House hydropower subcommittee calls for expanded infrastructure

A hearing held recently by the House Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans covered two bills that would help expand hydropower infrastructure.

“This hearing marks another step towards improving our nation’s infrastructure,” Subcommittee Chairman Doug Lamborn (R-CO) said. “Today’s main focus is on what we can do to empower regional, state and
local leaders in developing hydropower at zero federal cost.”

Lamborn’s Discussion Draft, the Bureau of Reclamation Pumped Storage Hydropower Development Act, would simplify the permitting process for non-federal pumped storage hydroelectric projects at some
Bureau of Reclamation facilities. It would change permitting from involving two processes and two
separate agencies to involving just one process and one agency.

Rep. Don Young (R-AK) introduced H.R. 220, which would authorize the expansion of the Terror Lake hydroelectric project on Kodiak Island, Alaska by adding 33,000 megawatt-hours of generation each year.

Due to the short construction season on Kodiak Island, it is critical that the project move forward quickly if it is to be completed in the near future. Without the Terror Lake project, Kodiack communities would rely on diesel fuel to meet energy demand.

“H.R. 220 is a common-sense approach for meeting Kodiak’s projected energy growth by maximizing existing infrastructure and meeting our community’s commitment to clean, affordable and reliable energy,” President and CEO of Kodiak Electric Association, Inc. Darron Scott said.