The National Hydropower Association has spoken out against the US government Administration's comments regarding the proposed North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act of 2015 (HR8).
“The administration's concerns with the provisions to modernise the hydropower licensing process are greatly at odds with the President's urgent need to address climate change.....as hydropower today reduces our carbon footprint by 42M cars each year," NHA Executive Director Linda Church Ciocci declared. "The Administration's opposition also lends credence to the myth that improving the licensing process would upend environmental statutes. That myth has already been discredited by the facts."
“If we are truly serious about securing our nation's clean energy future then it's time to increase the production of our nation's largest source of renewable electricity," Church Ciocci added. "It's undeniable that delays and a lack of coordination in the process are causing the permitting of hydropower facilities to take a decade or longer. Simply put, the hydropower measures do not have the unintended effect of rolling back environmental protections. Going forward, we will continue working with the Administration and Congress to pass a common sense clean energy proposal that protects environmental values."
The Administration said that it strongly opposes HR8 because it would undermine already successful initiatives designed to modernise US energy infrastructure, increase efficiency and minimise negative environmental impacts associated with the siting of hydropower projects. By creating a new exemption from licensing, the Administration believes that HR8 would "undercut bedrock environmental statutes" including the Clean Water Act, the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act.
The Administration Policy statement concludes that if the President were presented with HR8, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto the bill.
