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1 [1] (June 3, 2022)

handle is hein.crs/govefwv0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service Inforrning the legislative debate since 1914 June 3, 2022 Bureau of Reclamation: FY2023 Budget and Appropriations Overview The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), part of the Department of the Interior, is responsible for the construction and operation of hundreds of large dams and water diversion structures in the 17 western reclamation states designated in statute by Congress. These projects provide water to approximately 10 million acres of farmland and 31 million people. Reclamation is the largest wholesale supplier of water in these 17 states and the second-largest hydroelectric power producer in the nation. Reclamation's mission areas and geographic scope are narrower than those of the other principal federal water resource agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Reclamation has evolved since its creation in 1902; its focus has shifted from construction of new water storage projects to operation and maintenance of existing projects. Reclamation also has expanded into new areas, such as funding for water projects on tribal lands and in rural areas, respectively. Congress also has authorized new Reclamation grants for nonfederal projects, including those for water reuse and recycling, desalination, conservation and efficiency, and restoration, among other purposes. Reclamation's Water and Related Resources account funds most agency activities, including construction, operation and maintenance, dam safety, ecosystem restoration, Indian water rights settlements, and most programmatic and grant authorities. Reclamation typically also requests funding for three smaller accounts: California Bay-Delta Restoration, the Central Valley Project Restoration Fund (which is offset by customer receipts), and Policy and Administration. FY2023 Budget Request and Context The Administration request is usually less than the final enacted total for Reclamation. For FY2023, President Biden requested $1.41 billion in gross current budget authority (i.e., appropriations before offsets) for Reclamation. In FY2022, the final enacted bill, P.L. 117-103, Division D, included $1.90 billion. Figure 1 shows enacted appropriations levels since FY2014 for Reclamation's largest account (Water and Related Resources), as well as its smaller accounts. In addition to regular appropriations, Reclamation received supplemental appropriations on two occasions in 2021. First, in late September 2021, Congress included $210 million in FY2022 supplemental funding in the continuing appropriations bill (P.L. 117-43) for Reclamation to combat western drought and wildfire. Then, in October 2021, Congress enacted $8.30 billion in supplemental appropriations for various Reclamation programs under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA; P.L. 117-58). This funding is to be made available in equal installments for each of the five fiscal years from FY2022 to FY2026 (i.e., $1.66 billion per year). Figure 1. Reclamation Annual Appropriations: FY20 14-FY2022 Enacted and FY2023 Request (nominal $ in millions) $2,000 $1,500 $1,000 $500 $0 °k4 F 1 &P1Ik ~ P~ ~ I ,- Ilk * Water and Related Resources Al Other Accounts Sources: Congressional Research Service (CRS), based on FY2014- FY2022 enacted appropriations and the FY2023 budget request. Notes: Does not include supplemental funding for drought and infrastructure that was enacted in 2021. Also does not include offsetting receipts for the Central Valley Project Restoration Fund. Earmarks and Reclamation Most of Reclamation's budget goes to projects rather than programs, and the Water and Related Resources account consists largely of individual project funding lines. During the 112th_ 116th Congresses, Reclamation appropriations were subject to general earmark moratoriums that restricted Congress from funding geographically specific project line items not requested by the Administration. Instead, Congress included additional funding amounts for selected categories of Reclamation projects, typically in five categories: Rural Water, Water Conservation and Delivery, Environmental Restoration and Compliance, Fish Passage/Fish Screens, and Facilities Maintenance and Rehabilitation. The Administration recommended allocations of these funds for specific projects in spend plans made available several months after enactment of the appropriations bills. (Spend plans are available at http://www.usbr.gov/budget/.) In FY2022, Congress included the first member-requested earmarks since the I 1It Congress. These funds were categorized as community project funding or congressionally directed spending. The appropriations committees have once again invited these proposals for igress.