The House of Representatives has passed the Hydropower Licensing Transparency Act, a bipartisan bill introduced by Rep. Kim Schrier (D-Wash., 8th District) and Rep. Russ Fulcher (R-Idaho, 1st District).
The bill requires the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to provide Congress with an annual report on the status of hydropower dam licensing and relicensing applications. Supporters say the measure is intended to increase efficiency and transparency in a process that can take seven to ten years to complete.
“The Hydropower Licensing Transparency Act will provide greater transparency regarding progress made on hydropower dam licensing and make the overall process more efficient,” Schrier said. “I am proud to join my colleagues to pass this bill that will help our nation meet rising energy demand by streamlining the permitting of clean, affordable energy.”
Fulcher said the legislation is needed to address delays at FERC. “Hydropower is an essential and dependable baseload energy source for the Northwest,” he said. “FERC has not demonstrated its ability to license and relicense facilities in a timely manner to meet the growing demands of the region and support this clean energy. More congressional oversight is needed to increase transparency, address bottlenecks, and help ensure applicants can move through FERC’s process more efficiently.”
Kirk Hudson, general manager of the Chelan County Public Utility District, said the bill would help ensure hydropower projects are not held up by “unnecessary permitting delays.” He called hydropower “essential to meeting our region’s rapidly increasing energy demand.”
Thomas O’Keefe, policy and science director at American Whitewater, said the bill “empowers communities, Tribes, resource agencies, and stakeholders with the information they need to ensure that these critical decisions reflect today’s environmental values, energy priorities, and public interests.”
Malcolm Woolf, president and CEO of the National Hydropower Association, said relicensing can take longer than licensing a new nuclear plant. “It’s baffling!” he said. He called the bill “an important first step toward much-needed hydropower licensing reform” and urged the Senate to pass it quickly.
Under federal law, hydropower facilities must renew their licenses every 30 to 50 years. A Department of Energy report projects that FERC’s relicensing workload will more than double in the next decade. The new legislation is aimed at helping meet energy needs in the Pacific Northwest by making the process more transparent.
