Senate advances amendment containing hydropower provisions

The U.S. Senate on Monday advanced several provisions related to hydropower incorporated into an amendment to H.R. 5895, the first fiscal year 2019 appropriations package.

Amendment 3059 includes 10 hydropower bills that the Senate, the House of Representatives or both chambers advanced in the 114th and 115th Congress. Every measure in the amendment was reported favorably by the Energy and Natural Resources Committee by voice vote in the current Congress. The amendment was added to the minibus last week by unanimous consent.

Provisions included in the amendment would enable the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to extend the construction start time for a licensed hydro project by up to 10 years without an act of Congress as well as to extend existing FERC licenses for projects seeking to add capacity to non-powered dams.

It also authorizes the expansion of the Terror Lake project in Kodiak, Alaska, which provides Kodiak and the largest Coast Guard base in the United States with energy. Additionally, the amendment authorizes a stay of the hydroelectric license for the Mahoney Lake Hydroelectric Project in Ketchikan, Alaska and corrects a survey error to convey up to 25.8 additional acres of land to Southeast Alaska Power Association (SEAPA) to expand the Swan Lake dam reservoir and generate additional electricity for Ketchikan and southeast Alaska.

Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) sponsored the amendment with Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Steve Daines (R-MT), Richard Burr (R-NC) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) as cosponsors.

“I thank Sen. Manchin and my colleagues for their strong support to help Alaska and our nation continue to develop our clean, abundant hydropower resources,” Murkowski, chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, said. “As with so many energy projects, the timelines and process associated with hydro projects can be cumbersome, challenging to navigate, and cost companies tens of millions of dollars. Our amendment will provide greater certainty to these projects, including Terror Lake in Kodiak, Alaska, which will be able to provide nearly 100 percent clean, renewable, and affordable power to the city of Kodiak and the nation’s largest U.S. Coast Guard base for years to come.”