(The Center Square) – The U.S. House narrowly approved a $57.3 billion energy and water appropriations bill this week, with Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., highlighting provisions she says will deliver major benefits to Hampton Roads.
The Fiscal Year 2026 measure, passed on a 214–213 vote, funds the Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of Energy and water resource projects nationwide.
Republicans described the bill as strengthening U.S. energy dominance and military readiness. The legislation eliminates the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Justice and Equity and the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, and cuts more than $1.6 billion from renewable energy accounts compared with last year.
The Senate must still act before the legislation becomes law.
Kiggans secured $5.4 million in community project funding for the Norfolk Harbor Operations and Maintenance project. That money will support annual dredging of the harbor and Elizabeth River, along with dike work at Craney Island to ensure safe navigation for commercial shipping, military vessels and fishing boats. She said the funding will help protect coastal communities from flooding and storm damage while keeping Navy ships mission-ready.
“Coastal Virginia is the backbone of America’s naval power, and keeping our harbors safe and our shoreline strong is critical to both our national defense and our local economy,” Kiggans said in a statement.
The bill also directs new Department of Energy funding to Jefferson Lab in Newport News, one of the nation’s top nuclear physics research facilities.
Projects there include construction of a high performance data facility and expansion of the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility. Kiggans said those investments will cement Hampton Roads’ role as a hub for scientific and technological innovation.
Nationally, the legislation sets aside $20.6 billion for nuclear weapons modernization, $2.17 billion for naval reactors including the Columbia-class submarine program, and nearly $2 billion for nuclear nonproliferation. It provides $9.8 billion for the Army Corps of Engineers, including almost $2 billion for flood and storm damage reduction projects across the country.
The measure boosts funding for advanced nuclear reactors and critical minerals research while reducing spending on renewable energy accounts.
It would also eliminate the Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations and block federal support for diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Kiggans added that the measure “is about strengthening national security, growing our economy, and making sure Coastal Virginia remains at the forefront of America’s future.”
