[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7487 Reported in House (RH)]
<DOC>
Union Calendar No. 676
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7487
[Report No. 119-775]
To amend the Reclamation Project Act of 1939 to encourage non-Federal
hydropower development with respect to Bureau of Reclamation projects.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 11, 2026
Ms. Boebert (for herself and Mr. Gray) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources
August 27, 2026
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed
in italic]
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on
February 11, 2026]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Reclamation Project Act of 1939 to encourage non-Federal
hydropower development with respect to Bureau of Reclamation projects.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Rural Jobs and Hydropower Expansion
Act''.
SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO RECLAMATION PROJECT ACT.
Section 9(c) of the Reclamation Project Act of 1939 (43 U.S.C.
485h(c); 53 Stat. 1194) is amended--
(1) by striking the subsection designation and inserting
the following:
``(c) Furnishing Water to Municipalities; Sale of Electric Power;
Lease of Power Privileges.--'';
(2) in paragraph (1), by striking ``small conduit
hydropower using Bureau of Reclamation facilities and pumped
storage hydropower exclusively using Bureau of Reclamation
reservoirs'' and inserting ``hydropower using all Bureau of
Reclamation facilities'';
(3) in paragraph (2)(A)--
(A) by striking ``applicable transferred conduit''
and inserting ``applicable transferred works
facility'';
(B) by striking ``applicable reserved conduit'' and
inserting ``applicable reserved works facility''; and
(C) by striking ``power privilege offer for a small
conduit'' and inserting ``power privilege offer for
the'';
(4) in paragraph (3), by striking ``small conduit'' and
inserting ``applicable'';
(5) in paragraph (4), by striking ``small conduit
hydropower'';
(6) in paragraph (6)--
(A) by inserting ``, or the management of Bureau of
Reclamation facilities specially authorized for
hydropower generation'' before ``, as water used'';
(B) by striking ``conduit'' before ``hydropower
generation'';
(C) by striking ``shall be deemed incidental to''
inserting ``shall be deemed secondary to''; and
(D) by striking ``transferred conduit'' and
inserting ``transferred works facility'';
(7) in paragraph (7), by striking ``conduit'';
(8) in paragraph (8)--
(A) by inserting ``(referred to in this section as
an `authorization')'' before ``issued by the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission'';
(B) by striking ``August 9, 2013,'' and inserting
``the date of the enactment of the Rural Jobs and
Hydropower Expansion Act''; and
(C) by adding at the end ``Any authorization issued
by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission with
respect to a project shall remain in place until such
authorization becomes inactive. As allowed by the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, an authorization
may be renewed and remain active. Once the
authorization becomes inactive, project site
jurisdiction shall shift to the Bureau of Reclamation
exclusively.'';
(9) by redesignating paragraph (9) as paragraph (10);
(10) by inserting after paragraph (8) the following:
``(9) Nothing in this section shall expand or otherwise
amend the Bureau of Reclamation lease of power privilege
authorities outside the project boundary.''; and
(11) in paragraph (10), as so redesignated--
(A) by striking subparagraphs (A), (C), (D), and
(E);
(B) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as
subparagraph (A); and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(B) Reserved works facility.--The term
`reserved works facility' means those
facilities owned by the Bureau of Reclamation
where the Bureau of Reclamation has retained
responsibility for carrying out operation and
maintenance activities.
``(C) Transferred works facility.--The term
`transferred works facility' means a project
facility where the operations and maintenance
of that facility is carried out by a non-
Federal entity under the provisions of a formal
operations and maintenance transfer
contract.''.
Union Calendar No. 676
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7487
[Report No. 119-775]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Reclamation Project Act of 1939 to encourage non-Federal
hydropower development with respect to Bureau of Reclamation projects.
_______________________________________________________________________
August 27, 2026
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed