Díaz-Balart's Statement on Passage of the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill
October 26, 2023
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart (FL-26), a senior member of the House Committee on Appropriations, issued the following statement after the passage of H.R. 4394, the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2024.
“As a senior member of the House Committee on Appropriations and co-chair of the Congressional Everglades Caucus, I am proud to support the fiscal year 2024 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriation bill. I applaud Chairwoman Granger and Subcommittee Chairman Fleischmann for ending the reckless spending and woke policies of the Biden Administration.
This bill protects American taxpayer dollars by:
- Prohibiting oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve from being sold to any entity controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), or to any other entity that intends to export to China and invest in construction, operation, and maintenance of our nation’s ports and inland waterways.
- Terminates the Biden Administration’s Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule, returning to state control those waterways that historically have not fallen under federal jurisdiction.
- Prohibits the use of funds to promote or advance Critical Race Theory (CRT).
- Prevents administrative overreach by prohibiting DOE from implementing onerous energy conservation standards on distribution transformers.
- Eliminates funding for unrelated climate change activities in the Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation, including electric vehicle procurement and “climate cops” across the Corps.
Diaz-Balart, Founder and Co-Chair of the Everglades Caucus, was successful in including the following items in the legislation:
- $425 million for Everglades restoration
- $6.3 million for the Corp of Engineers Operation and Maintenance Regional Sediment Management will help increase coastal resilience in Florida and nationally.
Floridians can be proud of our taxpayer dollars coming back home to protect one of our precious national treasures, The Everglades.
$425 Million is included in the Army Corp of Engineers Construction of South Florida’s Ecosystem Restoration account for restoration, which encompasses exactly the kind of “shovel-ready” infrastructure projects that will help our economy. The chance to preserve this national treasure while putting in place the tools for a long-term economic recovery is a once-in-a-generation opportunity that we should not let slip by."
In addition, Congressman Díaz-Balart is collaborating with his colleagues on the House Committee on Appropriations to secure additional funding for Everglades restoration projects in the upcoming Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2024.
Bill Report is available here.
Issues:EnergyEverglades Restoration