WASHINGTON, DC - With the support of Congressman David Rouzer (NC-07), the House passed H.R. 4394, the Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2024. As Chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, Rouzer played a key role in securing important provisions for Southeastern North Carolina and communities across the country.
"Passage of the Energy and Water Appropriations bill is a critical win for North Carolina and communities throughout the country," said Congressman Rouzer. "I'm proud the provisions I worked to secure are included in this bill to better protect families from flooding, improve the strength and durability of our ports and inland waterways, and bolster our country's energy security. The bill also stands up for our farm families, small businesses, and entire communities by terminating the Biden Administration's flawed WOTUS rule."
Rouzer secured provisions include:
Improving the Port of Wilmington's Navigational Channel: $1.2 million to enhance the Port of Wilmington's navigational channel to allow larger, deep-draft container ships to access the port. Expanding our port capacity helps mitigate the impacts of the national supply chain crisis and has an economic impact that reverberates across the country.
Supporting Brunswick County Beach Renourishment: $425,000 to support the federal cost share of the Army Corps’ work to address Holden Beach's risk of storm damage and coastal erosion due to hurricanes and tropical storms which impact homes and businesses in the community.
Mitigating Flood Risk:$10 million for the Corps of Engineers National Coastal Mapping Study. Congressman Rouzer secured authorization for this study in the Water Resources Development Act of 2022 to establish an innovative program in North Carolina requiring the Corps to map inland and coastal waterways to identify potential hazards, such as debris and sedimentation, leading to increased flood risk.
Strengthening American Energy Independence Through Nuclear Power: $1.3 billion to support the Small Modular Reactor R&D Program within the Department of Energy to strengthen America's energy security through nuclear power. This program gives the United States a leading role in setting safety and proliferation standards worldwide.
Maintaining Federal Shipping Channels to Facilitate Trade: $2.77 billion to help maintain federal shipping channels by conducting periodic dredging. Such dredging is necessary to remove natural accumulation of sand and silt to better facilitate U.S. trade.
Strengthening our Nation's Power Grid: $59.5 million to support the development of new transmission lines to modernize and expand the capacity of the nation's power grid.
Terminating the Biden Administration Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule: Rouzer secured language to terminate the Biden Administration’s WOTUS rule, returning to state control of waterways that historically have not fallen under federal jurisdiction.
