Energy and Water Development:
October 24, 2022
FY2023 Appropriations
Mark Holt
The Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies appropriations bill funds civil works
Specialist in Energy Policy
projects of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE); the Department of the Interior’s Bureau

of Reclamation (Reclamation) and Central Utah Project (CUP); the Department of Energy
Anna E. Normand
(DOE); the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC); the Appalachian Regional Commission
Analyst in Natural
(ARC); and several other independent agencies. DOE typically accounts for about 80% of the
Resources Policy
bill’s funding.

Overall Funding Totals

President Biden submitted his FY2023 budget request on March 28, 2022. The President’s
request includes $57.548 billion for energy and water development agencies, an increase of $1.972 billion (4%) above the
FY2022 enacted amount, excluding emergency appropriations and adjustments. DOE funding would rise by $4.149 billion
(9%) and independent agencies by $55 million (12%), while USACE would be reduced by $1.742 million (-21%), and
Reclamation and CUP by $490 million (-25%).
The House passed the FY2023 Energy and Water Development appropriations bill as part of the six-bill Consolidated
Appropriations Act (H.R. 8294) on July 20, 2022, following House Appropriations Committee approval of a stand-alone
measure on June 28, 2022 (H.R. 8255, H.Rept. 117-394). The House-passed bill totaled $59.664 billion, excluding
rescissions and adjustments, an increase of $4.088 billion (7%) over the enacted FY2022 amount and 4% above the
President’s request. Senator Dianne Feinstein, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Energy and
Water Development, introduced an FY2023 Energy and Water Development appropriations bill July 28, 2022 (S. 4660), and
posted a draft explanatory statement on the Appropriations Committee website. The bill’s total of $60.685 billion, excluding
rescissions and adjustments, is 9% above the FY2022 enacted amount and 5% above the President’s request.
Energy and Water Development Appropriations, FY2022 and FY2023
Dol ars in mil ions (and % change)
Agency
FY2022 Enacted
FY2023 Request
FY2023 House
FY2023 S. 4660
(% Change from
(% Change from
(% Change from
(% Change from
FY2021 Enacted)
FY2022 Enacted)
FY2022 Enacted) FY2022 Enacted)
Corps of Engineers
8,343 (+7%)
6,601 (-21%)
8,889 (+7%)
8,758 (+5%)
Bureau of
1,924 (+14%)
1,434 (-25%)
1,914 (-1%)
1,950 (+1%)
Reclamation/CUP
Department of Energy
44,856 (+13%)
49,004 (+9%)
48,340 (+8%)
49,495 (+10%)
Independent Agencies
454 (+10%)
508 (+12%)
521 (+15%)
482 (+6%)
Total
55,576 (+12%)
57,548 (+4%)
59,664 (+7%)
60,685 (+9%)
Sources: S. 4660 and draft explanatory statement; H.Rept. 117-394; explanatory statement for H.R. 2371; CBO Estimate for H.R.
8294; FY2023 agency budget requests, S.Rept. 117-36, H.Rept. 117-98, H.R. 4502, explanatory statement of the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2022.
Notes: Totals exclude rescissions and budget scorekeeping adjustments. CUP=Central Utah Project Completion Account. Enacted
amounts do not include emergency supplemental appropriations.
Major Issues
Congressional debate on Energy and Water Development appropriations for FY2023 includes several major initiatives and
issues. Some examples:
 Western Drought. As of early October 2022, 73% of the western United States was experiencing some
level of drought. The Administration proposed funding for several Reclamation drought response-related
activities. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA, P.L. 117-169) provided Reclamation with $4.588 billion to
address drought mitigation and related issues.
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 Increased Funding for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). The Administration is requesting
an EERE increase of $819 million (26%) over the FY2022 enacted amount, to $4.019 billion, excluding
several large EERE programs that are proposed to become separate offices. The House-passed bill would
provide $4.016 billion, and S. 4660 $3.799 billion, for EERE. These amounts would be in addition to
$2.222 billion appropriated by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA, P.L. 117-58) for EERE for
FY2023 and $10.000 billion by IRA for energy efficiency through FY2031.
 Establishment of Office of Clean Energy Demonstration. The Administration is requesting $214 million in
FY2023 to continue the startup of the DOE Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED). The House-
passed bill included $189 million for OCED while S. 4660 would provide $150 million. These amounts
would be in addition to $4.426 billion appropriated by IIJA for the new office for FY2023 and $5.812
billion by IRA through FY2026.

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Energy and Water Development: FY2023 Appropriations

Introduction and Overview
The Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies appropriations bil includes funding
for civil works projects of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), in Title I; the Department
of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and Central Utah Project (CUP), in Title
II; the Department of Energy (DOE), in Title III; and a number of independent agencies,
including the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the Appalachian Regional Commission
(ARC), in Title IV. Figure 1 compares the major components of the Energy and Water
Development appropriations bil from FY2021 through FY2023.
Figure 1. Funding for Major Components of Energy and Water Development
Appropriations Bill, FY2021 Through FY2023
(excluding supplementals)

Sources: H.Rept. 117-394; S. 4660 and draft explanatory statement; explanatory statement for H.R. 2371; CBO
Estimate for H.R. 8294; S.Rept. 117-36; H.R. 4502; H.Rept. 117-98; Administration budget request for FY2022.
Includes some adjustments; see tables 4-7 for details.
Notes: Enacted amounts do not include subsequent supplemental appropriations. CUP = Central Utah Project
Completion Account.
President Biden submitted his FY2023 budget request on March 28, 2022. The President’s
request includes $57.548 bil ion for energy and water development agencies, an increase of
$1.972 bil ion (4%) above the FY2022 enacted amount, excluding emergency appropriations and
adjustments. DOE funding would rise by $4.149 bil ion (9%) and independent agencies by $55
mil ion (12%), while USACE would be reduced by $1.742 mil ion (-21%), and Reclamation and
CUP by $490 mil ion (-25%).
The House passed the FY2023 Energy and Water Development appropriations bil on July 20,
2022, as part of a “minibus” package of six FY2023 appropriations bil s (H.R. 8294), by a 220-
207 vote. The House Appropriations Committee had approved the stand-alone Energy and Water
Development appropriations bil on June 28, 2022, by a vote of 32-26 (H.R. 8255, H.Rept. 117-
394). The House-passed bil totals $59.664 bil ion, excluding rescissions and scorekeeping
adjustments, an increase of $4.088 bil ion (7%) over the enacted FY2022 amount and 4% above
the President’s request. DOE funding in the bil totals $48.340 bil ion, an increase of $3.485
bil ion (8%) over the FY022 enacted level and a decrease of 1% from the request. The bil would
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Energy and Water Development: FY2023 Appropriations

provide $8.889 bil ion for USACE, $546 mil ion (7%) above FY2022 and 35% above the request.
Reclamation and CUP would receive $1.914 bil ion, $10 mil ion (-1%) below the FY2022
enacted amount but 33% above the request. The bil includes $521 mil ion for independent
agencies, $68 mil ion (15%) above the FY2022 enacted amount and 3% above the request.
Senator Dianne Feinstein, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on
Energy and Water Development, introduced an FY2023 Energy and Water Development
appropriations bil July 28, 2022 (S. 4660), and posted a draft explanatory statement on the
Appropriations Committee website.1 The bil ’s total of $60.685 bil ion, excluding rescissions and
adjustments, is 9% above the FY2022 enacted amount and 5% above the president’s request.
Senator Richard Shelby, the Appropriations Committee’s Republican Vice Chairman, referred to
S. 4660 and other FY2023 appropriations bil s introduced by Appropriations Committee
Democratic leaders as “partisan appropriations bil s that spend bil ions more than even the
Administration’s wasteful request.”2 Committee action on the FY2023 appropriations bil s has
not been scheduled.
Because the FY2023 regular appropriations bil s were not enacted before the start of the fiscal
year, the federal government currently is being funded primarily by a continuing resolution (P.L.
117-180) signed by the President on September 30, 2022. The continuing resolution general y
funds agencies at their rate of operations in FY2022 through December 16, 2022.3
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA, P.L. 117-58), the Disaster Relief Supplemental
Appropriations Act, 2022 (DRSAA, P.L. 117-43), and budget reconciliation measure commonly
referred to as the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA, P.L. 117-169) provided additional
appropriations for energy and water development agencies, above the enacted amounts in the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, and the FY2023 Administration budget request and
House and Senate bil s. For FY2022, IIJA and DRSAA appropriated an additional $41.923 bil ion
for energy and water agencies, with another $16.040 bil ion provided by IIJA for FY2023. IRA
appropriated $4.588 bil ion for Reclamation and $35.067 bil ion for DOE for FY2022, to remain
available for as long as through FY2031.
Administration Request
DOE’s major program areas include energy, science, defense, and environmental management.
The Administration’s largest proposed increase in the energy programs area is for Energy
Efficiency and Renewable Energy, which would rise by $819 mil ion (26%) over the FY2022
enacted amount, to $4.019 bil ion. This excludes several large Energy Efficiency and Renewable
Energy (EERE) programs, such as the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) and low -
income weatherization and state planning grants, which are proposed to become separate offices
in FY2023. The Advanced Research Projects Agency—Energy would be increased by $250
mil ion (56%), to $700 mil ion. Fossil Energy and Carbon Management would receive an
increase of $68 mil ion (8%), to $893 mil ion, including an increase of $110 mil ion (49%) for

1 Senate Appropriations Committee, “Explanatory Statement for the Energy and Water Development Appropriations
Bill, 2023,” https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/EWFY23RPT.PDF.
2 Senate Appropriations Committee, “Shelby: Democrats’ Partisan Bills T hreaten FY23 Appropriations Process,”
minority news release, July 28, 2022, https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/minority/shelby-democrats-partisan-
bills-threaten-fy23-appropriations-process.
3 T he continuing resolution includes an additional $20 million for USACE Section 219 assistance. For more
information, see CRS Report R47283, Overview of Continuing Appropriations for FY2023 (Division A of P.L. 117-
180), by Drew C. Aherne and Sarah B. Solomon .
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carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS). Funding for DOE’s Office of Science would be
increased by $324 mil ion (4%), to $7.799 bil ion, under the Administration budget request, with
Biological and Environmental Research rising by $89 mil ion (11%). Funding for the National
Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), which is responsible for nuclear warheads, nuclear
weapons nonproliferation, and naval reactor research and development (R&D), would increase by
$754 mil ion (4%), to $21.410 bil ion. Environmental Management (waste management and
cleanup) would increase by $348 mil ion (4%), to $8.252 bil ion.4
The water agencies in the Energy and Water Development appropriations bil would receive
funding reductions under the FY2023 budget request. Discretionary appropriations in the Energy
and Water bil for USACE would decline from their FY2022 enacted level by $1.742 bil ion (-
21%), to $6,601 bil ion. This Administration request includes no new construction starts and three
new project studies. Reclamation (separately from CUP) would be reduced by $487 mil ion (-
26%), to $1.414 bil ion.
Among the independent agencies funded by the bil , the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
would receive an increase in total appropriations from $888 mil ion in FY2022 to $929 mil ion in
FY2023 (up $42 mil ion, or 5%). NRC’s budget is mostly offset by nuclear industry fees, which
may vary from year to year; the Administration proposed an increase in the agency’s net
appropriation from $131 mil ion in FY2022 to $137 mil ion in FY2023 (up $6 mil ion, or 5%).
Funding for the Appalachian Regional Commission would increase from $195 mil ion in FY2022
to $235 mil ion in FY2023 (up $40 mil ion, or 21%). Requested funding for smal er regional
authorities in the bil varied widely: Denali Commission, Delta Regional Authority, and
Southwest Border Regional Commission would be unchanged from FY2022 enacted, while the
Northern Border Regional Commission would increase by 3% and the Southeast Crescent
Regional Commission would rise by 40%.
House-Passed Bill
DOE would receive $48.340 bil ion under the House-passed FY2023 Energy and Water
Development appropriations bil , excluding a rescission of $150 mil ion. The bil would provide
nearly the amount requested for the EERE account, but it includes funding for FEMP and low-
income weatherization and state planning grants that the Administration had proposed under
separate accounts. Science would be increased by $201 mil ion (3%) and Nuclear Energy by $105
mil ion (6%) above the Administration request, while NNSA would be reduced by $178 mil ion
(-1%) from the request.
The House bil would increase funding for water agencies from the Administration request:
USACE by $2.288 bil ion (35%) and Reclamation by $477 mil ion (34%). The USACE amount is
7% above the FY2022 enacted level, while Reclamation would be reduced by 1% from FY2022.
The Appropriations Committee report supports USACE new project study starts recommended by
the Administration and a limited number of additional new project studies. The bil ’s funding for
independent agencies is nearly the same as the Administration request except for a $26 mil ion
(371%) increase for the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission. The bil includes 145
community project funding (CPF) items (earmarks) for USACE, Reclamation, and DOE.5

4 Including a budget amendment that requested an additional $191 million for Defense Environmental Cleanup,
submitted to Congress on June 7, 2022, https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/
FY_2023_Budget_Amendments_Package_6 -7-22.pdf.
5 For general information about congressional earmarks, see CRS Report RS22866, Earmark Disclosure Rules in the
House: Mem ber and Com m ittee Requirem ents, by Megan S. Lynch.
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S. 4660 and Draft Explanatory Statement
For DOE, EERE funding would be reduced by $220 mil ion (-5%) from the Administration
request by S. 4660, which, as in the House-passed bil , would not provide separate accounts for
FEMP and low-income weatherization and state planning grants. Funding for the Office of Clean
Energy Demonstration would be $39 mil ion (-21%) lower than the House-passed amount, while
Science would be $100 mil ion (1%) and NNSA $870 mil ion (4%) higher than the House levels.
Funding in S. 4660 for USACE would be $131 mil ion (-1%) below the House-passed level,
while funding for Reclamation would be higher by $38 mil ion (2%). Funding for independent
agencies would be nearly the same as the House-passed amounts, except that the Appalachian
Regional Commission would be lower by $20 mil ion (-9%) and the House increase for the
Southeast Crescent Regional Commission is not included. The draft explanatory statement lists
232 congressional y directed spending (CDS) items for USACE, Reclamation, and DOE.
FY2022 Enacted Funding
Energy and Water Development appropriations for FY2022 were enacted as part of the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (P.L. 117-103, Division D), passed by the House on
March 9, 2022, and by the Senate March 10, 2022, and signed by President Biden March 15,
2022. The enacted energy and water development funding totaled $55.576 bil ion, excluding
adjustments.
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy was appropriated $3.200 bil ion, $1.532 bil ion below
the request (-32%) but $338 mil ion (12%) above the FY2021 enacted amount. The Advanced
Research Projects Agency—Energy (ARPA-E) received $450 mil ion, $50 mil ion below the
request (-10%), but $23 mil ion (5%) above the FY2021 level, and the proposed Advanced
Research Projects Agency—Climate (ARPA-C) was not funded. The new Office of Clean Energy
Demonstration was appropriated $20 mil ion, $380 mil ion below the request (-95%). However,
the office had already been appropriated $21.456 bil ion for FY2022-FY2026 by IIJA. NNSA
was appropriated a total of $20.656 bil ion, $913 mil ion (5%) above the request and about the
same increase from the FY2021 enacted level.
Water agencies received increases over the FY2022 request. USACE received $8.343 bil ion,
$1.551 bil ion (23%) above the request and $548 mil ion (7%) above the FY2021 enacted
amount. Reclamation was appropriated $1.901 bil ion, $368 mil ion (24%) above the request and
$231 mil ion (14%) above the enacted FY2021 level. In addition, USACE received FY2022
supplemental appropriations of $5.711 bil ion in P.L. 117-43 and FY2022 emergency
appropriations of $14.969 bil ion in P.L. 117-58. Reclamation received an additional $210 mil ion
in P.L. 117-43, $1.660 bil ion in P.L. 117-58, and $4.588 bil ion in P.L. 117-169. The explanatory
statement included 236 earmarks for Energy and Water Development agencies and programs: 156
for USACE, 15 for Reclamation, 2 for CESER, 54 for EERE, 3 for the Office of Electricity, and 6
for FECM.6

6 For more details about the FY2022 Energy and Water Development earmarks, see Government Accountability Office
(GAO), Tracking the Funds: Specific Fiscal Year 2022 Provisions for U.S. Arm y Corps of Engineers, GAO-22-105919,
September 29, 2022, https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-22-105919; GAO, Tracking the Funds: Specific Fiscal Year
2022 Provisions for Departm ent of the Interior, GAO-22-105904, September 12, 2022, https://www.gao.gov/products/
gao-22-105904; and GAO, Tracking the Funds: Specific Fiscal Year 2022 Provisions for Departm ent of Energy, GAO-
22-105918, September 12, 2022, https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-22-105918.

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For more details, see CRS In Focus IF11846, Army Corps of Engineers: FY2022 Appropriations,
by Anna E. Normand and Nicole T. Carter; CRS In Focus IF11855, Bureau of Reclamation:
FY2022 Appropriations, by Charles V. Stern; CRS Report R46857, Energy and Water
Development: FY2022 Appropriations, by Mark Holt, Corrie E. Clark, and Anna E. Normand;
CRS In Focus IF11945, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Supplemental Appropriations, by Nicole
T. Carter and Anna E. Normand; CRS Insight IN11723, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
(IIJA) Funding for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Civil Works: Policy Primer, by
Nicole T. Carter and Anna E. Normand; and CRS Report R47032, Bureau of Reclamation
Provisions in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58), by Charles V. Stern and
Anna E. Normand.
FY2023 Budgetary Limits
Congressional consideration of the annual Energy and Water Development appropriations bil is
affected by certain procedural and statutory budget enforcement requirements. These consist
primarily of procedural limits on discretionary spending (spending provided in annual
appropriations acts) established in a budget resolution or through some other means, and
al ocations of this amount that apply to spending under the jurisdiction of each appropriations
subcommittee.
The House passed a “deeming resolution” (H.Res. 1151) on June 8, 2022, to set an FY2023
discretionary appropriations total of $1,602.901 bil ion (approximately $1.6 tril ion), which
would accommodate the Administration’s FY2023 request. The House Appropriations Committee
issued a report on June 22, 2022, with subal ocations of the FY2023 discretionary total, pursuant
to section 302(b) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, al ocating $56.275 bil ion for the
Energy and Water Development bil .7 That is the amount included for Energy and Water
Development in H.R. 8294, after budget scorekeeping and other offsets, as passed by the House.
Funding Issues and Initiatives
Several issues have drawn particular attention during congressional consideration of Energy and
Water Development appropriations for FY2023. The issues described in this section—listed
approximately in the order the affected agencies appear in the Energy and Water Development
bil —were selected based on total funding involved, percentage of proposed increases or
decreases, amount of congressional debate engendered, and potential impact on broader public
policy considerations.
Congressionally Directed Funding
The 117th Congress included earmarks for site-specific projects and other activities in the FY2022
and FY2023 appropriations process. (These were referred to as “community project funding” in
the House and “congressional y directed spending” in the Senate). From the 112th through the
116th Congresses, moratorium policies largely prohibited earmarks for such projects. Funding for
specific water projects constitutes the majority of the annual budget request for USACE and
Reclamation; during the moratorium, Congress appropriated funding above the requested
amounts for categories of work without identifying specific projects.

7 House Appropriations Committee, Report on the Suballocation of Budget Allocations for Fiscal Year 2023,
https://docs.house.gov/meetings/AP/AP00/20220622/114945/HMKP-117-AP00-20220622-SD007.pdf.

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For FY2023, the House and Senate Appropriations committees invited Members of Congress to
request CPF/CDS items, respectively. Both the House-passed FY2023 bil and the draft
explanatory statement for S. 4660 would fund site-specific studies and projects based on the
President’s request and CPF/CDS requests, while providing additional water project funds for
agencies to al ocate. The House Appropriations Committee report includes 75 earmarks for
USACE, 6 for Reclamation, and 64 for DOE. The draft explanatory statement for S. 4660
includes 129 earmarks for USACE, 10 for Reclamation, and 93 for DOE. The Energy and Water
Development earmarks total approximately $785 mil ion in the House committee report and $810
mil ion in the Senate draft explanatory statement.
USACE Funding
The Administration’s FY2023 budget request is 21% lower for USACE than the enacted FY2022
regular appropriations. However, IIJA provided advance, additional appropriations for FY2023 of
$1.080 bil ion for USACE, on top of larger additional appropriations provided in FY2022.
As with previous budget requests, a majority of President Biden’s FY2023 USACE budget
request would fund maintenance of existing infrastructure, as reflected by the share of funds
requested for the Operation and Maintenance (O&M) account. The share of funding for
construction in the FY2023 budget request is 19%, which is less than the 30% for this account in
FY2022 annual appropriations.
The Administration is requesting funding for three new USACE studies and no new construction
starts for FY2023. The enacted FY2022 annual appropriations funded 18 new studies and 4
construction projects, including those requested by the Administration, but did not provide the
Administration with authority to initiate additional starts with FY2022 work plan appropriations
beyond those provided for in the explanatory statement. Supplemental appropriations for FY2022
also funded 13 new studies and 38 new construction projects.8
Both reports accompanying the House passed FY2023 bil and S. 4660 recommend funding for
the requested new study starts. While draft explanatory statement for S. 4660 states that it also
provides for additional new starts in the Investigations and Construction accounts, the report
accompanying the House-passed bil provides new starts only in the Investigations account. Both
reports would not al ow for further new starts using additional funding.
For more information, see CRS In Focus IF12090, Army Corps of Engineers: FY2023
Appropriations, by Anna E. Normand and Nicole T. Carter.
Western Drought
As of October 2022, approximately 73% of the western United States was experiencing some
level of drought.9 The FY2023 budget request includes funding for Reclamation programs
addressing drought in specific areas, such as funding for the Colorado River Drought
Contingency Plans ($18.7 mil ion in the Lower Colorado River Basin and $3.7 mil ion in the
Upper Colorado River Basin) and wildlife refuge water supply purchases in California’s Central
Val ey ($11.8 mil ion), as wel as general drought grant funding for the Drought Response
Program ($24.0 mil ion).

8 Information provided to CRS by USACE on July 12, 2022.
9 U.S. Drought Monitor, Western U.S. Percent Area in Drought as of October 11, 2022, https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/
DmData/DataGraphs.aspx.
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Demand for these programs, which have the potential to help conserve water and al eviate water
supply shortages, is likely to be pronounced as a result of drought conditions; thus some in
Congress support additional funding for them. In addition to regular appropriations, Congress has
recently provided Reclamation with supplemental appropriations to address drought. First, in
September 2021, Congress included $210 mil ion in supplemental funding for Reclamation in the
Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2022 (P.L. 117-43, Division B); these funds
were provided to combat western drought and wildfire. Then, in P.L. 117-169, enacted in August
2022, Congress approved an additional $4.588 bil ion for Reclamation for western drought
mitigation and related issues, with $4 bil ion of these funds prioritized for drought-related actions
in the Colorado River Basin.10
The drought has also led some Members to argue for more funding for the construction of new
water storage projects in the West pursuant to Reclamation’s authorities under Section 4007 of
the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act (WIIN Act, P.L. 114-322).11 The
executive branch typical y requests no such funding in the budget; Congress has added funding
for this authority in every year since FY2017. For FY2023 appropriations under H.R. 8294, the
House recommended $134 mil ion of additional funding amounts for these projects. The draft
Senate Appropriations Committee majority recommendation proposed the same amount.
For more information, see CRS In Focus IF12127, Bureau of Reclamation: FY2023 Budget and
Appropriations, by Charles V. Stern.
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Funding Increases and
Reorganization
The Biden Administration proposes a 26% increase in the EERE appropriations account—from
$3.200 bil ion in FY2022 to $4.019 bil ion in FY2023 (an increase of $819 mil ion). EERE
programs with the largest requested increases are Wind Energy Technologies (up $231 mil ion, or
203%), Geothermal Technologies (up $93 mil ion, or 84%), Solar Energy Technologies (up $245
mil ion, or 84%), Renewable Energy Grid Integration (up $18 mil ion, or 44%), and Vehicle
Technologies (up $183 mil ion, or 44%).
Those increases do not include several major EERE programs that the Administration is
proposing to move to separate DOE offices. The Federal Energy Management Program would
receive $170 mil ion in FY2023, and the Office of State and Community Programs, which would
handle state energy planning grants and low-income home weatherization assistance, would
receive $727 mil ion. The proposed new Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains
would receive $27 mil ion in FY2023. Including those proposed separate offices in the EERE
request brings the total request to $4.943 bil ion, 54% above the FY2022 EERE total.
The House-passed bil would provide nearly the amount requested for the EERE account ($4.016
bil ion), but it includes funding for FEMP and low-income weatherization and state planning
grants that the Administration had proposed under separate accounts. S. 4660 also includes al
those accounts under EERE, as in the past, with a total of $3.799 bil ion.
IIJA appropriated $16.264 bil ion in FY2022 through FY2026 in additional emergency spending
for EERE programs, of which $8.207 bil ion was for FY2022 and $2.222 bil ion was for FY2023.

