NWC NEWS ALERT (April 16, 2026)
NWC Legislative Summit, House FY2027 budget hearing, and more
NWC Legislative Summit is Next Week!
We’re less than one week out from the NWC Legislative Summit, and we’re looking forward to seeing many of you in Washington, D.C. As you prepare, be sure to check the latest agenda for a full lineup of speakers from federal agencies and Capitol Hill.
We’re especially excited to partner with PNWA for our joint Policy Day on Tuesday, April 21. In addition, NWC will host a full slate of programming on April 20 and 22. One late addition we’re pleased to highlight is Robyn Colosimo, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Project Planning and Review), Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works), who will be joining the agenda on Monday.
On Wednesday, attendees can also participate in a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers civil works related-workshop that focuses on building stronger relationships with the Corps, as well as with the agencies and congressional offices that intersect with its work. This year’s speakers bring deep expertise and practical insight, and we encourage you to take full advantage of the discussions.
Data Center Survey Responses Needed: Closes Friday, April 17, 2026
We also want to remind members that NWC has partnered with several national and regional associations to examine the issue of data centers and their implications across industries. We encourage you to respond to the data center survey, regardless of your industry segment. The survey deadline has been extended to Friday, April 16, and all responses will remain confidential.
News from Capitol Hill
In lieu of our regular Federal Spotlight, we are linking in this news alert to several federal agency meetings, actions, and other federal notices that may be of interest to members. With the Legislative Summit just ahead, we wanted to be sure these items were on your radar. We expect to resume our regular Federal Spotlight after the Summit.
On the legislative front, the House is now expected to take up H.R. 1897, the ESA Amendments Act of 2025, the week of April 20, following a slight delay from its original schedule. The bill would amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to update conservation prioritization, increase incentives for species recovery, and streamline the permitting process. NWC has submitted a letter of support for the bill, and we encourage NWC members to reach out to your House offices to express support as consideration approaches.
Looking back to last week, attention on Capitol Hill turned to the President’s fiscal year 2027 budget request, released earlier this month. That release has now kicked off the annual round of appropriations hearings, where committees hear directly from agency leadership on budget priorities and implementation.
The House Appropriations Energy and Water Development Subcommittee is holding its FY2027 Energy and Water Development budget hearing tomorrow today at 10am ET) with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation. Testifying will be the Honorable Adam Telle, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works; Lieutenant General William “Butch” Graham, Chief of Engineers and Commanding General, USACE; and Andrea Travnicek, Assistant Secretary for Water and Science at the U.S. Department of the Interior. The hearing will be available to watch online for those interested in following the discussion in real time (NWC News Alert on President’s FY2027 Budget and NWC News Alert on USACE releases FY2026 work plan).
We look forward to seeing many of you next week at the Summit.
Julie A. Ufner
President and CEO
National Waterways Conference (NWC)
703-203-4795 (cell)
waterways.org
