House passes water bill naming Alaska harbor, flood and water projects; Senate still has to act

The U.S. House has passed a water infrastructure bill that names projects across Alaska, from Kodiak's aging harbor to glacial flooding in Juneau. None of them are final until the Senate passes its version and the two chambers agree on a single bill.

The House approved the Water Resources Development Act of 2026 on Sept. 16 by a vote of 415-9. Nationally, it authorizes 133 new U.S. Army Corps of Engineers studies and 14 projects the Corps has vetted as ready for construction, according to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Authorization lets the Corps take on the work, but the money itself still has to be approved separately.

In Alaska, the House bill lists Kodiak Harbor as a navigation project, directs faster work on Mendenhall Glacier flooding in Juneau and authorizes new studies in Galena, Petersburg, Sitka and near Kodiak. It includes $7 million for water projects in Sitka, $3.3 million for Nelson Lagoon and $1.3 million for Soldotna.

Rep. Nick Begich, Alaska's only House member, said the bill advances locally driven priorities across the state. At a Sept. 13 fisheries debate in Kodiak, he said the city's harbor floats were installed in 1982 and that "this harbor infrastructure is literally falling apart."

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee advanced its own version in July. It also speeds up Corps work on Juneau's glacial flooding and carries the same water project money for Sitka, Nelson Lagoon and Soldotna. It goes further in a few places. It protects the national security purpose of Nome's Arctic port project, adds $2.1 million for Ouzinkie, and authorizes $60 million a year through 2030 for sanitation in rural and Alaska Native villages. According to Sen. Dan Sullivan's office, it also authorizes studies for harbor and flood work in Kodiak, Petersburg, Talkeetna and Unalaska.

Sullivan's office said he intends to bring the Senate version to the floor. After that, the House and Senate would need to settle on one bill before any of the Alaska projects become law.