10 §§50231-50233 and §80004 of P.L. 117-169.
11 For more information on these projects, see CRS In Focus IF10626, Reclamation Water Storage Projects: Section
4007 of the Water Infrastructure Im provem ents for the Nation Act, by Charles V. Stern.
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EERE received $17.962 bil ion in additional funding in IRA, available from FY2022 through
FY2026, FY2027, FY2029, or FY2031, depending upon the provision.
For more details, see CRS In Focus IF12236, DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable
Energy FY2023 Appropriations, by Corrie E. Clark and Melissa N. Diaz.
Focus on Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) and
Carbon Removal
The Administration is requesting $479 mil ion for Carbon Management Technologies for
FY2023, much of which is for CCUS and carbon removal R&D activities. The request includes
an increase of $110 mil ion (49%) for CCUS technologies in the Office of Fossil Energy and
Carbon Management (FECM) above FY2022 enacted. The $335 mil ion CCUS budget request
includes a 72% increase in the Carbon Utilization program and a boost of 65% for Carbon
Capture. Other FECM budget priorities include methane mitigation; carbon dioxide removal;
domestic critical minerals production; and hydrogen production coupled with CCUS (sometimes
cal ed blue hydrogen).12 The requested funds would be in addition to IIJA FY2023 appropriations
of $1.445 bil ion for FECM and $2.097 bil ion to capitalize the Carbon Dioxide Transportation
Infrastructure Finance and Innovation (CIFIA) program.
The FY2023 Administration request includes $3 mil ion to support the Interagency Working
Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization, which was
established pursuant to Executive Order 14008 “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and
Abroad.”13 The requested funds are to “support targeted investments across the Federal
government to help affected communities impacted by the climate crisis and shift to a clean
energy economy.”14
The House-passed bil includes $479 mil ion for Carbon Management Technologies, including
CCUS and carbon removal.15 For CCUS, the committee recommends particular focus on carbon
capture at natural gas power plants, including not less than $20 mil ion for research and
optimization of such technologies, and up to $60 mil ion “to support front-end engineering and
design studies, including for the development of a first-of-its-kind carbon capture project at an
existing natural gas combined cycle plant.” On September 23, 2022, DOE announced $2.54
bil ion in IIJA funding available for front-end engineering and design studies for carbon capture
facilities, including facilities designed to capture carbon dioxide from natural gas power plants. 16
For carbon removal, the House bil would provide not less than $175 mil ion overal —$65
mil ion from FECM, $26 mil ion from EERE, and $84 mil ion from Science.

12 DOE, FY 2023 Congressional Budget Request, vol. 4, https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2022-04/doe-
fy2023-budget-volume-4-fecm.pdf.
13 Executive Order 14008, “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad,” Section 218, January 27, 2021,
https://downloads.regulations.gov/EPA-HQ-OPPT-2021-0202-0012/content.pdf. Additional information about the
working group is available at https://energycommunities.gov/.
14 DOE, FY 2023 Congressional Budget Justification, vol. 4, https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2022-04/doe-
fy2023-budget-volume-4-fecm.pdf.
15 For background information on carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS), see CRS Report R44902, Carbon
Capture and Sequestration (CCS) in the United States, by Angela C. Jones and Ashley J. Lawson .
16 DOE, “Funding Notice: Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: Carbon Capture Demonstration Projects Program,”
https://www.energy.gov/fecm/funding-notice-bipartisan-infrastructure-law-carbon-capture-demonstration-projects-
program.
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The draft explanatory statement for S. 4660 includes $466 mil ion for Carbon Management
Technologies. Up to $90 mil ion would be provided “to support front-end engineering and design
studies, large pilot projects, and demonstration projects” for carbon capture and at least $40
mil ion for the CarbonSAFE transport and storage program. For carbon removal, S. 4660 would
provide not less than $180 mil ion overal —not less than $75 mil ion from FECM, $26 mil ion
from EERE, and $90 mil ion from Science.
Proposed Increases for DOE Loan Programs
The Administration’s FY2023 budget request includes $150 mil ion to pay for credit subsidy
costs for qualifying projects under DOE’s Title 17 Innovative Technology Loan Guarantee
Program. The same amount for subsidy costs was requested in FY2022 but not approved. The
FY2023 budget justification cal s for the annual appropriation for Title 17 subsidy costs to
continue and gradual y increase to $164 mil ion in FY2027.17
Subsidy cost payments, which reflect the budgetary effects of federal credit programs, are
required up-front by the Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990 (FCRA; Section 13201 of P.L. 101-
58). For Title 17 loan guarantees, subsidy costs can be paid through appropriations, by the
borrower, or a combination thereof. The Office of Management and Budget provides guidance for
calculating subsidy costs, which are unique to each qualifying project.18 From an overal project
portfolio perspective, Title 17 subsidy costs range from 10% to 15% of loan guarantee
commitments.
Title 17 (XVII) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT05, P.L. 109-58, as amended at 42
U.S.C. §16511 et seq.) authorizes DOE to guarantee loans for projects that meet the following
criteria:
(1) Avoid, reduce, utilize, or sequester air pollutants or greenhouse gas emissions, and
(2) Employ new or significantly improved technologies, including projects that employ elements
of commercial technologies in combination with new or significantly improved technologies.
To date, the original and ongoing Title 17 authority—referred to as Section 1703—has provided
financial support for two projects. The most recent Section 1703 loan guarantee, issued in June
2022, was for $504.4 mil ion to finance a hydrogen energy storage facility in Utah.19 Most Title
17 loan guarantee commitments were provided under a temporary authority—referred to as
Section 1705—that expired in September 2011.20
Approximately $61.9 bil ion of loan guarantee authority is currently available for Section 1703
projects, after a $40 bil ion increase by IRA. One factor that has resulted in low utilization of
Section 1703 authority is the requirement for most borrowers to pay for al or a portion of a
project’s credit subsidy cost. Congress appropriated $170 mil ion in 2011 for Section 1703
renewable energy and efficient energy projects, subsequently reduced to $161 mil ion after a
rescission and transfer. IRA appropriated an additional $3.6 bil ion for Section 1703 subsidy
costs. IRA also established a time-limited (available through FY2026), $250 bil ion Title 17 loan

17 DOE, FY 2023 Congressional Budget Justification, vol. 3, https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2022-04/doe-
fy2023-budget-volume-3-lpo-v3.pdf.
18 See OMB Circular A-11, Part 5, Section 185, “Federal Credit,” available at https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/
uploads/2018/06/s185.pdf.
19 DOE Loan Programs Office, “Advanced Clean Energy Storage,” https://www.energy.gov/lpo/advanced-clean-
energy-storage.
20 For additional information, see CRS Insight IN11432, Department of Energy Loan Programs: Title XVII Innovative
Technology Loan Guarantees, by Phillip Brown et al.
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guarantee commitment authority—Section 1706—for “Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment
Financing.” IRA appropriated $5 bil ion to carry out the Section 1706 program.
The additional $150 mil ion credit subsidy appropriation requested by the Administration for
FY2023 would be used to support up to $5 bil ion in loan guarantees. The Administration is
proposing provisions to al ow these loan guarantees to be used for projects authorized by IIJA but
currently prohibited from using existing Title 17 authority. These projects could have state
support and would not be required to employ significantly improved technology.
For DOE’s Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing (ATVM) loan program, the
Administration is proposing expanding eligible projects to additional types of vehicle technology,
including “advanced medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, locomotives, maritime vessels, aircraft,
and hyperloop technology.”21 The House-passed bil and S. 4660 included funding only for
administrative expenses for the Title 17 loan guarantee program and ATVM loan program,
excluding the proposed Administration initiatives.
For DOE’s Tribal Energy Loan Guarantee Program (TELGP), the Administration expressed
support for continuing authority provided in the FY2022 appropriations act that al ows applicants
to apply for direct loans. Both the House-passed bil and S. 4660 would increase appropriations
for this program from the Administration’s request of $1.9 mil ion to $10 mil ion. IRA increased
TELGP’s loan guarantee authority to $20 bil ion and appropriated $75 mil ion for the program.
For more information, see CRS Insight IN11984, Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA):
Department of Energy Loan Guarantee Programs, by Phil ip Brown.
Startup of the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations
The Administration is requesting $214 mil ion in FY2023 to continue the startup of the DOE
Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED), which was authorized and initial y funded by
IIJA (see Table 1). The House-passed bil included $189 mil ion for OCED while S. 4660 would
provide $150 mil ion.
OCED funds clean energy and industrial decarbonization demonstration projects for potential
commercialization. For FY2023, OCED is planning to solicit proposals to demonstrate
technologies “that integrate renewable and distributed energy systems with broader energy
networks” in addition to IIJA-funded programs.22 OCED is also taking over DOE support for two
advanced nuclear reactor demonstration projects previously overseen by the DOE Office of
Nuclear Energy.
DOE is requesting $25 mil ion in FY2023 for 90 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff for OCED
program direction. For FY2022, OCED received $20 mil ion, in addition to $21.456 bil ion
appropriated to OCED for FY2022-FY2026 by IIJA (see Table 1). IRA appropriated $5.812
bil ion for an OCED program on Advanced Industrial Facilities Deployment for FY2022-
FY2026.

21 DOE, FY 2023 Congressional Budget Justification, vol. 3, https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2022-04/doe-
fy2023-budget-volume-3-lpo-v3.pdf.
22 DOE, FY 2023 Congressional Budget Justification, vol. 4, https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2022-04/doe-
fy2023-budget-volume-3-oced-1.pdf.
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Table 1. Additional Appropriations for Clean Energy Demonstrations in
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58)
(budget authority in mil ions of current dol ars)

Program
FY2022
FY2023 FY2024 FY2025 FY2026
Total
Energy Storage Demonstration Pilot
88.8
88.8
88.8
88.8
—
355.0
Grants Program
Long-Duration Demonstration Initiative
37.5
37.5
37.5
37.5
—
150.0
and Joint Program
Advanced Reactor Demonstration
677.0
600.0
600.0
600.0
—
2,477.0
Program
Carbon Capture Large-scale Pilot
387.0
200.0
200.0
150.0
—
937.0
Projects
Carbon Capture Demonstration Projects
937.0
500.0
500.0
600.0
—
2,537.0
Industrial Emission Demonstration
100.0
100.0
150.0
150.0
—
500.0
Projects
Clean Energy Demonstration Program
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
500.0
on Current and Former Mine Land
Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs
1,600.0
1,600.0
1,600.0
1,600.0
1,600.0
8,000.0
Program Upgrading Our Electric Grid
1,000.0
1,000.0
1,000.0
1,000.0
1,000.0
5,000.0
and Ensuring Reliability and Resiliency
Energy improvement in rural and remote
200.0
200.0
200.0
200.0
200.0
1,000.0
areas
Total
5,127.3 4,426.3 4,476.3 4,526.3 2,900.0 21,456.0
3% set-aside for program administration
153.8
132.8
134.3
135.8
87.0
643.7
Source: P.L. 117-58, Division J.
Notes: Appropriations would be in addition to other amounts made available for these purposes.
Proposed Increases in Crosscutting Hydrogen Funding
The DOE hydrogen program includes several offices with responsibility for supporting hydrogen
work based on different primary sources of energy (e.g., renewable, fossil, nuclear) and types of
end-use (e.g., vehicles, portable power, thermal comfort). DOE’s FY2023 request for hydrogen
appropriations totals $406 mil ion, an increase of $76 mil ion (23%) over the FY2022 level. Most
of the hydrogen funding comes from EERE and FECM, with smal er amounts from Nuclear
Energy and Science. DOE launched a “Hydrogen Shot” initiative in June 2021—one of its
“Energy Earthshots” dedicated to the scale-up of emerging clean energy technologies—with a
goal of making hydrogen commercial y available at a cost of $1 for 1 kilogram in 1 decade.
The House-passed bil and S. 4660 draft explanatory statement do not provide totals for the
crosscutting hydrogen program. The House Appropriations Committee report directed DOE “to
continue to emphasize hydrogen production and the development of hydrogen refueling
infrastructure nationwide to accelerate the adoption of zero-emission fuel cel transportation.”
The Senate draft explanatory statement supported DOE’s “continued coordination on hydrogen
energy and fuel cel technologies in order to maximize the effectiveness of investments in
hydrogen-related activities.”
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In addition to funding in the Energy and Water Development appropriations bil , IIJA
appropriated $9.500 bil ion for three hydrogen- and fuel cel -related DOE programs. The largest
of these, the Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs in the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, was
appropriated $8.000 bil ion to support demonstration projects involving networks of clean
hydrogen producers and consumers and the connecting infrastructure. DOE plans to select 6 to 10
hubs with combined total funding of an estimated $6-$7 bil ion, with a “preferred maximum” of
$1.250 bil ion per hub. The balance of the $8 bil ion appropriated for the hubs in the IIJA may be
reserved for additional hubs or other supporting activities.
(For more information, see CRS In Focus IF12163, Department of Energy Funding for Hydrogen
and Fuel Cell Technology Programs, by Martin C. Offutt.)
Overall Level Funding for Weapons Activities
The FY2023 budget request for DOE Weapons Activities is 4% higher than the FY2022 enacted
level ($16.486 bil ion vs. $15.920 bil ion). Weapons Activities programs are carried out by the
National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a semiautonomous agency within DOE. The
House-passed bil included $16.333 bil ion for Weapons Activities (1% below the request), while
S. 4660 would provide $16.986 billion (3% above the request).
Under Weapons Activities, the FY2023 budget request included funding for several major nuclear
warhead life-extension programs (LEPs):
 NNSA is requesting $672 mil ion for the B61-12 LEP in FY2023, a decrease of
$100 mil ion from the FY2022 enacted amount. The B61-12 LEP is to combine
four existing variants of the B61 gravity bomb. Both the House-passed bil and S.
4660 would provide the requested amount.
 NNSA is seeking $162 mil ion for the W88 Alteration in FY2023, a reduction of
$45 mil ion from the FY2022 amount. The program is to upgrade the arming-
fuzing-firing system on the warhead and refresh the warhead’s conventional high
explosives. This warhead is carried on a portion of the D-5 (Trident) submarine-
launched bal istic missiles (SLBMs). Both the House-passed bil and S. 4660
would provide the requested amount.
 NNSA is requesting $1.122 bil ion for the W80-4 in FY2023, an increase of $42
mil ion over the FY2021 level. This is the warhead for a new long-range cruise
missile. The LEP would seek to use common components from other LEPs and to
improve warhead safety and security. Both the House-passed bil and S. 4660
would provide the requested amount.
 NNSA is requesting $680 mil ion for the W87-1 warhead modification program
for FY2023, a decrease of $11 mil ion from FY2021. The Air Force plans to
deploy the W87-1 on the new U.S. land-based intercontinental bal istic missile
(ICBM), the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD). This would provide the
Air Force with an alternative warhead if the W87-1 FPU is delayed. Both the
House-passed bil and S. 4660 would provide the requested amount.
Both the House Appropriations Committee report and the S. 4660 draft Explanatory Statement
expressed concerns about NNSA’s schedule for developing production capacity for plutonium
pits, a central component of nuclear warheads. The House Committee report said, “The slip in
schedule for achieving a production rate of 50 plutonium pits per year at the Savannah River Site
is symptomatic of the lack of a fully mature, risk-informed integrated master schedule (IMS).”
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The S. 4660 draft explanatory statement would require NNSA to issue a two-site plan “covering
the entirety of the work required to produce 80 pits per year.”
Appropriations for NNSA nuclear weapons activities and other defense programs typical y track
the levels authorized in annual National Defense Authorization Acts (NDAAs). The House passed
the NDAA for FY2023 on July 14, 2022 (H.R. 7900) and the Senate Armed Services Committee
reported its version on July 18, 2022 (S. 4543).
Cleanup of Former Nuclear Sites: Adequacy of Proposed Funding
DOE’s Office of Environmental Management (EM) is responsible for environmental cleanup and
waste management at the department’s nuclear facilities. The $8.252 bil ion request for EM
activities for FY2023 is $754 mil ion (4%) above the FY2022 enacted level of $7.904 bil ion. The
House-passed bil includes $7.880 bil ion for EM (nearly the same as FY2022), while S. 4660
would provide $8.307 bil ion (up 5% from FY2022).
The primary budgetary component of the EM program is the Defense Environmental Cleanup
account, which finances the cleanup of former nuclear weapons production sites. For FY2023, the
Administration is requesting $7.106 bil ion, 6% above the FY2022 enacted amount. The House-
passed bil would provide $6.723 bil ion and S. 4660 $7.064 bil ion for that account. For the Non-
Defense Environmental Cleanup account, which funds the cleanup of federal nuclear energy
research sites, the request is $323 mil ion, while the House-passed bil includes $334 mil ion and
S. 4660 $374 mil ion. The third component of the EM budget is Defense Uranium Enrichment
Decontamination and Decommissioning, for which the FY2023 request is $822 mil ion, while the
House-passed bil would provide $823 mil ion and S. 4660 $869 mil ion. The funding consists of
a transfer from the Uranium Enrichment Decontamination and Decommissioning Fund,
established by Title XI of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (P.L. 102-486) to pay for the cleanup of
three federal facilities that enriched uranium for national defense and civilian purposes. Those
facilities are located near Paducah, KY; Piketon, OH (Portsmouth plant); and Oak Ridge, TN.
The adequacy of funding for the Office of Environmental Management to attain cleanup
milestones across the entire site inventory has been a recurring issue. Cleanup milestones are
enforceable measures incorporated into compliance agreements negotiated among DOE, the
Environmental Protection Agency, and the states. These milestones establish time frames for the
completion of specific actions to satisfy applicable requirements at individual sites.
The House Appropriations Committee report criticized the Administration’s request for increasing
Defense Environmental Cleanup funding for some sites at the expense of others, such as Hanford
(WA) and Savannah River (SC). According to the committee report, “The recommendation
continues to fund a balanced approach that sustains the momentum of ongoing cleanup activities
more consistently across al Department cleanup sites.”
Bill Status and Recent Funding History
Table 2 indicates the steps taken during consideration of FY2023 Energy and Water Development
appropriations. (For more details, see the CRS Appropriations Status Table at http://www.crs.gov/
AppropriationsStatusTable/Index.)
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Table 2. Status of Energy and Water Development Appropriations, FY2023
Subcommittee
Markup

Final Approval

House
House
Senate
Senate
Conf.
Public
House
Senate
Comm.
Passed
Comm.
Passed
Report
House
Senate
Law
6/21/22

6/28/22
7/20/22

Source: CRS Appropriations Status Table.
Note: The House Energy and Water Development appropriations bil was combined with five others for initial
House passage (H.R. 8294).

Table 3 includes budget totals for energy and water development appropriations enacted for
FY2017 through FY2022 and major stages of consideration for FY2023.
Table 3. Energy and Water Development Appropriations, FY2017-FY2023
(budget authority in bil ions of current dol ars)
FY2017
FY2018 FY2019
FY2020
FY2021 FY2022 FY2023
FY2023 FY2023
Request
House
S. 4660
38.9a
43.3b
44.7c
48.4d
49.5
55.6e
57.5
59.7
60.7
Source: Compiled by CRS from totals provided by congressional budget documents.
Notes: Figures exclude permanent budget authorities, scorekeeping adjustments, or rescissions.
a. Amount does not include $1.0 bil ion in emergency funding for the USACE (P.L. 114-254).
b. Amount does not include $17.4 bil ion in emergency funding for USACE and DOE (P.L. 115-123).
c. Amount does not include supplemental funding provided by P.L. 116-20 ($3.3 bil ion for USACE and $16
mil ion for Reclamation).
d. Amount does not include supplemental funding provided by P.L. 116-136.
e. Does not include appropriations from P.L. 117-58, P.L. 117-43, P.L. 117-169. Does not include budget
scorekeeping adjustments.
Description of Major Energy and Water Programs
The annual Energy and Water Development appropriations bil includes four titles: Title I—Corps
of Engineers—Civil; Title II—Department of the Interior (Bureau of Reclamation and Central
Utah Project); Title III—Department of Energy; and Title IV—Independent Agencies, as shown
in Table 4. Major programs in the bil are described in this section in the approximate order they
appear in the bil . Previous appropriations and the amounts recommended and approved during
the major stages of the FY2023 appropriations process are shown in the accompanying tables,
and additional details about many of these programs are provided in separate CRS reports as
indicated. For a discussion of current funding issues related to these programs, see “Funding
Issues and Initiatives,” above. Congressional clients may obtain more detailed information by
contacting CRS analysts listed in CRS Report R42638, Appropriations: CRS Experts, by James
M. Specht and Justin Murray.
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Table 4. Energy and Water Development Appropriations Summary
(budget authority in mil ions of current dol ars)
FY2019
FY2020
FY2021
FY2022
FY2023
FY2023
FY2023
Title
Approp.
Approp.
Approp.
Approp.
Request
House
S. 4660
Title I: Corps of
6,999
7,650
7,795
8,343
6,601
8,889
8,758
Engineers
Title II: CUP and
1,565
1,680
1,691
1,924
1,434
1,914
1,950
Reclamation
Title III: Department
35,709
38,657
39,625
44,856
49,004
48,340
49,495
of Energy
Title IV: Independent
390
407
414
454
508
521
482
Agencies
General provisions
21
—
—
—
—
—
—
Subtotal
44,684
48,395
49,525
55,576
57,548
59,664
60,685
Rescissions and
-24
-71
-73
-2,704
-2,018
-3,389
-3,140
Scorekeeping
Adjustmentsa
E&W Total
44,660
48,324
49,452
52,872
55,530
56,275
57,540
Sources: S. 4660 and draft explanatory statement; H.Rept. 117-394; explanatory statement for H.R. 2371; CBO
Estimate for H.R. 8294; S.Rept. 117-36; H.Rept. 117-98; H.R. 4502; FY2022 agency budget justifications;
explanatory statement for H.R. 133, 116th Congress; FY2021 Senate Appropriations Committee majority draft;
H.R. 7617; H.Rept. 116-449; President’s Budget FY2021; explanatory statement for Division C of H.R. 1865,
116th Congress; S.Rept. 116-102; S. 2470; H.R. 2740; CBO Current Status Report; H.Rept. 116-83; H.Rept. 115-
929; and S.Rept. 115-258. Excludes emergency appropriations. Subtotals may include other adjustments.
Columns may not sum to totals because of rounding and adjustments.
a. Budget “scorekeeping” refers to official determinations of spending amounts for congressional budget
enforcement purposes. These scorekeeping adjustments may include rescissions and offsetting revenues
from various sources.
Agency Budget Justifications
FY2023 budget justifications for the largest agencies funded by the annual Energy and Water
Development appropriations bil can be found through the links below. The justifications provide
detailed descriptions and funding breakouts for programs, projects, and activities under the
agencies’ jurisdiction.
 Title I, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Civil Works, http://www.usace.army.mil/
Missions/CivilWorks/Budget (see Table 5)
 Title II (see Table 7)
 Bureau of Reclamation, https://www.usbr.gov/budget/
 Central Utah Project, https://www.doi.gov/sites/doi.gov/files/fy2022-cupca-
budget-justification.pdf
 Title III, Department of Energy, https://www.energy.gov/cfo/articles/fy-2023-
budget-justification (see Table 8)
 Title IV, Independent Agencies (see Table 11)
 Appalachian Regional Commission, https://www.arc.gov/budget-
performance-and-policy
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 Nuclear Regulatory Commission, https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-
collections/nuregs/staff/sr1100/
 Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, https://www.dnfsb.gov/about/
congressional-budget-requests
 Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board, http://www.nwtrb.gov/about-us/
plans
Army Corps of Engineers
USACE is an agency in the Department of Defense with both military and civilian
responsibilities. Under its civil works program, which is funded by the Energy and Water
Development appropriations bil , USACE plans, builds, operates, and in some cases maintains
water resource facilities for coastal and inland navigation, riverine and coastal flood risk
reduction, and aquatic ecosystem restoration.23
In recent decades, Congress has general y authorized USACE studies, construction projects, and
other activities in omnibus water authorization bil s, typical y titled as Water Resources
Development Acts (WRDA), prior to funding them through appropriations legislation. Recent
Congresses enacted the following omnibus water resources authorization acts: in June 2014, the
Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 (WRRDA, P.L. 113-121); in December
2016, the Water Resources Development Act of 2016 (Title I of P.L. 114-322, the Water
Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act); in October 2018, the Water Resources
Development Act of 2018 (Title I of P.L. 115-270, America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018
[AWIA 2018]); and in December 2020, the Water Resources Development Act of 2020 (Division
AA of P.L. 116-260, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021). These acts consisted largely of
authorizations for new USACE projects, and they altered numerous USACE policies and
procedures.24
Unlike for highways and in municipal water infrastructure programs, federal funds for USACE
are not distributed to states or projects based on formulas or delivered via competitive grants.
Instead, USACE general y is directly involved in planning, designing, and managing the
construction of projects that are cost-shared with nonfederal project sponsors.
Policies in the 112th through the 116th Congresses limited congressional y directed funding of site-
specific projects (i.e., earmarks). Prior to the 112th Congress, Congress would direct funds to
specific projects not in the budget request or increase funds for certain projects. For FY2011-
FY2021, Congress appropriated additional funding for categories of USACE work without
identifying specific projects. During that period, after congressional enactment of the
appropriations legislation and accompanying report language on priorities and other guidance for
use of the additional funding, the Administration developed a work plan that reported on (1) the
studies and construction projects selected to receive funding for the first time (new starts) and (2)
the specific studies and projects receiving additional funds. For FY2022, Congress approved
earmarks in specified categories and has continued accepting earmark requests for FY2023. For
more information, see CRS Report R46320, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Annual
Appropriations Process, by Anna E. Normand and Nicole T. Carter.

23 Military responsibilities are funded through the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
appropriations bill.
24 For more information on USACE authorization legislation, see CRS In Focus IF11322, Water Resources
Developm ent Acts: Prim er, by Nicole T . Carter and Anna E. Normand, and CRS Report R45185, Arm y Corps of
Engineers: Water Resource Authorization and Project Delivery Processes, by Nicole T . Carter and Anna E. Normand.
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Table 5 shows USACE appropriations accounts from FY2019 through the FY2023 action.
Table 5. Army Corps of Engineers
(budget authority in mil ions of current dol ars)
FY2019
FY2020
FY2021
FY2022
FY2023
FY2023 FY2023
Program
Approp. Approp.
Approp.
Approp
Request
House
S. 4660
Investigations
125.0
151.0
153.0
143.0
105.9
160.0
165.7
Construction
2,183.0
2,681.0
2,692.6
2,492.8
1,221.3
2,475.2
2,159.6
Mississippi
368.0
375.0
380.0
370.0
225.0
350.0
373.1
River and
Tributaries
(MR&T)
Operation and
3,739.5
3,790.0
3,849.7
4,570.0
2,599.1
5,153.0
5,131.6
Maintenance
(O&M)
Regulatory
200.0
210.0
210.0
212.0
210.0
213.0
213.0
General
193.0
203.0
206.0
208.0
200.0
212.0
215.0
Expenses
FUSRAP
150.0
200.0
250.0
300.0
250.0
278.3
450.0
Flood Control
35.0
35.0
35.0
35.0
35.0
35.0
35.0
and Coastal
Emergencies
(FCCE)
Office of the
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
Asst. Secretary
of the Army
WIFIA

14.2
7.2
10.0
7.2
10.0
Programb
Harbor

1,726.0a

Maintenance
Trust Fund
Inland

13.8a

Waterways
Trust Fund
Rescissions

-0.5

Total Title I
6,998.5
7,650.0
7,795.0
8,343.0
6,601.0
8,888.7
8,758.0
Sources: S. 4660 and draft explanatory statement; explanatory statement for H.R. 2371; CBO Estimate for H.R.
8294; S.Rept. 117-36; H.Rept. 117-98; H.R. 4502; USACE Civil Works FY2022 Budget; explanatory statement for
H.R. 133, 116th Congress; FY2021 Senate Appropriations Committee majority draft; H.R. 7617, H.Rept. 116-449;
President’s Budget, FY2021; explanatory statement for Division C of H.R. 1865, 116th Congress; S.Rept. 116-102;
S. 2470; H.R. 2740; CBO Current Status Report; H.Rept. 116-83; FY2020 Budget Justification; H.Rept. 115-929;
S.Rept. 115-258; S.Rept. 115-132; H.Rept. 115-230; and P.L. 115-31 and explanatory statement. FY2020 and
FY2021 request numbers can be found at https://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Budget/.
Notes: Columns may not sum to totals because of rounding.
a. In the Administration’s request, some activities that would have previously been funded in these accounts
were proposed to be funded directly from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) and Inland
Waterway Trust Fund (IWTF) accounts. That is, the Administration proposed funding eligible USACE
activities directly from the trust funds. This would have replaced the current practice of having USACE’s
O&M, Construction, and MR&T accounts incur expenses for HMTF-eligible and IWTF-eligible activities, and
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for these expenses to be reimbursed from the HMTF and IWTF accounts. For example, HMTF-eligible
maintenance dredging would no longer have been funded by the O&M account and reimbursed by the
HMTF; instead the dredging would have been funded directly from the HMTF account. The proposal was
not included in the enacted measure, and similar proposals also were not enacted in FY2019, FY2020, and
FY2021.
b. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, created a new USACE account to support direct loans and for
the cost of guaranteed loans, as authorized by the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014
(WIFIA, Title V, Subtitle C of P.L. 113-121).
In addition to the regular appropriations that would be provided by the Administration’s FY2023
budget request, USACE received $1.080 bil ion in appropriations for FY2023 in the IIJA (P.L.
117-58), as shown in Table 6. The FY2023 CR also includes $20 mil ion for FY2023.
Table 6. Additional FY2023 Appropriations for USACE
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58), budget authority in mil ions of current dol ars
Program
IIJA FY2023
Approp.
Investigations
30.0
Construction
50.0
Operation and Maintenance
1,000.0
Totals
1,080.0
Source: Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58).
Bureau of Reclamation and Central Utah Project
Most of the large dams and water diversion structures in the West were built by, or with the
assistance of, the Bureau of Reclamation. While USACE built hundreds of flood control and
navigation projects, Reclamation’s original mission was to develop water supplies, primarily for
irrigation to reclaim arid lands in the West for farming and ranching. Reclamation has evolved
into an agency that assists in meeting the water demands in the West while working to protect the
environment and the public’s investment in Reclamation infrastructure. The agency’s municipal
and industrial water deliveries have more than doubled since 1970.
Today, Reclamation manages hundreds of dams and diversion projects, including more than 300
storage reservoirs, in 17 western states. These projects provide water to approximately 10 mil ion
acres of farmland and 31 mil ion people. Reclamation is the largest wholesale supplier of water in
the 17 western states and the second-largest hydroelectric power producer in the nation.
Reclamation facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation, and other benefits.
Reclamation facility operations are often controversial, particularly for their effect on fish and
wildlife species and because of conflicts among competing water users during drought conditions.
As with USACE, the Reclamation budget is made up largely of individual project funding lines,
rather than general programs that would not be covered by congressional earmark requirements.
Therefore, as with USACE, these Reclamation projects have often been subject to earmark
disclosure rules. The moratorium on earmarks through FY2021 restricted congressional steering
of money directly toward specific Reclamation projects. For FY2022 and FY2023, the rules again
al owed congressional y directed funding for specific Reclamation projects.
Reclamation’s single largest account, Water and Related Resources, encompasses the agency’s
traditional programs and projects, including construction, operations and maintenance, dam
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safety, and ecosystem restoration, among others.25 Reclamation also typical y requests funds in a
number of smal er accounts, and has proposed additional accounts in recent years.
Implementation and oversight of the Central Utah Project, also funded by Title II, is conducted by
a separate office within the Department of the Interior.26
For more information, see CRS In Focus IF12127, Bureau of Reclamation: FY2023 Budget and
Appropriations, by Charles V. Stern. Previous appropriations and the amounts recommended and
approved during the major stages of the FY2023 appropriations process are shown in Table 7.
Table 7. Bureau of Reclamation and CUP
(budget authority in mil ions of current dol ars)
FY2019
FY2020
FY2021
FY2022
FY2023
FY2023
FY2023
Program
Approp
Approp
Approp
Approp
Request
House
S. 4660
Water and Related
1,392.0
1,512.2
1,521.1
1,747.1
1,270.4
1,749.1
1,784.9
Resources
Policy and Administration
61.0
60.0
60.0
64.4
65.1
63.1
65.1
CVP Restoration Fund
62.0
54.8
55.9
56.5
45.8
45.8
45.8
(CVPRF)
Calif. Bay-Delta (CALFED)
35.0
33.0
33.0
33.0
33.0
33.0
33.0
Gross Current
1,550.0
1,660.0
1,670.0
1,901.0
1,414.2
1,891.0
1,928.8
Reclamation Authority
Central Utah Project
15.0
20.0
21.0
23.0
20.0
23.0
21.0
(CUP) Completion
Total, Reclamation
1,565.0
1,680.0
1,691.0
1,924.0
1,434.2
1,914.0
1,949.8
and CUP
Sources: S. 4660 and draft explanatory statement; explanatory statement for H.R. 2371; CBO Estimate for H.R.
8294; S.Rept. 117-36; H.Rept. 117-98; H.R. 4502; Reclamation and CUP FY2022 congressional budget
justifications, explanatory statement for H.R. 133, 116th Congress; FY2021 Senate Appropriations Committee
majority draft; H.R. 7617, H.Rept. 116-449; President’s Budget, FY2021; explanatory statement for Division C of
H.R. 1865, 116th Congress; S.Rept. 116-102; H.R. 2740; CBO Current Status Report; H.Rept. 116-83; FY2020
Budget Justifications; H.Rept. 115-929; S.Rept. 115-258; S.Rept. 115-132; H.Rept. 115-230; and P.L. 115-31 and
explanatory statement. Excludes offsets and permanent appropriations.
Notes: Columns may not sum to totals because of rounding. CVP = Central Val ey Project.
Additional Funding
For FY2023, the IIJA provides $1.660 bil ion for Reclamation’s Water and Related Resources
account. IRA also appropriated additional funds for Reclamation: $4.000 bil ion for drought
mitigation, available through FY2026; $550 mil ion for disadvantaged communities, available
through FY2031; $25 mil ion for projects to cover water conveyance facilities with solar panels,
available through FY2031; and $13 mil ion for drought relief actions to mitigate drought impacts
for tribes affected by the operation of a Reclamation water project, available through FY2031.

25 T he Water and Related Resources Account is largely funded by the Reclamation Fund, which receives and
distributes receipts related to a number of federal activities (including royalties received from oil and gas leasing on
federal lands). For more on this fund and financing of selected Reclamation Projects, see CRS Report R41844, The
Reclam ation Fund: A Prim er, by Charles V. Stern.
26 T he Central Utah Project moves water from the Colorado River basin in eastern Utah to the western slopes of the
Wasatch Mountain range. It was authorized in 1956 under the Colorado River Storage Project Act (P.L. 84-485). For
more information, see the CUP website at https://www.cupcao.gov/.
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For more information, see CRS Report R47032, Bureau of Reclamation Provisions in the
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58), by Charles V. Stern and Anna E. Normand.
Department of Energy
The Energy and Water Development appropriations bil has funded al DOE programs since
FY2005. Major DOE activities are authorized under multiple energy statutes and include (1)
R&D on renewable energy, energy efficiency, nuclear power, fossil energy, and electricity; (2) the
Strategic Petroleum Reserve; (3) energy statistics, projections, and analysis; (4) general science;
(5) loan programs; (6) environmental cleanup; and (7) nuclear weapons and nonproliferation
programs. Table 8 provides the recent funding history for DOE programs, which are briefly
described further below.
Table 8. Department of Energy
(budget authority in mil ions of current dol ars)
FY2019
FY2020
FY2021
FY2022
FY2023
FY2023 FY2023

Approp.
Approp.
Approp.
Approp.
Request
House
S. 4660
ENERGY

PROGRAMS
Energy Efficiency and
2,379.0
2,790.0
2,861.8
3,200.0
4,018.9
4,016.0
3,799.0
Renewable Energy
Electricity Deliverya
156.0
190.0
211.7
277.0
297.4
350.0
362.0
Cybersecurity, Energy
120.0
156.0
156.0
185.8
202.1
205.0
202.1
Security, and
Emergency Responsea
Nuclear Energyb
1,326.1
1,493.4
1,507.6
1,654.8
1,675.1
1,779.8
1,765.6
Fossil Energy and
740.0
750.0
750.0
825.0
893.2
875.0
880.0
Carbon Management
Energy Projects

117.3
109.8
Naval Petroleum and
10.0
14.0
13.0
13.7
13.0
13.0
13.0
Oil Shale Reserves
Strategic Petroleum
245.0
205.0
189.0
226.4
222.2
222.2
60.5
Reservec
Northeast Home
10.0
10.0
6.5
6.5
7.0
7.0
7.0
Heating Oil Reserve
Energy Information
125.0
126.8
126.8
129.1
144.5
144.5
144.0
Administration
Non-Defense
310.0
319.2
319.2
333.9
323.3
333.9
373.6
Environmental Cleanup
Uranium Enrichment
841.1
881.0
841.0
860.0
822.4
823.3
869.0
Decontamination and
Decommissioning Fund
Science
6,585.0
7,000.0
7,026.0
7,475.0
7,799.2
8,000.5
8,100.0
Office of Technology

19.5
21.6
23.1
21.6
Transitions
Office of Clean Energy

20.0
214.1
189.0
150.0
Demonstration
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FY2019
FY2020
FY2021
FY2022
FY2023
FY2023 FY2023

Approp.
Approp.
Approp.
Approp.
Request
House
S. 4660
Defense Production

105.0
500.0
Act Domestic Clean
Energy Accelerator
Federal Energy

169.7

Management Program
Grid Deployment

240.2

Office
Office of Manufacturing

27.4

and Energy Supply
Chains
Office of State and

726.9

Community Programs
Advanced Research
366.0
425.0
427.0
450.0
700.2
550.0
570.4
Projects Agency—
Energy (ARPA-E)
Nuclear Waste

27.5
27.5
10.2
10.2
10.2
Disposal
Departmental Admin.
165.9
161.0
166.0
240.0
397.2
290.6
257.3
(net)
Office of Inspector
51.3
54.2
57.7
78.0
106.8
92.0
92.0
General
Office of Indian Energy
18.0
22.0
22.0
58.0
150.0
75.0
110.0
Advanced Technology
5.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
9.8
9.8
9.8
Vehicles Manufacturing
(ATVM) Loans
ATVM Rescission of

-1,903.0

Emergency Funding
Title 17 Loan
18.0
29.0
29.0
29.0
206.2
31.2
31.2
Guarantee
Title 17 Rescission of

-363.0

Emergency Funding
Tribal Energy Loan
1.0
2.0
2.0
2.0
1.9
10.0
10.0
Guarantee
TOTAL, ENERGY
13,472.4
14,633.6
12,444.8
16,116.0 19,400.3 18,273.4
18,448.0
PROGRAMS
Weapons Activities
11,100.0
12,457.1
15,345.0
15,920.0
16,486.3
16,333.1
16,986.3
Nuclear
1,930.0
2,164.4
2,260.0
2,354.0
2,346.3
2,424.0
2,538.0
Nonproliferation
Naval Reactors
1,788.6
1,648.4
1,684.0
1,918.0
2,081.5
2,000.0
2,081.5
Office of Admin./
410.0
434.7
443.2
464.0
496.4
475.0
496.4
Salaries and Expenses
Total, NNSA
15,228.6
16,704.6 19,732.2
20,656.0 21,410.4 21,232.1
22,102.1
Defense Environmental
6,024.0
6,255.0
6,426.0
6,710.0
7,105.9
6,722.5
7,064.1
Cleanup
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Energy and Water Development: FY2023 Appropriations

FY2019
FY2020
FY2021
FY2022
FY2023
FY2023 FY2023

Approp.
Approp.
Approp.
Approp.
Request
House
S. 4660
Defense Uranium

573.3

823.3
579.0
Enrichment D&D
Other Defense
860.3
906.0
920.0
985.0
978.4
1,027.6
1,040.2
Activities
TOTAL, DEFENSE
22,112.9
23,865.6
27,078.2
28,924.3 29,494.6 29,805.5
30,785.5
ACTIVITIES
Southwestern
10.4
10.4
10.4
10.4
10.6
10.6
10.6
Western
89.4
89.2
89.4
90.8
98.7
98.7
98.7
Falcon and Amistad
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
O&M
TOTAL, PMAs
100.0
99.8
100.0
101.4
109.6
109.6
109.6
General provisions

-12.7
-2.0
-286.1

2.0
2.0
DOE total
35,708.9
38,657.2
39,625.0
44,855.6 49,004.4 48,340.4
49,495.1
appropriations
Offsets and adjustments
-23.6
-70.9

-150.0
-150.0
Total, DOE
35,685.3
38,586.3
39,625.0
44,855.6 49,004.4 48,190.4
49,345.0
Sources: S. 4660 and draft explanatory statement; explanatory statement for H.R. 2371; CBO Estimate for H.R.
8294; S.Rept. 117-36; H.Rept. 117-98; H.R. 4502; DOE FY2022 congressional budget justification, explanatory
statement for H.R. 133, 116th Congress; FY2021 Senate Appropriations Committee majority draft; H.R. 7617;
H.Rept. 116-449; President’s Budget, FY2021; explanatory statement for Division C of H.R. 1865, 116th
Congress; S.Rept. 116-102; H.R. 2740; CBO Current Status Report; H.Rept. 116-83; H.Rept. 115-929; S.Rept.
115-258; S.Rept. 115-132; H.Rept. 115-230; and P.L. 115-31 and explanatory statement.
Notes: Columns may not sum to totals because of rounding. AI = Artificial Intel igence.
a. The Office of Electricity Delivery and the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency
Response were created from the former Office of Electric Delivery and Energy Reliability in FY2019.
b. Includes appropriations under defense budget function.
c. Includes Strategic Petroleum Reserve Petroleum Account.
In addition to the regular appropriations currently under congressional consideration, DOE
received additional FY2023 appropriations from IIJA as shown in Table 9.
Table 9. Additional FY2023 DOE Funding Under IIJA
(budget authority in mil ions of current dol ars)
Program
IIJA FY2023
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
2,221.8
Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response
100.0
Electricity
1,610.0
Nuclear Energy
1,200.0
Fossil Energy and Carbon Management
1,444.5
Carbon Dioxide Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Program
2,097.0
Account
Office of Clean Energy Demonstration
4,426.3
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Program
IIJA FY2023
Total
13,099.6
Source: H.Rept. 117-394.
Table 10. Additional FY2023 DOE Funding Under IRA
(budget authority in mil ions of current dol ars)
Program
IRA section
Approp.
Fiscal years
Home Energy Efficiency Rebates
50121
4,300 FY2022-FY2031
Home Electric Efficiency Rebates, States
50122
4,275 FY2022-FY2031
Home Electric Efficiency Rebates, Tribes
50122
225 FY2022-FY2031
Home Efficiency Contractor Training Grants
50123
200 FY2022-FY2031
Building Energy Code Adoption
50131(b)
330 FY2022-FY2029
Building Energy Code Adoption
50131(c)
670 FY2022-FY2029
Title 17 Loan Guarantees
50141
3,600 FY2022-FY2026
ATVM Loans
50142
3,000 FY2022-FY2028
Domestic Manufacturing Conversion Grants
50143
2,000 FY2022-FY2031
Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment
50144
5,000 FY2022-FY2026
Tribal Energy Loan Guarantees
50145
75 FY2022-FY2028
Electric Transmission Facility Financing
50151
2,000 FY2022-FY2030
Transmission Line Siting Grants
50152
760 FY2022-FY2029
Offshore Wind Planning
50153
100 FY2022-FY2031
Advanced Industrial Facilities Deployment
50161
5,812 FY2022-FY2026
Inspector General
50171
20 FY2022-FY2031
National Laboratory Infrastructure
50172
FY2022-FY2027
Office of Science
50172(a)

Science Laboratory Infrastructure Projects

133.2
High Energy Physics Construction and Equipment

303.7
Fusion Energy Construction and Equipment

280.0
Nuclear Physics Construction and Equipment

217.0
Advanced Scientific Computing Facilities

163.8
Basic Energy Sciences Projects

294.5
Isotope Research and Development Facilities

157.8
Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management
50172(b)
150
Office of Nuclear Energy
50172(c)
150
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
50172(d)
150
Availability of High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium
50173
700 FY2022-FY2026
DOE Total

35,067
Source: P.L. 117-169.
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Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) conducts research and
development on transportation energy technology, energy efficiency in buildings and
manufacturing processes, and the production of solar, wind, geothermal, and other renewable
energy. EERE also administers formula grants to states.
The Sustainable Transportation program area includes electric vehicles, vehicle efficiency,
hydrogen and fuel cel s, and alternative fuels. DOE’s electric vehicle program includes several
goals for 2030, including “decreasing vehicle battery cel cost to achieve cost parity with internal
combustion engines” and “eliminating dependence on critical materials such as cobalt, nickel, and
graphite.” The program also supports demonstrations of electrified medium and heavy trucks,
according to the FY2023 DOE budget justification.27
Renewable power programs focus on electricity generation from solar, wind, water, and
geothermal sources. They are also developing concentrated solar technologies to produce high-
temperature heat that could replace fossil fuels in steel manufacturing and other industrial
processes. In the energy efficiency program area, the advanced manufacturing program focuses
on improving the energy efficiency of manufacturing processes and on the manufacturing of
energy-related products. The building technologies program includes R&D on lighting, space
conditioning, windows, and control technologies to reduce building energy-use intensity. The
energy efficiency program provides two types of formula grants to states: weatherization grants
for improving the energy efficiency of low-income housing units and state energy planning
grants.
For more details on energy efficiency grants, see CRS Report R46418, The Weatherization
Assistance Program Formula, by Corrie E. Clark and Lynn J. Cunningham.
Electricity Delivery, Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Energy Reliability
The Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) is the federal
government’s lead entity for energy sector-specific responses to energy security emergencies—
whether caused by physical infrastructure problems or by cybersecurity issues. The office
conducts R&D on energy infrastructure security technology; provides energy sector security
guidelines, training, and technical assistance; and enhances energy sector emergency
preparedness and response.
The Office of Electricity (OE) “leads the Department’s efforts in developing new technologies to
strengthen, transform, and improve electricity delivery infrastructure so consumers have access to
resilient, secure, and clean sources of electricity.”28 OE uses a model of North American energy
vulnerabilities for analyzing transmission and other energy infrastructure needs. Other activities
include pursuing megawatt-scale electricity storage, integrating electric power system sensing
technology, and analyzing electricity-related policy issues.

27 DOE, FY2023 Congressional Budget Justification, March 2022, vol. 4 EERE, p. 5, https://www.energy.gov/sites/
default/files/2022-04/doe-fy2023-budget-volume-4-eere-v2.pdf.
28 DOE, FY2023 Congressional Budget Justification, March 2022, vol. 4 OE, p. 2, https://www.energy.gov/sites/
default/files/2022-04/doe-fy2023-budget-volume-4-oe-v2.pdf.
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Nuclear Energy
DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) supports R&D on technologies to improve the efficiency
and economic viability of existing U.S. nuclear power plants, development and demonstration of
advanced reactor technologies, and R&D on nuclear fuel cycle technologies. The FY2023 DOE
budget justification cal s NE “a key element of the President’s plan to put the United States (U.S.)
on a path to net-zero emissions by 2050.”29
The Reactor Concepts program area comprises research on advanced reactors, including
advanced smal modular reactors, and research to enhance the “sustainability” of existing
commercial light water reactors. Advanced reactor research focuses on “Generation IV” reactors,
as opposed to the existing fleet of commercial light water reactors, which are general y classified
as generations II and III.
The Fuel Cycle Research and Development program includes generic research on nuclear waste
management and disposal. One of the program’s primary activities is the development of
technologies to separate the radioactive constituents of spent fuel for reuse or solidifying into
stable waste forms. Other major research areas in the Fuel Cycle R&D program include the
development of accident-tolerant fuels for existing commercial reactors, evaluation of fuel cycle
options, and development of improved technologies to prevent diversion of nuclear materials for
weapons. The program is also developing sources of high-assay low enriched uranium (HALEU),
in which uranium is enriched to between 5% and 20% in the fissile isotope U-235, for potential
use in advanced reactors. HALEU would be required for several designs currently receiving cost-
shared support by DOE’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program. For more information, see
CRS Report R45706, Advanced Nuclear Reactors: Technology Overview and Current Issues, by
Daniel e A. Arostegui and Mark Holt.
Fossil Energy and Carbon Management
The Fossil Energy and Carbon Management Research, Development, Demonstration, and
Deployment program (FECM) was formerly known as the Fossil Energy Research and
Development program. It has historical y supported research related to coal, natural gas, and
petroleum,30 including a major focus area on the development of carbon capture and storage
technologies for use on coal-fired power plants. The program also supports operations at the
National Energy Technology Laboratory.
Under the Biden Administration, FECM has shifted its focus to what it cal s carbon management
technologies: carbon capture, carbon utilization, geologic storage of carbon dioxide, and carbon
removal. FECM’s current carbon capture research focuses on natural gas-fired power plants and
applications outside the power sector, in line with congressional direction provided in the Energy
Act of 2020 (Division Z of P.L. 116-260) and other recent laws. FECM also focuses on research
into producing hydrogen from fossil fuels and using hydrogen in the power sector.
For more information, see CRS In Focus IF11861, DOE’s Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)
and Carbon Removal Programs, by Ashley J. Lawson, CRS In Focus IF12163, Department of
Energy Funding for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Programs, by Martin C. Offutt, and

29 DOE, FY2023 Congressional Budget Justification, March 2022, vol. 4 Nuclear Energy, p. 1,
https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2022-04/doe-fy2023-budget-volume-4-ne.pdf.
30 T he Biden Administration renamed the Office of Fossil Energy as the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon
Management in 2021. T his name change was also adopted by appropriators throughout the FY2022 appropriations
process. See DOE, “ Our New Name Is Also a New Vision,” July 8, 2021, https://www.energy.gov/fe/articles/our-new-
name-also-new-vision.
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CRS Report R44902, Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) in the United States, by Angela
C. Jones and Ashley J. Lawson.
Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR)
Authorized in 1975 by the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (P.L. 94-163, as amended; 42
U.S.C. §6201 et seq.), the SPR fulfil s two statutory policy objectives: (1) reduce the economic
impact of oil supply disruptions, and (2) carry out U.S. obligations under the Agreement on an
International Energy Program (IEP)—a multilateral, voluntary agreement subject to international
law. Currently, the SPR consists of a government-owned crude oil reserve in Texas and Louisiana
and a smal er gasoline reserve in several northeastern states that is leased from commercial
storage operators.
Since the SPR was established, its crude oil stocks have been used on four occasions in response
to emergency oil supply disruptions. During FY2022, emergency SPR authorities were activated
to address oil supply disruptions following Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine. The Biden
Administration announced plans to release up to 190 mil ion barrels, the largest emergency SPR
release.31 More frequently, SPR authorities have been used to exchange crude oil with refiners
following natural disasters (i.e., hurricanes) and other regional supply disruption events.32 The
Northeast Gasoline Supply Reserve—established in 2014—has never been utilized.
Because of limited utilization in response to emergency oil supply disruptions, growing U.S.
crude oil production, and rapidly declining net petroleum imports—one key metric used to
determine IEP emergency oil stock obligations—Congress began requiring DOE to draw down
and sel SPR crude oil to pay for other legislative priorities. Since 2015, Congress has enacted
eight laws mandating the sale of 358.6 mil ion barrels of crude oil. Additional y, Congress has
required DOE to sel approximately $1.5 bil ion of SPR crude oil to pay for an SPR
modernization program.33
Science
The DOE Office of Science conducts basic research in six program areas: advanced scientific
computing research, basic energy sciences, biological and environmental research, fusion energy
sciences, high-energy physics, and nuclear physics. According to DOE’s FY2023 budget
justification, the Office of Science “is the Nation’s largest Federal sponsor of basic research in the
physical sciences and the lead Federal agency supporting fundamental scientific research for our
Nation’s energy future.”34
DOE’s Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR) program focuses on developing and
maintaining computing and networking capabilities for science and research in applied
mathematics, computer science, and advanced networking. The program plays a key role in the

31 CRS Insight IN11916, Strategic Petroleum Reserve Oil Releases: October 2021 Through October 2022 , by Phillip
Brown.
32 For additional information about SPR releases, see U.S. Department of Energy, History of SPR Releases, at
https://www.energy.gov/fe/services/petroleum-reserves/strategic-petroleum-reserve/releasing-oil-spr, accessed
November 12, 2020.
33 For additional information about congressionally required SPR oil sales, see Strategic Petroleum Reserve: Mandated
and Modernization Sales, by Phillip Brown, a congressional distribution memo available to congressional clients by
request from the author.
34 DOE, FY2023 Congressional Budget Justification, March 2022, vol. 5, p. 7, https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/
files/2022-05/doe-fy2023-budget-volume-5-science-v2.pdf.
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DOE-wide effort to advance the development of exascale computing, with the first exascale
system starting operation at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in May 2022.35
Basic Energy Sciences (BES), the largest program area in the Office of Science, focuses on
understanding, predicting, and ultimately controlling matter and energy at the electronic, atomic,
and molecular levels. The program supports research in disciplines such as condensed matter and
materials physics, chemistry, and geosciences. BES also provides funding for scientific user
facilities (e.g., the National Synchrotron Light Source II, and the Linac Coherent Light Source-
II), and certain DOE research centers and hubs (e.g., Energy Frontier Research Centers, as wel as
the Batteries and Energy Storage and Fuels from Sunlight Energy Innovation Hubs).
Biological and Environmental Research (BER) seeks a predictive understanding of complex
biological, climate, and environmental systems across a continuum from the smal scale (e.g.,
genomic research) to the large (e.g., Earth systems and climate). Within BER, Biological Systems
Science focuses on plant and microbial systems, while Biological and Environmental Research
supports climate-relevant atmospheric and ecosystem modeling and research. BER facilities and
centers include four Bioenergy Research Centers and the Environmental Molecular Science
Laboratory at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) seeks to increase understanding of the behavior of matter at very
high temperatures and to establish the science needed to develop a fusion energy source. FES
provides funding for the ITER project, a multinational effort to design and build an experimental
fusion reactor.
The High Energy Physics (HEP) program conducts research on the fundamental constituents of
matter and energy, including studies of dark energy and the search for dark matter. Nuclear
Physics supports research on the nature of matter, including its basic constituents and their
interactions. A major project in the Nuclear Physics program is the construction of the Facility for
Rare Isotope Beams at Michigan State University.
Two significant research efforts in the Office of Science cut across multiple program areas:
quantum information science, which aims to use quantum physics to process information, and
artificial intel igence and machine learning, which use computerized systems that work and react
in ways commonly thought to require intel igence.
For more details, see CRS Report R47161, Federal Research and Development (R&D) Funding:
FY2023, coordinated by Laurie A. Harris.
Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy
ARPA-E is a separate DOE office authorized by the America COMPETES Act (P.L. 110-69) to
support transformational energy technology research projects. DOE budget documents describe
ARPA-E’s mission as overcoming long-term, high-risk technological barriers to the development
of energy technologies. According to DOE, since 2009 ARPA-E has provided $3.06 bil ion in
R&D funding to 1,326 projects, and 190 project teams have raised more than $10.3 bil ion in
private sector follow-on funding.36

35 Oak Ridge National Laboratory, “ Frontier Supercomputer Debuts as World’s Fastest, Breaking Exascale Barrier,”
May 30, 2022, https://www.ornl.gov/news/frontier-supercomputer-debuts-worlds-fastest-breaking-exascale-barrier. An
exascale computer can perform one quintillion floating point operations per second. See T im Greene, “ World’s First
Exascale Supercomputer Is the World’s Fastest ,” Network World, May 31, 2022, https://www.networkworld.com/
article/3662040/worlds-first-exascale-supercomputer-is-the-worlds-fastest.html.
36 ARPA-E, “Our Impact,” web page viewed October 3, 2022, https://arpa-e.energy.gov/about/our-impact.
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Loan Guarantees and Direct Loans
DOE’s Loan Programs Office provides loan guarantees and direct loans under several authorities:
Title 17 (XVII), Tribal, and ATVM for projects that deploy innovative energy technologies, as
authorized by Title XVII of EPACT05, as amended at 43 U.S.C. 16511 et seq.), direct loans for
advanced vehicle manufacturing technologies, and loan guarantees for tribal energy projects.
Section 1703 of EPACT05 authorized loan guarantees for advanced energy technologies that
reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and Section 1705 authorized a temporary program through
FY2011 for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.
Title XVII al ows DOE to provide loan guarantees for up to 80% of construction costs for eligible
energy projects. In general, successful applicants must pay an up-front fee, or “subsidy cost,” to
cover potential losses under the loan guarantee program. Under the loan guarantee agreements,
the federal government would repay al covered loans if the borrower defaulted. Such guarantees
would reduce the risk to lenders and al ow them to provide financing at below-market interest
rates. DOE currently has more than $60 bil ion in authority available to make direct loans and
loan guarantees.
To date, the only loan guarantees under Section 1703 have been to the consortium building two
new nuclear reactors at the Vogtle plant in Georgia, totaling about $12 bil ion, and for a Utah
hydrogen storage project, with a guarantee of $500 mil ion.37 As of September 2022, applications
for 91 additional loan guarantees totaling $92.6 bil ion were under consideration by the DOE
Loan Programs Office.38
Energy Information Administration
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) was established within DOE as the lead
federal agency for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating data on U.S. and world energy supply
and consumption. EIA data collection spans the energy system from supply and transport to
consumption. Al energy sources are included in EIA’s data and analysis products, though some
(e.g., petroleum) are more detailed than others (e.g., renewables). Recent areas of congressional
interest include improvements to EIA’s computer models used to project U.S. energy supply and
demand over time, and improvements to EIA’s data collection related to energy consumption in
residential and commercial buildings. For more details, see CRS Report R46524, The U.S. Energy
Information Administration, coordinated by Ashley J. Lawson.
Nuclear Weapons Activities
In the absence of explosive testing of nuclear weapons, the United States has adopted a science-
based program to maintain and sustain confidence in the reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile.
Congress established the Stockpile Stewardship Program in the National Defense Authorization
Act for Fiscal Year 1994 (P.L. 103-160). The goal of the program, as amended by the National
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (P.L. 111-84, §3111), is to ensure “that the
nuclear weapons stockpile is safe, secure, and reliable without the use of underground nuclear

37 DOE, “Secretary Perry Announces Financial Close on Additional Loan Guarantees During T rip to Vogtle Advanced
Nuclear Energy Project,” news release, March 22, 2019, https://www.energy.gov/articles/secretary-perry-announces-
financial-close-additional-loan-guarantees-during-trip-vogtle; and DOE, “ DOE Announces First Loan Guarantee for a
Clean Energy Project in Nearly a Decade,” June 8, 2022, https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-announces-first-loan-
guarantee-clean-energy-project -nearly-decade.
38 DOE Loan Programs Office, “Monthly Application Activity Report,” September 2022, https://www.energy.gov/lpo/
articles/september-2022-monthly-application-activity-report. More information about DOE loans and loan guarantees is
at the Loan Programs Office website, https://www.energy.gov/lpo/loan-programs-office.
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weapons testing.” The program is operated by NNSA, a semiautonomous agency within DOE
established by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000 (P.L. 106-65, Title
XXXII). NNSA implements the Stockpile Stewardship Program through the activities funded by
the Weapons Activities account in the NNSA budget.
Most of NNSA’s weapons activities take place at the nuclear weapons complex, which consists of
three laboratories (Los Alamos National Laboratory, NM; Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory, CA; and Sandia National Laboratories, NM and CA); four production sites (Kansas
City National Security Campus, MO; Pantex Plant, TX; Savannah River Site, SC; and Y-12
National Security Complex, TN); and the Nevada National Security Site (formerly the Nevada
Test Site). NNSA manages and sets policy for the weapons complex; contractors to NNSA
operate the eight sites. Radiological activities at these sites are subject to oversight and
recommendations by the independent Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, funded by Title IV
of the annual Energy and Water Development appropriations bil .
NNSA reorganized and renamed its Weapons Activities program areas in its FY2021 budget
request. The four main programs, each with funding of over $2 bil ion for FY2021, include the
following:
 Stockpile Management, which contains many of the projects included in Directed
Stockpile Work from previous years, supports work directly on nuclear weapons.
These include life extension programs, warhead surveil ance, maintenance, and
other activities.
 Stockpile Production programs focus on maintaining and expanding the
production capabilities for the components of nuclear weapons that are critical to
weapons performance. According to NNSA, these include primaries, canned
subassemblies, radiation cases, and non-nuclear components.
 Stockpile Research, Technology, and Engineering replaces the Research,
Development, Test, and Evaluation program area. These programs provide the
scientific foundation for science-based stockpile decisions.
 Infrastructure and Operations maintains, operates, and modernizes the NNSA
infrastructure. It supports construction of new facilities and funds deferred
maintenance in older facilities.
Nuclear Weapons Activities also has several smal er programs, including the following:
 Secure Transportation Asset, providing for safe and secure transport of nuclear
weapons, components, and materials;
 Defense Nuclear Security, providing operations, maintenance, and construction
funds for protective forces, physical security systems, personnel security, and
related activities; and
 Information Technology and Cybersecurity, whose elements include
cybersecurity, secure enterprise computing, and Federal Unclassified Information
Technology.
For more information, see CRS Report R45306, The U.S. Nuclear Weapons Complex: Overview
of Department of Energy Sites, by Amy F. Woolf and James D. Werner.
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Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation
DOE’s nonproliferation and national security programs provide technical capabilities to support
U.S. efforts to prevent, detect, and counter the spread of nuclear weapons worldwide. These
programs are administered by NNSA’s Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation (DNN).
The Materials Management and Minimization program conducts activities to minimize and,
where possible, eliminate stockpiles of weapons-useable material around the world. Major
activities include conversion of reactors that use highly enriched uranium (useable for weapons)
to low-enriched uranium, removal and consolidation of nuclear material stockpiles, and
disposition of excess nuclear materials.
Global Materials Security has three major program elements. International Nuclear Security
focuses on increasing the security of vulnerable stockpiles of nuclear material in other countries.
Radiological Security promotes the worldwide reduction and security of radioactive sources
(typical y used in medical and industrial devices), including the removal of surplus sources and
substitution of technologies that do not use radioactive materials. Nuclear Smuggling Detection
and Deterrence works to improve the capability of other countries to halt il icit trafficking of
nuclear materials.
Nonproliferation and Arms Control works to “strengthen nonproliferation and arms control
regimes through innovative policy development and implementation to prevent proliferation,
ensure peaceful nuclear uses, and enable verifiable nuclear reductions,” according to the FY2023
DOE justification.39 This program conducts reviews of nuclear export applications and
technology transfer authorizations, implements treaty obligations, and analyzes nonproliferation
policies and proposals.
For more information, see CRS Report R44413, Energy and Water Development Appropriations
for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation: In Brief , by Mary Beth D. Nikitin.
Cleanup of Former Nuclear Weapons Production and Research Sites
The development and production of nuclear weapons since the beginning of the Manhattan
Project40 during World War II resulted in a waste and contamination legacy managed by DOE that
continues to present substantial chal enges. DOE also manages legacy environmental
contamination at sites used for nondefense nuclear research. In 1989, DOE established the Office
of Environmental Management primarily to consolidate its responsibilities for the cleanup of
former nuclear weapons production sites that had been administered under multiple offices.41
DOE has identified more than 100 separate sites in over 30 states that historical y were involved
in the production of nuclear weapons and nuclear energy research for civilian purposes.42

39 DOE, FY2023 Congressional Budget Justification, March 2022, vol. 1, p. 9, https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/
files/2022-04/doe-fy2023-budget-volume-1-nnsa.pdf.
40 As described by the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, “The Manhattan Project was a massive, top secret
national mobilization of scientists, engineers, technicians, and military personnel charged with producing a deployable
atomic weapon during World War II. Coordinated by the US Army, Manhattan Project activities were located in
numerous locations across the United States.” T he nuclear weapons activities begun by the Manhattan Project are now
the responsibility of DOE. See National Park Service, Manhattan Project National Historical Park website,
https://www.nps.gov/mapr/learn/historyculture/index.htm.
41 In 1989, DOE created the Office of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management, which later was renamed the
Office of Environmental Management.
42 For a list of active and completed sites, see the EM “Cleanup Sites” web page and interactive map at
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Responsibility for long-term stewardship at sites where remediation is complete or remedies are
in place is transferred from EM to the separate DOE Office of Legacy Management (LM) and
other offices within DOE.43 Some of the smal er sites for which DOE initial y was responsible
were transferred to the Army Corps of Engineers in 1997 under the Formerly Utilized Sites
Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP). Once USACE completes the cleanup of a FUSRAP site, it
is transferred back to LM, which has its own DOE funding subaccount within Other Defense
Activities.
Power Marketing Administrations
DOE’s four Power Marketing Administrations (PMAs) were established to sel the power
generated by various federal dams. The PMAs operate in 34 states; their assets consist primarily
of transmission infrastructure in the form of more than 33,000 miles of high voltage transmission
lines and 587 substations. PMA customers are responsible for repaying al power program
expenses, plus the interest on capital projects. Since FY2011, power revenues associated with the
PMAs have been classified as discretionary offsetting receipts (i.e., receipts that are available for
spending by the PMAs), thus the agencies are sometimes noted as having a “net-zero” spending
authority. Only the capital expenses of the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) and
Southwestern Power Administration (SWPA) are supported by appropriations from Congress.
For more information, see CRS Report R45548, The Power Marketing Administrations:
Background and Current Issues, by Richard J. Campbel .
Independent Agencies
Independent agencies that receive funding in Title IV of the Energy and Water Development bil
include the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the Appalachian Regional Commission
(ARC), and the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board. NRC is by far the largest of the
independent agencies, with a total budget of nearly $900 mil ion. However, as noted in the
description of NRC below, about 85% of NRC’s budget is offset by fees, so that the agency’s net
appropriation is less than half of the total funding in Title IV. NRC and ARC are discussed in
more detail below. The recent appropriations history for al the Title IV agencies is shown in
Table 11. Additional FY2023 appropriations were provided by IIJA for ARC and other regional
commissions and authorities as shown in Table 11.

http://energy.gov/em/cleanup-sites.
43 T he Office of Legacy Management administers the long-term stewardship of DOE sites that do not have a continuing
mission once cleanup remedies are in place. Sites that have a continuing mission are transferred to the DOE offices that
administer those missions, which are responsible for their long-term stewardship.
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Table 11. Independent Agencies Funded by Energy and Water Development
Appropriations
(budget authority in mil ions of current dol ars)
FY2020
FY2021
FY2022
FY2023
FY2023
FY2023
Program
Approp.
Approp.
Approp.
Request
House
S. 4660
Appalachian Regional Commission
175.0
180.0
195.0
235.0
220.0
200.0
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
855.6
844.4
887.7
929.2
929.2
927.2
(Revenues)
-728.1
-721.4
-756.7
-792.2
-792.2
-790.2
Net NRC (including Inspector General)
127.5
123.0
131.0
137.0
137.0
137.0
Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board
31.0
31.0
36.0
41.4
41.4
41.9
Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board
3.6
3.6
3.8
4.0
4.0
4.0
Denali Commission
15.0
15.0
15.1
15.1
15.1
17.0
Delta Regional Authority
30.0
30.0
30.1
30.1
30.1
30.1
Northern Border Regional Commission
25.0
30.0
35.0
36.0
38.0
40.0
Southeast Crescent Regional Commission
0.3
1.0
5.0
7.0
33.0
7.0
Southwest Border Regional Commission

0.3
2.5
2.5
2.5
5.0
Total
407.3
413.9
453.5
508.1
521.1
482.0
Sources: S. 4660 and draft explanatory statement; explanatory statement for H.R. 2371; CBO Estimate for H.R.
8294; S.Rept. 117-36; H.Rept. 117-98; H.R. 4502; FY2022 agency budget justifications; explanatory statement for
H.R. 133, 116th Congress; FY2021 Senate Appropriations Committee majority draft; H.R. 7617; H.Rept. 116-449;
FY2021 President’s Request; explanatory statement for Division C of H.R. 1865, 116th Congress; S.Rept. 116-
102; S. 2470; H.R. 2740; CBO Current Status Report; H.Rept. 116-83; H.Rept. 115-929; S.Rept. 115-258; S.Rept.
115-132; H.Rept. 115-230; P.L. 115-31 and explanatory statement.
Note: Columns may not sum to totals because of rounding.
Table 12. Additional Appropriations in IIJA for Regional Commissions and
Authorities
(budget authority in mil ions of current dol ars)
Regional Commission or Authority
IIJA FY2022
IIJA FY2023
IIJA FY2024-
Approp.
Approp.
FY2026
Approp.
Appalachian Regional Commission
200.0
200.0
600.0
Delta Regional Authority (DRA)
150.0

Denali Commission
75.0

Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC)
150.0

Southeast Crescent Regional Commission (SCRC)
5.0

Southwest Border Regional Commission (SBRC)
1.3

Source: H.Rept. 117-394.
Notes: Funding for the federal regional commissions and authorities in the IIJA has varying periods of availability.
Appropriations for ARC are available through FY2026, with $200 mil ion to be al ocated each fiscal year starting
in FY2022 through FY2026. Appropriations for the DRA, Denali Commission, NBRC, SCRC, and SBRC are
available until expended.
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Appalachian Regional Commission
Established in 1965,44 the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) is a regional economic
development agency. It awards grants and contracts to state and local governments and nonprofit
organizations to foster economic opportunities, improve workforce skil s, build critical
infrastructure, strengthen natural and cultural assets, and improve leadership skil s and capacity in
the region. ARC’s authorizing statute defines the Appalachian Region as including al of West
Virginia and parts of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North
Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. More than 25 mil ion
people currently live in the region as defined.
ARC provides funding to several hundred projects each year, with particular focus on the region’s
most economical y distressed counties. Major areas of infrastructure support include broadband
communication systems, transportation, and water and wastewater systems. ARC has supported
development of the Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS), a planned 3,000-mile
system of highways that connect with the U.S. Interstate Highway System. According to ARC,
91.1% of ADHS is “under construction or open to traffic.”45
Since FY2016, Congress has appropriated approximately $50 mil ion per year as a set-aside for
ARC’s POWER Initiative (Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic
Revitalization), which assists communities impacted by the decline of the coal industry. In
FY2022, Congress directed ARC to al ocate $65 mil ion to the POWER Initiative. The POWER
Initiative funds a variety of economic, workforce, and community development projects to
stabilize and stimulate economic activity in affected communities.
For more background on ARC and other regional commissions and authorities, see CRS Report
R45997, Federal Regional Commissions and Authorities: Structural Features and Function, by
Julie M. Lawhorn, and CRS In Focus IF11140, Federal Regional Commissions and Authorities:
Overview of Structure and Activities, by Julie M. Lawhorn. For more background on the POWER
Initiative, see CRS Report R46015, The POWER Initiative: Energy Transition as Economic
Development, by Julie M. Lawhorn.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
NRC is an independent agency that establishes and enforces safety and security standards for
nuclear power plants and users of nuclear materials. Major appropriations categories for NRC are
shown in Table 13. Nuclear Reactor Safety is NRC’s largest program and is responsible for
licensing and regulating the U.S. fleet of 93 power reactors, plus two under construction. NRC is
also responsible for licensing and regulating nuclear waste facilities, such as the proposed
underground nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, NV (which has received no new
appropriations since FY2010).
NRC is required by law to offset its total annual appropriation, excluding specified items, through
fees charged to nuclear reactor owners and other holders of NRC licenses. NRC does not retain
the fee revenue, but instead sends it to the U.S. Treasury. Budget items excluded from fee
recovery include prior-year balances, development of advanced reactor regulations, international
activities, and nonsite-specific homeland security. As a result, NRC’s net appropriation is about
15% of the agency’s total budget.

44 Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965, P.L. 89-4.
45 For more information, see ARC home page at https://www.arc.gov.
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Table 13. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Funding Categories
(budget authority in mil ions of current dol ars)
FY2019
FY2020
FY2021
FY2022
FY2023
FY2023
FY2023
Funding Category
Approp.
Approp.
Approp.
Approp.
Request
House
S. 4660
Nuclear Reactor Safety
469.8
433.4
452.8
477.4
490.7
490.7
490.7
Nuclear Materials and
108.6
103.2
102.9
107.3
111.6
111.6
111.6
Waste Safety
Decommissioning and
25.4
21.4
22.8
22.9
23.9
23.9
23.9
Low-Level Waste
Corporate Support
299.6
289.1
271.4
266.3
285.3
285.3
285.3
Integrated University
15.0
2.5
16.0
16.0

16.0
16.0
Program
Prior-Year Balances
-20
-38.4
-35.0
-16.0

-16.0
-16.0
Inspector General
12.6
12.1
13.5
13.8
17.8
17.8
15.8
Total
911.0
823.1
844.4
887.7
929.2
929.2
927.2
Source: S. 4660 and draft explanatory statement; CBO Estimate for H.R. 8294; explanatory statement for H.R.
2371; S.Rept. 117-36; H.Rept. 117-98; H.R. 4502; NRC FY2022 congressional budget justification; explanatory
statement for H.R. 133, 116th Congress; FY2021 Senate Appropriations Committee majority draft; H.R. 7617;
H.Rept. 116-449; NRC FY2021 Budget Justification; explanatory statement for Division C of H.R. 1865, 116th
Congress; S.Rept. 116-102; H.R. 2740; H.Rept. 116-83; H.Rept. 115-929, NRC FY2020 Budget Justification;
H.Rept. 115-697; S.Rept. 115-258.
Note: Fee offsets and some adjustments are excluded.
Congressional Hearings
The following hearings were held by the Energy and Water Development subcommittees of the
House and Senate Appropriations Committees on the FY2023 budget request. Testimony and
opening statements are posted on most of the web pages cited for each hearing, along with
webcasts in many cases.
House
 Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation, April 27, 2022,
https://appropriations.house.gov/events/hearings/fy-2023-budget-request-for-the-
us-army-corps-of-engineers-and-bureau-of-reclamation
 Department of Energy, April 28, 2022, https://appropriations.house.gov/events/
hearings/fy-2023-budget-request-for-the-department-of-energy
 National Nuclear Security Administration and Environmental Management, May
11, 2022, https://appropriations.house.gov/events/hearings/fy23-budget-national-
nuclear-security-administration-and-environmental-management
 Department of Energy Science and Energy Programs, May 12, 2022,
https://appropriations.house.gov/events/hearings/fy-2023-budget-request-for-the-
department-of-energy-science-and-energy-programs
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Senate
 Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation, April 6, 2022,
https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/hearings/a-review-of-the-fiscal-year-
2023-budget-submission-for-the-us-army-corps-of-engineers-and-the-bureau-of-
reclamation
 Department of Energy, May 4, 2022, https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/
hearings/a-review-of-the-fiscal-year-2023-budget-submission-for-the-us-
department-of-energy
 National Nuclear Security Administration, May 18, 2022,
https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/hearings/a-review-of-the-fiscal-year-
2023-budget-submission-for-national-nuclear-security-administration

Author Information

Mark Holt
Anna E. Normand
Specialist in Energy Policy
Analyst in Natural Resources Policy

Key Policy Staff
Area of Expertise
Name
General (Coordinators)
Mark Holt
Anna Normand
Corps of Engineers
Anna Normand
Nicole Carter
Bureau of Reclamation
Charles V. Stern
Renewable energy
Corrie E. Clark
Energy efficiency
Corrie E. Clark
Fossil energy research
Ashley Lawson
Hydrogen
Martin Offutt
Strategic Petroleum Reserve
Phil ip Brown
Nuclear energy
Mark Holt
Science and ARPA-E
Daniel Morgan
Quantum Information Science
Patricia Moloney Figliola
Artificial intel igence
Laurie A. Harris
Loan programs
Phil ip Brown
Nuclear weapons stewardship
Mary Beth Nikitin
Nonproliferation
Mary Beth Nikitin
Congressional Research Service

35

Energy and Water Development: FY2023 Appropriations

DOE Environmental Management
David Bearden
Lance Larson
Power Marketing Administrations
Charles V. Stern
Bonnevil e Power Administration
Charles V. Stern
Federal regional authorities and
Julie Lawhorn
commissions

Appropriations legislative procedures
James V. Saturno
Bil Heniff
Megan Lynch

Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan
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under the direction of Congress. Information in a CRS Report should n ot be relied upon for purposes other
than public understanding of information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in
connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the United States Government, are not
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Congressional Research Service
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