Congress Extends Government Funding With Continuing Resolution
Congress passed a continuing resolution (CR) last week that will temporarily extend government funding through December 16. The CR was necessary to prevent a government shutdown, which would have occurred last Friday if Congress had not passed it.
Congress has yet to finalize any of the twelve annual appropriations bill for FY 2023.
Along with extending funding through the middle of December, the bill also provides $20 million for the Army Corps of Engineers to assist with the drinking water emergency in Jackson, Mississippi, and $1 billion to the federal program to help low-income residents pay their heating bills. One major provision that was left out of the package was a major change to federal infrastructure permitting that had been championed by Sen. Joe Machin (D-WV).
USACE and Great Lakes States Move Forward with Great Lakes Resiliency Study
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the eight Great Lakes states signed a study cost share agreement last week to move forward with the Great Lakes Resiliency Study. This agreement will initiate the Great Lakes Coastal Resiliency Study, which is aimed at protecting the economic, environmental, and social value of the Great Lakes coast. While USACE’s FY 2023 budget has yet to be finalized, both the House and the Senate included $3 million for the study in the FY 2023 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act for the study.
The study, which is authorized under the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), is a comprehensive watershed assessment of the Great Lakes coastal system. Key areas that the study will focus on include:
The identification of areas vulnerable to future storms, flooding, low water elevations, erosion, and accretion;
The identification of a range of measures to improve coastal resiliency; and
The development of a collaborative risk-informed decision framework to support the identification and prioritization of coastal investments.
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This Week in Washington
In the House:
The House is currently not in session for district work days
In the Senate:
The Senate is currently not in session for state work days
