The House approved legislation Monday homing in on hydropower licensing along with a bill to conserve wetlands.
The “Hydropower Licensing Transparency Act,” H.R. 3657 from Reps. Kim Schrier (D-Wash.) and Russ Fulcher (R-Idaho), would require annual reports from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on the status of hydropower relicensing applications. It passed by voice vote.
“With relicensing activity set to double in the coming decade, and the process typically taking seven to 10 years to complete, there are crucial reforms that are needed to cut red tape without compromising careful consideration,” Schrier said during floor debate.
House Energy and Commerce ranking member Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) said 15 percent of the nation’s electrical capacity will be undergoing the relicensing process in the near future.
