Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026
Legislative Progress
IntroducedRead the second time and placed on the calendar
Passed House (inferred from eh version)
Read the first time
Received
Mr. Fleischmann, from the Committee on Appropriations, reported the following …
On Passage
Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026
On Motion to Recommit
Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026
On Agreeing to the Amendment
On Agreeing to the Amendment
On Agreeing to the Amendment
On Agreeing to the Amendment
On Agreeing to the Amendment
On Agreeing to the Amendment
On Agreeing to the Amendment
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Summary
What This Bill Does
This is the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2026, which funds the Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation, Department of Energy, and Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Beyond standard agency funding, it includes numerous policy riders that redirect over $5 billion from clean energy and carbon programs to nuclear energy, block Biden-era clean energy regulations, restrict DEI programs, and impose national security restrictions on China and Russia.
Who Benefits and How
Nuclear energy industry receives the largest windfall: over $5 billion is redirected from clean energy, carbon capture, and renewable energy programs to fund small modular reactors and advanced reactor demonstrations. Companies like NuScale, TerraPower, and X-energy directly benefit.
Fossil fuel industries benefit from the blocking of DOE's Clean Energy for Federal Buildings rule, which would have required electrification of new federal buildings. Gas furnace manufacturers and natural gas utilities retain their federal building market.
Religious organizations and faith-based institutions receive broad protections against any federal discrimination based on their traditional marriage views, including protection of tax-exempt status, grants, and accreditation.
U.S. technology and electronics manufacturers benefit from restrictions barring Chinese-owned companies from DOE procurement contracts.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Renewable energy developers and clean energy companies lose approximately $5 billion in funding as money is transferred from energy efficiency, clean energy demonstrations, and carbon capture programs.
Carbon capture and CO2 pipeline companies lose $2.5 billion in previously allocated Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding.
DEI officers, consultants, and training firms face elimination of all federal DEI programs at funded agencies.
Private nuclear waste storage developers like Holtec and Interim Storage Partners face new consent requirements from states and tribes before receiving federal funding.
Federal agencies face extensive new Congressional oversight, reporting requirements, and restrictions on reprogramming funds.
Key Provisions
- Transfers $5.1 billion from clean energy programs (renewable energy, carbon capture, hydrogen, clean energy demonstrations) to nuclear energy programs, specifically for small modular reactors and advanced reactor demonstrations
- Blocks DOE's May 2024 rule requiring clean energy and electrification for new federal buildings
- Prohibits sale of Strategic Petroleum Reserve oil to China or Chinese-controlled entities
- Bans all DEI initiatives, training, programs, and officers at funded agencies
- Requires state, local, and tribal consent before federal funding for private spent nuclear fuel storage
- Prohibits DOE from purchasing computers or equipment from companies with any Chinese government ownership
- Blocks agencies from finalizing major new regulations
- Protects religious organizations from federal action based on traditional marriage beliefs
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Makes appropriations for energy and water development and related agencies for fiscal year 2026, allocating funds to the Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation, Department of Energy, and Nuclear Regulatory Commission, while imposing policy restrictions on how funds may be used.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Appropriations bill that combines standard agency funding with policy riders to block Biden-era clean energy regulations, restrict DEI programs, redirect clean energy funds to nuclear, and impose national security restrictions on China"
Likely Beneficiaries
- Nuclear energy industry (receives B+ redirected from clean energy programs)
- Small modular reactor developers
- Oil and gas industry (blocks clean energy building rules)
- Religious organizations (protection from discrimination based on marriage views)
- Fossil fuel industry (redirects carbon management funds to nuclear)
Likely Burden Bearers
- Clean energy and renewable energy sectors (lose ~B in funding)
- Carbon capture and sequestration projects (lose .5B)
- DEI programs and officers at federal agencies
- Federal agencies subject to Congressional reprogramming oversight
- Chinese and Russian nationals (restricted from nuclear facilities)
- Private spent nuclear fuel storage facilities (blocked from federal funding)
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Army
- "chief_of_engineers"
- → Chief of Engineers (Army Corps of Engineers)
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
- "the_administrator"
- → Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Energy
- "the_commission"
- → Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Note: 'The Secretary' refers to Secretary of the Army in Title I (Corps of Engineers), Secretary of the Interior in Title II (Bureau of Reclamation), and Secretary of Energy in Title III (Department of Energy)
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
As defined in section 10114 of division B of Public Law 117-167 (CHIPS and Science Act)
Has the same meaning as provided in section 2 of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10101)
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology