The President submitted his budget for FY1999 on February 2, 1998. In it was $21.7 billion for energyand water development programs. The request was larger than the FY1998 appropriation of $21.2 billion. The Senate Appropriations Committee reported out itsfunding levels for energy and water programs onJune 5, 1998 ( S. 2138 , S.Rept. 105-206 ). The committee approved funding of nearly $21.4 billion forFY1999. The House Appropriations Committeereported its version on June 16, 1998 ( H.R. 4060 , H.Rept. 105-581 ); it would fund energy and waterprograms at $21.1 billion for FY1999. Thefigures above do not include scorekeeping adjustments. The Senate approved S. 2138 for $21.4 billion onJune 18,1998 by a vote of 98-1. A flooramendment added $70 million to the solar and renewable energy program and offset the increase by reductions inother non- defense energy programs. TheHouse approved its version of the bill ( H.R. 4060 ) by a vote of 405-4 on June 22, 1998 for $21.1 billion. Theconference agreement, for $21.2billion, was reported out ( H.Rept. 105-749 ) on September 25, 1998, approved by the House on September 28, 1998,and approved by the Senate one day later,September 29, 1998. The President signed the bill ( P.L. 105-245 ) October 7, 1998. The FY1999 Omnibus Appropriations Act ( P.L. 105-277 ) added money to several programs funded inthe Energy and Water Appropriations bill, including theCorps of Engineers, DOE's renewable energy program and its defense activities program, and TVA. This additionalfunding is not incorporated in the budgettables that follow, but significant changes are noted in the text under Key Policy Issues. Table 1. Status of Energy and Water Appropriations,FY1999 Table 2. Energy and Water Development Appropriations, FY1992 to FY1999 (budget authority inbillions of current dollars) * *These figures represent current dollars, exclude permanent budget authorities, and reflect rescissions. This table includes FY1999 budget request figures and budget totals for appropriations enacted for FY1992 to FY1998. The tables for Titles I, II and III providebudget details for FY1997 - FY1999. Table 3. Energy and Water Development Appropriations TitleI: Corps of Engineers (in millions ofdollars) Funding for the Corps of Engineers civil programs is often a contentious issue between the Administration and the Congress, with appropriations typically endingup significantly higher than the amount requested. For FY1998, for example, the Congress added $270 million(7%) to the $3.63 billion requested by theAdministration. The FY1999 request of $3.22 billion is more than $800 million less than the amount appropriated last year. Most of that reduction is in the Corps' constructionbudget, which was cut almost in half compared with FY1998 appropriations. As a result, construction funding hasbeen a major issue in the Corps' appropriationlegislation for FY1999. For example, both the House and Senate appropriations Committees described theAdministration's request for a limited constructionbudget as "irresponsible" ( H.Rept. 105-581 , H.R. 4060 ; and S.Rept. 105-206 , S. 2138 ). The House-Senate conference agreement included a total of $3.86 billion for the Corps for FY1999, $638 million more than requested. The conference committeerecommendation was $106 million less than recommended by the House and $72 million more than recommendedby the Senate. The recommended constructionbudget was $1.43 billion -- nearly double what was requested by the Administration. The House originally supported a substantial decrease in funding for Columbia River fish mitigation activities on the grounds that previous efforts have shown "noclear evidence" of success. The Administration had requested $117 million for FY1999. The House recommended$7.8 million, limiting expenditures to thecompletion of the John Day drawdown study and the lower Snake River feasibility study; the Senate recommended$95 million. The conference committee hasrecommended $60 million for Columbia River fish mitigation. Funds are to be used for phase I of the John DayReservoir drawdown study, and continuation ofthe Snake River feasibility study and ongoing construction. The conference agreement also included $5 million for construction of an emergency outlet from Devils Lake, North Dakota; however, it deletes Senate languagedescribing the appropriation as an emergency requirement. The Senate had recommended up to $8 million for theproject. The FY1999 Omnibus Appropriations Act ( P.L. 105-277 ) added funding to a number of Corps projects, including an additional $35 million for Columbia Riverfish mitigation. It also added a prohibition on the use of any funds to study or implement a plan to drain LakePowell or decommission the Glen Canyon Dam. Table 4. Energy and Water Development Appropriations TitleII: Central Utah Project CompletionAccount (in millions of dollars) * Includes funds available for Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission activities and $5 million for the contribution authorized by ï¿½402(b)(2)of the Central Utah Project Completion Act ( P.L. 102-675 ). Table 5. Energy and Water Development Appropriations Title II: Bureau of Reclamation (in millions ofdollars) * Does not reflect appropriations derived from transfer of $25.8 million from the Working Capital Fund. ** The Office of Management and Budget and the Congressional Budget Office disagree as to whether thereis an offset for this fund. Most of the large dams and water diversion structures in the West were built by, or with the assistance of, the Bureau of Reclamation (Bureau). Where the Corpshas built hundreds of flood control and navigation projects, the Bureau's mission was to develop water supplies andto reclaim arid lands in the West, primarily forirrigation. Today, the Bureau manages more than 600 dams in 17 western states, providing water to approximately10 million acres of farmland and 31 millionpeople. The Bureau has undergone many changes in the last 15 years, turning from largely a dam construction agency to a self-described water resource managementagency. The agency describes the "intent" of its programs and projects as follows: to operate and maintain all facilities in a safe, efficient, economical, and reliable manner; to sustain the health and integrity of ecosystems while addressing the water demands of a growing west; and to assist states, tribal governments, and local communities in solving contemporary and future water and related resource problems in anenvironmentally, socially, and fiscally sound manner. In practice, however, the agency is somewhat limited in how it can address new demands and new priorities because of numerous statutes, compacts, and existingcontracts, which together govern the delivery of water to project users. Consequently, any proposal to changeBureau water allocation or water managementpolicies often becomes difficult to implement and extremely controversial. The Administration requested an appropriation of $852 million for FY1999 (net current budget authority), approximately $13 million more than enacted forFY1998. The Administration has again requested $143.3 million for the California Bay-Delta EcosystemRestoration program (CALFED). Although funding forthe CALFED program has been requested within the Bureau's budget, the appropriation will be allocated amongseveral federal agencies. It is expected that themajority of funding will go to the Bureau and the Corps. The FY1999 request included no new money for the Animas-La Plata project, a controversial water supply project in southwestern Colorado. Rather, theproposed budget would allocate $3 million in existing appropriations authority for ongoing preconstruction workwhile changes to the project's constructionauthorization are under consideration. The House-Senate conference agreement included $780.5 million in net current authority for the Bureau for FY1999 -- $71.5 million less than requested, and$58.7 million less than enacted for FY1998. The Senate had recommended an appropriation of $837.1 million; theHouse had recommended an appropriation of$762.8 million. The conferees agreed upon $75 million for the CALFED program, which is $68.3 million less than requested. On a related matter, the conferees direct theDepartment of the Interior to provide as soon as possible an implementation plan for the Anadromous FishRestoration Plan required under the Central ValleyProject Improvement Act (CVPIA, P.L. 102-575 , Title 34). The conference agreement included $3 million for resource management and development for the Animas-La Plata project, the same amount as requested. The Senate Appropriations Committee report took issue with several other items within the Bureau's budget, including: 1) recommending a reduction of $3.5million in fish and wildlife coordination, mitigation, and native species activities associated with the Central Arizona Project; 2) directing the Department of theInterior to keep constant budget levels for the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center to avoid unauthorizedexpansion of the program; 3) prohibiting theBureau from using funds for evaluations of current practices, with an aim towards finding ways to managecompeting demands for water; and 4) directing theagency to explore ways to consolidate ecosystem restoration activities carried out under the CVPIA. The House Appropriations Committee report included language encouraging the Bureau to better coordinate ecosystem activities carried out through the CALFEDprogram and under CVPIA.