State natural-resources agency outlines surge in federal funds, climate and water priorities

Julie Moore, secretary of the Agency of Natural Resources, told the House Energy and Digital Infrastructure Committee on Jan. 15 that ANR’s budget and program priorities have shifted sharply because of large federal grants and recently enacted federal laws.

Moore said ANR’s full-time staff is about 650 and that the agency’s FY26 budget is expected to be “north of $330,000,000,” up from roughly $125,000,000 in FY18. She said much of the growth reflects federal sources, including nearly $200 million from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), roughly $450 million from the bipartisan infrastructure law and new amounts from the Inflation Reduction Act.

The agency’s federal funding, Moore said, has allowed large-scale investment in drinking- and wastewater projects, replacement of failed private wells and septic systems, combined-sewer-overflow remediation and lead-service-line replacement. The secretary added that ANR has received a climate pollution reduction grant and IRA funding for conservation work administered by the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation.

The nuts and bolts: Moore said many water infrastructure allocations are structured as revolving loan funds and will return to ANR for reinvestment over time. She also warned that the federal funding spike is likely temporary and that the agency’s historic funding mix—roughly one-third federal, one-third general, one-third special funds—has shifted heavily toward federal dollars.

Moore highlighted several ongoing, statutory and programmatic priorities ANR will press this session: developing a resilience implementation strategy tied to the revised climate action plan due July 1; implementing the state’s environmental-justice law and expanding public engagement; work under the Flood Resilience Act on dam safety, river-corridor development rules and wetlands protections; and ongoing efforts to address emerging contaminants, especially PFAS and PCBs.

On conservation, Moore said ANR submitted a plan under Act 59 that inventories conserved lands and that the state has achieved about 26–27% permanent protection to date. The plan, she said, lays groundwork to pursue permanent protection of 30% of the state’s lands and to consider tools to reach up to 50% by 2050.

In response to committee questions, Moore and deputy secretary Charles Martin said ANR will deliver a joint report with the treasurer later that day on the climate super fund act and recommendations for next steps. Moore also described an annual clean-water performance report documenting roughly $600,000,000 invested over the past eight years through the Clean Water Fund.

The session closed with Moore asking the committee to allow follow-up testimony on specific programs; she emphasized the challenge of deploying large, time-limited federal grants efficiently and the administrative effort required to convert available funding into on-the-ground projects.

Moore said the agency plans to deliver the resilience implementation strategy and expects continued committee engagement as the administration refines proposals and program details.