Hill Heat

Subcommittee hearing. The Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Budget provides $7.2 billion for the Civil Works program of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The fiscal year 2025 proposal for the Bureau of Reclamation is $1.6 billion.

Chair Patty Murray

Witnesses:

• Michael L. Connor, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works
• Lieutenant General Scott A. Spellmon, Chief Engineers for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• Camille Calimlim Touton, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation

Civil Works FY 2025 budget justification information

The President’s Budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 for the Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works program reflects the administration’s priorities to grow the nation’s economy, decrease climate risk for communities, increase ecosystem resilience to climate change, and promote environmental justice in disadvantaged communities in line with Justice40.

In developing the Budget, consideration was given to advancing three key objectives: 1) decreasing climate risk for communities and increasing ecosystem resilience to climate change based on the best available science; 2) promoting environmental justice in underserved and marginalized communities and Tribal nations in line with the Justice40 Initiative and creating good paying jobs that provide the free and fair chance to join a union and collectively bargain; and 3) strengthening the supply chain. The FY 2025 Budget investments will work to confront climate change by reducing flood risk, restoring ecosystems, and promoting community resilience across the nation. The Corps is working to integrate climate preparedness and climate resilience planning in all of its activities, such as by helping communities reduce their potential vulnerabilities to the effects of climate change and variability.

The climate crisis is challenging Reclamation’s ability to both produce energy and sustain reliable water delivery. The Nation faces undeniable realities that water supplies for agriculture, fisheries, ecosystems, industry, cities, and energy are confronting stability challenges due to climate change. Reclamation’s projects address the Administration’s conservation and climate resilience priorities through funding requests for the WaterSMART program, funding to secure water supply to wildlife refuges, and proactive efforts through providing sound climate science, research and development, and clean energy. To address these challenges, Reclamation has implemented its Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, which affirms Reclamation will use leading science and engineering to adapt climate-based situations across the West.

Reclamation’s FY 2025 budget for Research and Development (R&D) programs includes $22.6 million for the Science and Technology Program, and $7.0 million for Desalination and Water Purification Research—both of which focus on Reclamation’s mission of water and power deliveries. Climate change adaptation is a focus of Reclamation’s R&D programs, which invests in the production of climate change science, information and tools that benefit adaptation, and by yielding climate-resilient solutions to benefit management of water infrastructure, hydropower, environmental compliance, and water management.

Reclamation owns 77 hydroelectric power plants. Reclamation operates 53 of those plants to generate approximately 14 percent of the hydroelectric power produced in the United States. Each year on average, Reclamation generates approximately 40 million megawatt hours of electricity and collects over $1.0 billion in gross power revenues for the Federal Government. Reclamation’s FY 2025 budget request includes $4.5 million to increase Reclamation hydropower capabilities and value, contributing to Administration clean energy and climate change initiatives and enhancing water conservation and climate resilience within the power program. Reclamation’s Power Resources Office oversees power operations and maintenance, electric reliability compliance, and strategic energy initiatives.