A Senate Energy and Natural Resources subcommittee will delve this week into legislation aimed at alleviating drought across the West, as well as proposals to address water infrastructure elsewhere in the nation.
The Subcommittee on Water and Power hearing on 18 proposals comes as the seven-state Colorado River Basin blew a deadline earlier this month to agree on a new long-term operating plan for the waterway, including how to dole out the pain of expected reductions in flows.
The hearing agenda includes full committee Chair Mike Lee’s (R-Utah) S. 3743, which would direct the Interior Department to conduct a study on how best to improve hydropower performance at the Glen Canyon Dam, while addressing invasive species in the region downstream of the Lake Powell reservoir.
“This bill takes a practical step toward understanding whether modern engineering solutions can improve performance while dealing with real ecological concerns. Before committing ratepayers or taxpayers to major infrastructure changes, we should understand what works, what does not, and what delivers the best return,” Lee said in a statement last month.
