5 million |
| Reducing Lead in Drinking Water | $25 million | $25 million | $25 million |
| Drinking Water Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability | $7 million | $7 million | $7 million |
| Midsize and Large Drinking Water System Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability Program | $5 million | $5 million | $5 million |
| Research, Investigations, Training, and Information | $27 million | — | $27 million |
| Small and Medium Publicly Owned Treatment Works Circuit Rider Program | $5 million | — | — |
| Grants for Construction and Refurbishing of Individual Household Decentralized Wastewater Systems for Individuals with Low or Moderate Income | $5 million | — | — |
| Connection to Publicly Owned Treatment Works | $3 million | — | — |
| Pilot Program for Alternative Water Source Projects | $3 million | — | — |
| Water Infrastructure and Workforce Investment | $2 million | $6 million | $6 million |
| Enhanced Aquifer Use and Recharge | $5 million | $4 million | $4 million |
| Stormwater Control Infrastructure Technology Centers of Excellence | $5 million | $3 million | $3 million |
| Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) grants – Brownfields
|
$80 million | $101 million | $100 million |
| Indian Reservation Drinking Water Program | $4 million | $5 million | $4 million |
| U.S. Mexico Border Water Infrastructure Projects | $29 million | $37.4 million | $36.4 million |
| Alaska Rural and Native Villages Water Infrastructure Projects | $30.56 million | $41 million | $39.7 million
|
[i] In the House bill, the $470.13 million in Clean Water SRF earmarks make up 87.9% of the overall allocation to the program. In FY23, earmarks made up 52.7% of the overall allocation to the Clean Water SRF, and in FY22 they made up 27.1%.
[ii] In the Senate bill, the $345.13 million in Clean Water SRF earmarks make up 21.1% of the overall allocation to the program.
[iii] In the House bill, the $410.3 million in Drinking Water SRF earmarks make up 89% of the overall allocation to the program. In FY23, earmarks made up 54.1% of the overall allocation to the Drinking Water SRF, and in FY22 they made up 35.3%.
[iv] In the Senate bill, the $243.64 million in Drinking Water SRF earmarks make up 21.5% of the overall allocation to the program.
