[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 41 (Thursday, March 17, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S1841]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. MURKOWSKI (for herself, Mr. Begich, Mr. Bingaman, Ms. 
        Cantwell, Mr. Crapo, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Risch, Mr. Whitehouse, 
        and Mr. Wyden):
  S. 629. A bill to improve hydropower, and for other purposes; to the 
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce three pieces 
of legislation aimed at increasing the production of our hardest 
working renewable resource, one that often gets overlooked in the clean 
energy debate--hydropower. The first bill I would like to introduce 
today is the Hydropower Improvement Act of 2011, cosponsored by my 
colleagues Senators Bingaman, Risch, Cantwell, Crapo, Wyden, Murray, 
Begich, and Whitehouse, true hydropower advocates. The Hydropower 
Improvement Act of 2011 seeks to substantially increase the capacity 
and generation of our clean, renewable hydropower resources that will 
improve environmental quality and support local job creation and 
economic investment across the Nation.
  There is no question that hydropower is, and must continue to be, 
part of our energy solution. It is the largest source of renewable 
electricity in the United States. The 100,000 megawatts of 
hydroelectric capacity we now have today provide about seven percent of 
the Nation's electricity needs. Hydro-electric generation is carbon-
free baseload power that allows us to avoid approximately 200 million 
metric ton of carbon emissions each year. Hydropower is clean, 
efficient, and inexpensive. Yet, despite its tremendous benefits I am 
constantly amazed at how some undervalue this important resource.
  Perhaps it is because conventional wisdom dismisses our Nation's 
hydropower capacity as tapped out. That is simply not the case. If 
anything, hydropower is really an under-developed resource--something 
we certainly understand in my home State of Alaska where hydro already 
supplies 24 percent of the State's electricity needs and over 200 
promising sites for further hydropower development have been 
identified. There is great potential for additional hydropower 
development in every state, not just Alaska.
  According to the Obama administration, conventional hydropower 
facilities have the capacity to generate an additional 75,000 megawatts 
of power--a staggering amount of clean, inexpensive power. Now that 
doesn't seem possible until you realize that only three percent of the 
country's 80,000 existing dams are even electrified. Significant 
amounts of new capacity--anywhere between 20,000 and 60,000 megawatts--
can be derived from simple efficiency improvements or capacity 
additions at existing facilities. Additional hydropower can be captured 
in existing man-made conduits and hydroelectric pumped storage projects 
can help reliably integrate other renewable resources that are 
intermittent, such as wind, onto our grid.
  The Hydropower Improvement Act of 2011 seeks to substantially 
increase our Nation's hydropower capacity in an effort to expand clean 
power generation and create domestic jobs. The legislation establishes 
a competitive grants program and directs the Energy Department to 
produce and implement a plan for the research, development and 
demonstration of increased hydropower capacity. The bill provides the 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission with the authority to extend 
preliminary permit terms; to work with federal resource agencies and 
stakeholders to make the review process for conduit and small 
hydropower projects more efficient; and to explore a possible two-year 
licensing process for hydropower development at non-powered dams and 
closed loop pumped storage projects. The act also calls for studies on 
the resource development at Bureau of Reclamation facilities and in 
conduit projects, as well as on suitable pumped storage locations. 
Importantly, by utilizing existing authorizations, the bill does not 
represent new funding.
  It is my hope that as the Senate considers our Nation's long-term 
energy policy, we can finally recognize the important contribution the 
renewable resource of hydropower makes, and will continue to make, to 
our clean energy goals. This legislation is supported by the National 
Hydropower Association, the American Public Power Association, the 
Family Farm Alliance, the National Rural Electric Cooperative 
Association, the Edison Electric Institute, and the National Water 
Resources Association. I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting the 
Hydropower Improvement Act of 2011 to promote the further development 
of our most cost-effective, clean energy option.
                                 ______