Action Alert: Hydropower Title in the Energy Bill

The Energy Policy Act of 2002 is currently in the final stages of negotiation with the final conference discussions occuring this week. This is where differences between the Senate and House versions of the bill are resolved before it goes to the President.

A controversial section on regulation of hydropower dams remains to be resolved. The Senate version of the bill favors the hydropower industry by sidestepping environmental protections and saddling natural resource agencies with redundant procedural hurdles, while the House version is a compromise hammered out by conservation organizations and representatives of the hydropower industry. Both add additional procedures to an already complex regulatory process, but the House version does so without harming the environment or limiting opportunities for input by recreational river users.

Non-federal hydropower dams must receive 30- to 50-year licenses from FERC for the privilege of operating on the public's waters. Dams that are now subject to relicensing were licensed before the enactment of modern environmental laws and the explosive growth of river recreation. Laws now requre that FERC considers environmental impacts and loss of recreational opportunities when relicensing hydropower projects. It is important to ensure that any change to the relicensing process applies current environmental standards to these dams, recognizes that our rivers are a public resource, and ensures equal participation by all interested stakeholders in achieving those goals (including whitewater paddlers!).

The Senate version of the bill limits our ability to provide input in the relicensing process--the hydropower industry has clevely referred to this as "streamlining a beauracratic and cumbersome process", but what they are effectively doing is trying to limit opportunities for public input into how our public waterways are managed. If you value opportunities to paddle on rivers like the Tallulah (GA), Nisqually (WA), Bear (ID), NF Feather (CA), Black (WI) which now have scheduled releases, and support efforts currently underway to restore rivers with outdated dams like the Elwha (WA) and White Salmon (WA), then please take the time to contact your representative on the conference committee.

The Hydropower Title of the bill was discussed today and will likely come up for discussion tomorrow (the ultimate goal is to have the bill ready for the president to sign by October 4th). If your Representative is on the energy conference committee (listed below), please ask him or her to reject the Senate hydropower language in the conference on H.R. 4, the Energy Policy Act of 2002.

Information from this alert has been adapted from information provided by American Rivers. Additional information and a form to submit comments directly can be found on their web site (AR Action Alert). A phone call directly to your representative would also be extremely helpful.

Conference Committee Members:

SENATE (directory)
The Honorable Max S. Baucus (MT)
The Honorable Jeff Bingaman (NM) ** chair of Senate energy committee
The Honorable James M. Jeffords (VT)
The Honorable John F. Kerry (MA)
The Honorable Joseph I. Lieberman (CT)
The Honorable Harry M. Reid (NV)
The Honorable John D. Rockefeller IV (WV)
The Honorable John B. Breaux (LA)
The Honorable Ben Nighthorse Campbell (CO)
The Honorable Larry E. Craig (ID)
The Honorable Pete V. Domenici (NM)
The Honorable Charles E. Grassley (IA)
The Honorable Ernest F. Hollings (SC)
The Honorable Trent Lott (MS)
The Honorable Frank H. Murkowski (AK)
The Honorable Don Nickles (OK)
The Honorable Craig Thomas (WY)

HOUSE (directory)
The Honorable Roscoe G. Bartlett (MD-06)
The Honorable Joe Barton (TX-06)
The Honorable Michael Bilirakis (FL-09)
The Honorable Sherwood L. Boehlert (NY-23)
The Honorable Rick Boucher (VA-09)
The Honorable Richard M. Burr (NC-05)
The Honorable Larry Combest (TX-19)
The Honorable John Conyers, Jr. (MI-14)
The Honorable Barbara Cubin (WY-01)
The Honorable Tom DeLay (TX-22)
The Honorable John D. Dingell (MI-16)
The Honorable Paul E. Gillmor (OH-05)
The Honorable Bart Gordon (TN-06)
The Honorable Gil Gutknecht (MN-01)
The Honorable Ralph M. Hall (OH-03)
The Honorable James V. Hansen (UT-01)
The Honorable John J. LaFalce (NY-29)
The Honorable Frank D. Lucas (OK-06)
The Honorable Edward J. Markey (MA-07)
The Honorable Jim McCrery (LA-04)
The Honorable Howard P. (Buck) McKeon (CA-25)
The Honorable George Miller (CA-07)
The Honorable Dennis Moore (KS-03)
The Honorable Charlie Norwood (GA-10)
The Honorable Jim Nussle (IA-02)
The Honorable James L. Oberstar (MN-08)
The Honorable Michael G. Oxley (OH-04)
The Honorable Thomas E. Petri (WI-06)
The Honorable Nick J. Rahall II (WV-03)
The Honorable Charles B. Rangel (NY-15)
The Honorable Marge Roukema (NJ-05)
The Honorable Bobby L. Rush (IL-01)
The Honorable F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (WI-09)
The Honorable Ike Skelton (MO-04)
The Honorable Lamar Smith (TX-21)
The Honorable Clifford B. Stearns (FL-06)
The Honorable Charles W. Stenholm (TX-17)
The Honorable Bob Stump (AZ-03)
The Honorable W. J. (Billy) Tauzin (LA-03) **chairing the conference
The Honorable William M. Thomas (CA-21)
The Honorable Fred Upton (MI-06)
The Honorable Henry A. Waxman (CA-29)
The Honorable Curt Weldon (PA-07)
The Honorable Don Young (AK-01)