Energy and Commerce democrats request second hearing on hydropower improvements
A group of Energy and Commerce Committee Democrats recently sent a letter to Full Committee Chair Greg Walden (R-OR) and Energy Subcommittee Chair Fred Upton (R-MI) to request a second hearing on making improvements to hydropower licensing, operations and development.
The Subcommittee held a hearing on March 15 entitled “Modernizing Energy Infrastructure: challenges and Opportunities to Expanding Hydropower Generation.”
The group of democrats, who include Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and 12 Energy Subcommittee Democrats, are advising the second hearing in order to gather testimony on hydropower licensing from representatives of states, resource agencies and Native American Tribes.
This testimony is necessary, the democrats wrote, to gain a complete understanding of the effects of the 2005 hydropower license process reforms and the changes that could improve the licensing and relicensing process.
“Hydroelectric power provides substantial, virtually carbon-free, baseload energy at low cost to our manufacturing sector and to residential and commercial consumers,” the committee Democrats wrote. “It is an important asset that we believe is essential to maintain. In order to move forward on considering any legislative changes to current law in a knowledgeable manner, the Committee must hear from those who propose the conditions including licenses.”
