115 HR 3144 RH: To provide for operations of the Federal Columbia River Power System pursuant to a certain operation plan for a specified period of time, and for other purposes. U.S. House of Representatives 2017-06-29 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

IB Union Calendar No. 492 115th CONGRESS2d Session H. R. 3144 [Report No. 115–643, Part I] IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES June 29, 2017 Mrs. McMorris Rodgers (for herself, Ms. Herrera Beutler, Mr. Newhouse, Mr. Schrader, and Mr. Walden) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned April 18, 2018Additional sponsors: Mr. Amodei, Mr. Labrador, Mr. Gianforte, and Mr. Gosar April 18, 2018 Reported from the Committee on Natural Resources April 18, 2018The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure discharged; committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printedA BILL To provide for operations of the Federal Columbia River Power System pursuant to a certain operation plan for a specified period of time, and for other purposes.

1.

Definitions

For the purposes of this Act: (1)

FCRPS

The term FCRPS means the Federal Columbia River Power System. (2)

Secretaries

The term Secretaries means— (A)the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Reclamation; (B)the Secretary of Energy, acting through the Bonneville Power Administration; and (C)Secretaries of the Army, acting through the Army Corps of Engineers. (3)

Supplemental Opinion

The term Supplemental Opinion means the document titled Endangered Species Act Section 7(a)(2) Supplemental Biological Opinion, NOAA Fisheries Log Number NWR–2013–9562, and dated January 17, 2014, which supplements, without replacing, the 2008 and 2010 FCRPS Biological Opinions and the Reasonable and Prudent Alternative contained therein.

2.

Operation of FCRPS

The Secretaries shall operate the FCRPS in a manner consistent with the reasonable and prudent alternative set forth in the Supplemental Opinion until the later of the following dates: (1)September 30, 2022. (2)The date upon which a subsequent final biological opinion for the FCRPS operations is— (A)issued after completion of the final environmental impact statement on a record of decision for a new operations plan for the FCRPS; and (B)in effect, with no pending further judicial review.

3.

Amendments to Supplemental Opinion

(a)

In general

Notwithstanding section 2, the Secretaries may amend portions of the Supplemental Opinion and operate the FCRPS in accordance with such amendments, before the date established under section 2 if all of the Secretaries determine, in the sole discretion of each Secretary, that— (1)the amendment is necessary for public safety or transmission and grid reliability; or (2)the actions, operations, or other requirements that the amendment would remove are no longer warranted. (b)

Restriction on amendments

The process described in subsection (a) shall be the only method by which the Secretaries may operate the FCRPS during the time period established under section 2 in any way that is not consistent with the reasonable and prudent alternatives set forth in the Supplemental Opinion.

4.

Limitation on restricting FCRPS electrical generation or navigation on the Snake River

No structural modification, action, study, or engineering plan that restricts electrical generation at any Federal Columbia Power System hydroelectric dam, or that limits navigation on the Snake River in the State of Washington, Oregon, or Idaho, shall proceed unless such proposal is specifically and expressly authorized by an Act of Congress enacted after the date of submission to Congress of a proposal for such modification, action, study, or engineering plan, respectively.

April 18, 2018 Reported from the Committee on Natural ResourcesApril 18, 2018The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure discharged; committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed