Unfortunately, the Subcommittee's allocation results in a bill that continues the dramatic underinvestment in our nation's waterways, infrastructure, energy efficiency, and scientists.
I would like to thank Chairman Frelinghuysen, Chairman Rogers, and Ranking Member Kaptur, who has done an excellent job in her first year as Ranking Member of the subcommittee. This bill is woefully underfunded at $30.4 billion, $2.8 billion less than the FY 2013 enacted level when adjusted for Sandy reconstruction, and a little more than $4 billion below the request.
While some may think of this bill solely in terms of our energy policy, it also provides support infrastructure projects throughout this country. These projects support job creations and regional economic growth, ensuring that our nation's waterways continue to be a source of commerce and transport for our communities and industries.
The current backlog of Army Corps projects totals over $3 billion. This backlog includes ongoing activities that have been vetted and approved by Congress; however, despite our past approvals, this bill does very little to move these projects forward. Instead, this bill continues the steady decline in spending on water resource infrastructure, bringing a total reduction of $769 million since 2010. The Corp's Construction account has been reduced by $688 million in that same timeframe. Over 300 projects were suspended between 2010 and 2012.
Let me be clear: this decreased investment in water infrastructure has consequences across the country. By not supporting these projects, Members are hurting the direct constituencies that they profess to serve. Without federal support, construction jobs are never created and local businesses and individuals never see the kind of indirect economic benefits that encourage them to embrace risk and make critical investments in their communities.
The balance in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund continues to grow and is expected to carry a balance of more than $9 billion by the end of 2014. Yet, cargo ships across the nation are being forced to light load or restrict hours of operation as channel and harbor depths are not maintained.
The Corps could responsibly use $2.6 billion, in addition to the budget request, for construction projects. The following are construction projects that need additional federal support in fiscal year 2014:
• Sarasota County, Florida - $9.6 million
• Florida Keys Water Quality - $12.1 million
• Savannah Harbor Expansion - $88.5 million
• Lake Michigan Waterfront - $3.5 million
• Central City, Fort Worth Texas - $41.7 million
• Oakland Harbor, California - $3.4 million
• Brays Bayou, Houston, Texas - $41 million
• Upper Mississippi River Restoration - $1.5 million
• Red-Ouachita River Basin Levees, Arkansas and Louisiana - $1.1 million
• San Lorenzo River, California - $500k
• Des Monies River and Greenbelt, Iowa- $14.4 million
• Illinois River Basin Restoration, Illinois - $6.3 million
• Santa Ana River, California - $8 million
• Upper Guadalupe River, California - $13 million
As a Member affected by Hurricane Sandy, I also know the importance of investing in Corps projects goes beyond the immediate benefits of job creation and business investment. When "super storm" like Hurricane Sandy strike, we rely on these projects to save lives and protect property. The supplemental included $5 billion for Corp projects, and while I am incredibly grateful to the Chairman for the funding, I would have much preferred to have had it when it was needed years ago before the Hurricane hit. With the increase in extreme weather events, it is becoming incredibly clear that we need to fully fund today's prevention needs in order to reduce tomorrow's recovery costs.
The bill also makes deep and severe reductions in other areas, including $2.1 billion below the request for Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy and Energy Delivery and Reliability programs. That's $700 million less than this same subcommittee recommended for these purposes just one year ago. Shortchanging critical energy and infrastructure investments will slow economic growth. The cost of renewable energy is rapidly becoming competitive with other sources of energy, and this shift may accelerate with the President's renewed focus on clean energy. With over 1,142 coal-fired utilities and 3,967 natural gas-fired power plants, there will be tremendous demand by both science and industry to develop new sources of energy, improve existing technologies, and bring new products to market. Shirking the federal government's role in this transition will lead to higher electricity prices for consumers and the inability of our domestic industrial base to compete globally.
The 81% cut to ARPA-E and 5% cut to the Office of Science from pre-sequester levels will further damage our global leadership in developing cutting edge technologies. Last week, China's newest supercomputer, which was built almost entirely from Chinese parts, was deemed the fasted in the world, clocking in about twice as fast as the best American machine. If supercomputing is a measure of our scientific innovation, we are losing badly. Return on investment from publicly funded research and development ranges from 20 to 67 percent. We should invest more in science than this bill provides.
Unfortunately, the Subcommittee's allocation results in a bill that continues the dramatic underinvestment in our nation's waterways, infrastructure, energy efficiency, and scientists. It is my firm hope that the Committee will be provided a workable path forward for the FY14 Appropriations bills. Last week, the Senate released its 302(b) allocations, under which the Energy and Water bill honors the Budget Control Act by providing $34.8 billion in funding. Until the House also honors the BCA levels, I will unfortunately have to continue to vote no on this and any future bills given such insufficient allocations.
Source: U.S. Department of HCA
