WV Rep. Evan Jenkins Praises Energy and Water Appropriations
Bill
23 April 2015
U.S. Rep. Evan Jenkins, R-W.Va., praised the House Appropriations
Committee's passage of the annual Energy and Water Appropriations
bill.
Jenkins said the bill means funding towards many of West
Virginia's priorities including allocating money for energy and
water protections throughout the state.
“I have the opportunity to fight for West Virginia's priorities
where it matters most – the power of the purse,” Jenkins said in a
news release. “We continue to invest in the Appalachian Regional
Commission, which continues to improve the quality of life for
thousands of West Virginia families. I also fought for the
inclusion of key provisions that will prohibit the administration
from writing and implementing new regulations in the war on coal.”
Highlights of the bill include:
- Full funding for all U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
projects in West Virginia, including $9.4 million for
Bluestone Lake construction; $8.3 million for Kanawha River
Locks and Dams operation and maintenance; $2.5 million for
East Lynn Lake operation and maintenance; $2.4 million for
Summersville Lake operation and maintenance; $2 million for
Bluestone Lake operation and maintenance; $1.3 million for
Beech Fork Lake operation and maintenance.
- $605 million for the U.S. Energy Department's Fossil
Energy Research and Development Program, $34 million more than
fiscal year 2015; $50 million for the National Energy
Technology Laboratory, which focuses on applied research on
clean fossil technology. The president's budget would have cut
this program by nearly $16 million
- $95 million for the Appalachian Regional Commission
- Prohibition of funding for administration to expand
federal jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act
- Bans changes to the definition of “fill material” and
“discharge of fill material” under the Clean Water Act