The House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee (T&I) and Senate Environment & Public Works Committee (EPW) have each approved their respective versions of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2026.
WRDA is a biennial piece of legislation that authorizes Army Corps of Engineers water infrastructure projects.
The House T&I Committee approved its bill, H.R. 9497, on July 15 and the Senate EPW Committee approved its bill, S. 4949, on July 16. Both bills were approved, as amended, unanimously.
Of particular concern in the initial version of H.R. 9497 was section 101, which establishes a new Office of Water Supply within the Corps.
APPA was concerned that this new office could elevate water supply functions to the potential detriment of hydropower.
Southwestern Power Administration and Southeastern Power Administration customers, APPA, and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, successfully advocated for the inclusion of language to ensure that the new office produces water supply benefits consistent with existing authorized purposes (such as hydropower) and that it is required to coordinate with the applicable Power Marketing Administrations.
S. 4949 does not have the problematic language regarding the establishment of an Office of Water Supply water supply included in the House version, APPA noted.
However, Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) and Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) offered, and subsequently withdrew, an amendment to establish a Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) at a markup for the legislation.
A copy of the amendment is not yet available, but as described by Senator Blunt Rochester it is similar to a bill that Blunt Rochester and Padilla have proposed in past Congresses (the most recent version of which is H.R. 4733, the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program Establishment Act, APPA noted.
The proposed legislation would direct the Health and Human Services (HHS) Administration, in conjunction with the Environmental Protection Agency, to establish a federal water assistance block grant program.
APPA said that it is concerned that already limited Low-Income Heating Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funds could be diverted to fund LIHWAP.
LIHEAP, which APPA strongly supports, is already underfunded and can only assist one out of six eligible households.
Committee Chair Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) promised to keep working with Sen. Blunt Rochester on this issue.
APPA said it will continue to monitor the progress of the LIHWAP amendment and legislation.
