# 119-hr-4553: Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026 119-hr-4553, Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Fleischmann, Charles J. "Chuck" [R-TN-3] (R-TN); status passed_house; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-07-19). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4553 - As of: 2026-07-19 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: 119-hr-4553 - Congress: 119 - Title: Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026 - Status: passed_house - Introduced: 2025-07-21 - Sponsor: Rep. Fleischmann, Charles J. "Chuck" [R-TN-3] (R-TN) - Cosponsors: 0 - Policy area: Economics and Public Finance - Touches household money: yes - Last recorded action: 2026-07-19 ## Summary **Sets FY2026 appropriations and policy for federal water and energy programs.** It would lock in specific funding levels, update several statutory caps, and impose reprogramming, procurement, and policy limits across the Army Corps, Interior, DOE, and independent agencies. ## Votes | Date | Chamber | Question | Result | Yea | Nay | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-09-04T00:00:00.000Z | house | On Motion to Recommit | Failed | 209 | 218 | | 2025-09-04T00:00:00.000Z | house | On Passage | Passed | 214 | 213 | ## Provisions PRIA read - More money for cleanup and mercury storage: benefit, high. If enacted, the bill would provide $337.7 million for non-defense environmental cleanup, available until spent. It would also use FY2026 mercury-fee receipts to cover mercury storage costs, also available until spent. This would support cleanup sites and storage that protect nearby communities and… - Higher caps for water projects: benefit, high. If enacted, this would raise and extend several Western water programs. One cap would rise to $1.0 billion, and the drought relief cap would rise to $130 million. Northwestern New Mexico rural water would increase to $1.815 billion, and its date would move to 2026. Wastewater reuse would be authori… - Major energy programs would get funding: benefit, high. If enacted, this bill would fund key energy programs. It would provide about $1.83 billion for energy efficiency and renewables and $1.80 billion for nuclear energy, with parts available through September 30, 2027 for program direction. It would provide $687.5 million for fossil energy, $135 millio… - More money for Western water projects: benefit, high. If enacted, the bill would provide about $1.71 billion for Bureau of Reclamation water management and restoration. It would add $32 million for CALFED Bay-Delta work and $23 million for the Central Utah Project, with named amounts for administration and mitigation. It would fund Reclamation policy… - More federal backing for small modular reactors: benefit, high. If enacted, the bill would provide $150 million for the cost of loan guarantees for eligible small modular or advanced nuclear reactor projects. It would also provide up to $35 million for program administration through September 30, 2027, offset by FY2026 fees. The Director of OMB would need to ce… - More flexibility for energy SBIR funds: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would provide $225 million for DOE Electricity programs, including $19.7 million for program direction through September 30, 2027. It would let DOE move SBIR/STTR and Technology Commercialization Fund dollars inside this account without the usual section 301 limits. This could… - Environmental limits on select water projects: benefit, medium. If enacted, the Corps could not fund open‑lake disposal of dredged material from Lake Erie unless a State issues a Clean Water Act section 401 certification. It would block picking a final discharge point for the San Luis Unit drain until a plan meets California’s EPA‑approved water standards. It w… - More oversight on big DOE projects: benefit, medium. If enacted, DOE would need to give 3 business days’ notice before most awards of $1 million or more and seek approval before large reprogramming. Grants or agreements over $100 million would need independent project management procedures. High‑hazard nuclear construction would require independent o… - Protect marriage‑belief rights from penalties: benefit, medium. If enacted, the government could not use these funds to punish people for speaking or acting on a sincere belief that marriage is between one man and one woman. It would bar actions like changing tax‑exempt status, denying grants or licenses, or blocking access to federal programs for that reason.… - Keep Western power funds in program: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would stop transfers this year from the Western Area Power Administration’s Colorado River Basins Power Marketing Fund to the Treasury’s general fund. This would keep money in the power program. - No funds for DEI or CRT: cost, medium. If enacted, agencies could not use these funds for diversity, equity, and inclusion offices, training, or programs. They also could not fund efforts that promote Critical Race Theory. - Only U.S. or POW/MIA flags allowed: cost, low. If enacted, these funds could only fly the U.S. flag, an official U.S. Government seal flag, or the POW/MIA flag at federal facilities covered by the bill. - Freeze on major new federal rules: mixed, high. If enacted, agencies could not use these funds to finalize any rule that counts as a “major rule” under federal law. This could delay large regulations that affect businesses and consumers. - No funding to police online speech: mixed, medium. If enacted, the government could not use these funds to label U.S. persons’ speech as misinformation or to fund partners that press companies to remove lawful speech. Agencies would be limited in partnering on content removal requests for legal speech. - No funds for COVID mandates: mixed, medium. If enacted, agencies and federal funding recipients could not use these funds to run or enforce any COVID‑19 mask or vaccine mandates. - Stronger national‑security limits at DOE sites: mixed, medium. If enacted, DOE could not use FY2025 funds to buy office IT or video tools from companies with any PRC ownership. DOE would need to give 30 days’ notice before admitting non‑U.S. citizens from Russia or China to non‑public areas of nuclear weapons production facilities. DOE also could not make $10… - Tighter controls on project reprogramming: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would tighten how the Corps and Interior may shift money among projects. For the Corps, it sets caps by account (for example, O&M non‑emergency changes up to 15% and $5 million; Investigations up to 25% and $150,000; Construction up to 15% and $3 million), allows emergency O&M… - Block clean‑energy rule for federal buildings: mixed, medium. If enacted, DOE could not use these funds to finalize, run, or enforce its May 1, 2024 rule on clean energy for new federal buildings and major renovations. This could lower near‑term compliance costs but reduce potential long‑term energy savings. - Budget needed for new fuel reserves: mixed, medium. If enacted, DOE could not start a new regional petroleum product reserve unless the President requests it in the annual budget and Congress approves it. The request would need costs, an operating plan with release conditions, a location, and an inventory estimate. - Limit oil reserve sales to China: mixed, medium. If enacted, SPR oil could not be sold to buyers owned, controlled, or influenced by the Chinese Communist Party. Any sale would need conditions that prevent export of the oil to China. - Campgrounds stay open; lawful firearms allowed: mixed, low. If enacted, funds could not be used to close seven named campgrounds at Lake Sidney Lanier, Georgia. It would also bar the Corps from enforcing rules that ban lawful firearm possession at its water projects, if state law allows it and the person is not otherwise prohibited. ## Related bills - 119-hr-3816: Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025 - 119-hr-5089: Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025 - 119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025 - 119-hr-2570: Maximum Pressure Act - 119-hr-4317: PBM Reform Act of 2025 - 119-hr-1229: United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025 ## Sources - [119-hr-4553 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4553) ## Related - [119-hr-3816: Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3816) - [119-hr-5089: Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5089) - [119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2725) - [119-hr-2570: Maximum Pressure Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2570) - [119-hr-4317: PBM Reform Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4317) - [119-hr-1229: United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1229) - [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4553 (as of 2026-07-19).