[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 146 (Monday, October 3, 2011)]
[House]
[Pages H6476-H6480]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HOOVER POWER ALLOCATION ACT OF 2011
Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass
the bill (H.R. 470) to further allocate and expand the availability of
hydroelectric power generated at Hoover Dam, and for other purposes, as
amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 470
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 ``Hoover Power Allocation Act
of 2011''.
SEC. 2. ALLOCATION OF CONTRACTS FOR POWER.
(a) Schedule A Power.--Section 105(a)(1)(A) of the Hoover
Power Plant Act of 1984 (43 U.S.C. 619a(a)(1)(A)) is
amended--
(1) by striking ``renewal'';
(2) by striking ``June 1, 1987'' and inserting ``October 1,
2017''; and
(3) by striking Schedule A and inserting the following:
[[Page H6477]]
``Schedule A Long-term Schedule A contingent capacity and associated firm energy for offers of contracts to
Boulder Canyon project contractors
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contingent Firm energy (thousands of kWh)
Contractor capacity ------------------------------------------
(kW) Summer Winter Total
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California....... 249,948 859,163 368,212 1,227,375
City of Los Angeles...................................... 495,732 464,108 199,175 663,283
Southern California Edison Company....................... 280,245 166,712 71,448 238,160
City of Glendale......................................... 18,178 45,028 19,297 64,325
City of Pasadena......................................... 11,108 38,622 16,553 55,175
City of Burbank.......................................... 5,176 14,070 6,030 20,100
Arizona Power Authority.................................. 190,869 429,582 184,107 613,689
Colorado River Commission of Nevada...................... 190,869 429,582 184,107 613,689
United States, for Boulder City.......................... 20,198 53,200 22,800 76,000
------------------------------------------------------
Totals................................................... 1,462,323 2,500,067 1,071,729 ''3,571,796''.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(b) Schedule B Power.--Section 105(a)(1)(B) of the Hoover
Power Plant Act of 1984 (43 U.S.C. 619a(a)(1)(B)) is amended
to read as follows:
``(B) To each existing contractor for power generated at
Hoover Dam, a contract, for delivery commencing October 1,
2017, of the amount of contingent capacity and firm energy
specified for that contractor in the following table:
``Schedule B Long-term Schedule B contingent capacity and associated firm energy for offers of contracts to
Boulder Canyon project contractors
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contingent Firm energy (thousands of kWh)
Contractor capacity -----------------------------------
(kW) Summer Winter Total
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
City of Glendale............................................... 2,020 2,749 1,194 3,943
City of Pasadena................................................ 9,089 2,399 1,041 3,440
City of Burbank................................................. 15,149 3,604 1,566 5,170
City of Anaheim................................................. 40,396 34,442 14,958 49,400
City of Azusa................................................... 4,039 3,312 1,438 4,750
City of Banning................................................. 2,020 1,324 576 1,900
City of Colton.................................................. 3,030 2,650 1,150 3,800
City of Riverside............................................... 30,296 25,831 11,219 37,050
City of Vernon.................................................. 22,218 18,546 8,054 26,600
Arizona......................................................... 189,860 140,600 60,800 201,400
Nevada.......................................................... 189,860 273,600 117,800 391,400
-----------------------------------------------
Totals.......................................................... 507,977 509,057 219,796 728,853''.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(c) Schedule C Power.--Section 105(a)(1)(C) of the Hoover
Power Plant Act of 1984 (43 U.S.C. 619a(a)(1)(C)) is
amended--
(1) by striking ``June 1, 1987'' and inserting ``October 1,
2017''; and
(2) by striking Schedule C and inserting the following:
``Schedule C Excess Energy
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Priority of entitlement to excess energy State
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
First: Meeting Arizona's first priority right to delivery Arizona
of excess energy which is equal in each year of operation
to 200 million kilowatthours: Provided, That in the event
excess energy in the amount of 200 million kilowatthours
is not generated during any year of operation, Arizona
shall accumulate a first right to delivery of excess
energy subsequently generated in an amount not to exceed
600 million kilowatthours, inclusive of the current year's
200 million kilowatthours. Said first right of delivery
shall accrue at a rate of 200 million kilowatthours per
year for each year excess energy in an amount of 200
million kilowatthours is not generated, less amounts of
excess energy delivered...................................
Second: Meeting Hoover Dam contractual obligations under Arizona, Nevada, and California
Schedule A of subsection (a)(1)(A), under Schedule B of
subsection (a)(1)(B), and under Schedule D of subsection
(a)(2), not exceeding 26 million kilowatthours in each
year of operation.........................................
Third: Meeting the energy requirements of the three States, Arizona, Nevada, and California''.
such available excess energy to be divided equally among
the States................................................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(d) Schedule D Power.--Section 105(a) of the Hoover Power
Plant Act of 1984 (43 U.S.C. 619a(a)) is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (2), (3), and (4) as
paragraphs (3), (4), and (5), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following:
``(2)(A) The Secretary of Energy is authorized to and shall
create from the apportioned allocation of contingent capacity
and firm energy adjusted from the amounts authorized in this
Act in 1984 to the amounts shown in Schedule A and Schedule
B, as modified by the Hoover Power Allocation Act of 2011, a
resource pool equal to 5 percent of the full rated capacity
of 2,074,000 kilowatts, and associated firm energy, as shown
in Schedule D (referred to in this section as `Schedule D
contingent capacity and firm energy'):
[[Page H6478]]
``Schedule D Long-term Schedule D resource pool of contingent capacity and associated firm energy for new
allottees
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contingent Firm energy (thousands of kWh)
State capacity -----------------------------------
(kW) Summer Winter Total
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New Entities Allocated by the Secretary of Energy............... 69,170 105,637 45,376 151,013
New Entities Allocated by State
Arizona......................................................... 11,510 17,580 7,533 25,113
California..................................................... 11,510 17,580 7,533 25,113
Nevada.......................................................... 11,510 17,580 7,533 25,113
-----------------------------------------------
Totals.......................................................... 103,700 158,377 67,975 226,352
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
``(B) The Secretary of Energy shall offer Schedule D
contingency capacity and firm energy to entities not
receiving contingent capacity and firm energy under
subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (1) (referred to in
this section as `new allottees') for delivery commencing
October 1, 2017 pursuant to this subsection. In this
subsection, the term `the marketing area for the Boulder City
Area Projects' shall have the same meaning as in appendix A
of the General Consolidated Power Marketing Criteria or
Regulations for Boulder City Area Projects published in the
Federal Register on December 28, 1984 (49 Federal Register
50582 et seq.) (referred to in this section as the
`Criteria').
``(C)(i) Within 36 months of the date of enactment of the
Hoover Power Allocation Act of 2011, the Secretary of Energy
shall allocate through the Western Area Power Administration
(referred to in this section as `Western'), for delivery
commencing October 1, 2017, for use in the marketing area for
the Boulder City Area Projects 66.7 percent of the Schedule D
contingent capacity and firm energy to new allottees that are
located within the marketing area for the Boulder City Area
Projects and that are--
``(I) eligible to enter into contracts under section 5 of
the Boulder Canyon Project Act (43 U.S.C. 617d); or
``(II) federally recognized Indian tribes.
``(ii) In the case of Arizona and Nevada, Schedule D
contingent capacity and firm energy for new allottees other
than federally recognized Indian tribes shall be offered
through the Arizona Power Authority and the Colorado River
Commission of Nevada, respectively. Schedule D contingent
capacity and firm energy allocated to federally recognized
Indian tribes shall be contracted for directly with Western.
``(D) Within 1 year of the date of enactment of the Hoover
Power Allocation Act of 2011, the Secretary of Energy also
shall allocate, for delivery commencing October 1, 2017, for
use in the marketing area for the Boulder City Area Projects
11.1 percent of the Schedule D contingent capacity and firm
energy to each of--
``(i) the Arizona Power Authority for allocation to new
allottees in the State of Arizona;
``(ii) the Colorado River Commission of Nevada for
allocation to new allottees in the State of Nevada; and
``(iii) Western for allocation to new allottees within the
State of California, provided that Western shall have 36
months to complete such allocation.
``(E) Each contract offered pursuant to this subsection
shall include a provision requiring the new allottee to pay a
proportionate share of its State's respective contribution
(determined in accordance with each State's applicable
funding agreement) to the cost of the Lower Colorado River
Multi-Species Conservation Program (as defined in section
9401 of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009
(Public Law 111-11; 123 Stat. 1327)), and to execute the
Boulder Canyon Project Implementation Agreement Contract No.
95-PAO-10616 (referred to in this section as the
`Implementation Agreement').
``(F) Any of the 66.7 percent of Schedule D contingent
capacity and firm energy that is to be allocated by Western
that is not allocated and placed under contract by October 1,
2017, shall be returned to those contractors shown in
Schedule A and Schedule B in the same proportion as those
contractors' allocations of Schedule A and Schedule B
contingent capacity and firm energy. Any of the 33.3 percent
of Schedule D contingent capacity and firm energy that is to
be distributed within the States of Arizona, Nevada, and
California that is not allocated and placed under contract by
October 1, 2017, shall be returned to the Schedule A and
Schedule B contractors within the State in which the Schedule
D contingent capacity and firm energy were to be distributed,
in the same proportion as those contractors' allocations of
Schedule A and Schedule B contingent capacity and firm
energy.''.
(e) Total Obligations.--Paragraph (3) of section 105(a) of
the Hoover Power Plant Act of 1984 (43 U.S.C. 619a(a)) (as
redesignated as subsection (d)(1)) is amended--
(1) in the first sentence, by striking ``schedule A of
section 105(a)(1)(A) and schedule B of section 105(a)(1)(B)''
and inserting ``paragraphs (1)(A), (1)(B), and (2)''; and
(2) in the second sentence--
(A) by striking ``any'' each place it appears and inserting
``each'';
(B) by striking ``schedule C'' and inserting ``Schedule
C''; and
(C) by striking ``schedules A and B'' and inserting
``Schedules A, B, and D''.
(f) Power Marketing Criteria.--Paragraph (4) of section
105(a) of the Hoover Power Plant Act of 1984 (43 U.S.C.
619a(a)) (as redesignated as subsection (d)(1)) is amended to
read as follows:
``(4) Subdivision C of the Criteria shall be deemed to have
been modified to conform to this section, as modified by the
Hoover Power Allocation Act of 2011. The Secretary of Energy
shall cause to be included in the Federal Register a notice
conforming the text of the regulations to such
modifications.''.
(g) Contract Terms.--Paragraph (5) of section 105(a) of the
Hoover Power Plant Act of 1984 (43 U.S.C. 619a(a)) (as
redesignated as subsection (d)(1)) is amended--
(1) by striking subparagraph (A) and inserting the
following:
``(A) in accordance with section 5(a) of the Boulder Canyon
Project Act (43 U.S.C. 617d(a)), expire September 30,
2067;'';
(2) in the proviso of subparagraph (B)--
(A) by striking ``shall use'' and inserting ``shall
allocate''; and
(B) by striking ``and'' after the semicolon at the end;
(3) in subparagraph (C), by striking the period at the end
and inserting a semicolon; and
(4) by adding at the end the following:
``(D) authorize and require Western to collect from new
allottees a pro rata share of Hoover Dam repayable advances
paid for by contractors prior to October 1, 2017, and remit
such amounts to the contractors that paid such advances in
proportion to the amounts paid by such contractors as
specified in section 6.4 of the Implementation Agreement;
``(E) permit transactions with an independent system
operator; and
``(F) contain the same material terms included in section
5.6 of those long-term contracts for purchases from the
Hoover Power Plant that were made in accordance with this Act
and are in existence on the date of enactment of the Hoover
Power Allocation Act of 2011.''.
(h) Existing Rights.--Section 105(b) of the Hoover Power
Plant Act of 1984 (43 U.S.C. 619a(b)) is amended by striking
``2017'' and inserting ``2067''.
(i) Offers.--Section 105(c) of the Hoover Power Plant Act
of 1984 (43 U.S.C. 619a(c)) is amended to read as follows:
``(c) Offer of Contract to Other Entities.--If any existing
contractor fails to accept an offered contract, the Secretary
of Energy shall offer the contingent capacity and firm energy
thus available first to other entities in the same State
listed in Schedule A and Schedule B, second to other entities
listed in Schedule A and Schedule B, third to other entities
in the same State which receive contingent capacity and firm
energy under subsection (a)(2) of this section, and last to
other entities which receive contingent capacity and firm
energy under subsection (a)(2) of this section.''.
(j) Availability of Water.--Section 105(d) of the Hoover
Power Plant Act of 1984 (43 U.S.C. 619a(d)) is amended to
read as follows:
``(d) Water Availability.--Except with respect to energy
purchased at the request of an allottee pursuant to
subsection (a)(3), the obligation of the Secretary of Energy
to deliver contingent capacity and firm energy pursuant to
contracts entered into pursuant to this section shall be
subject to availability of the water needed to produce such
contingent capacity and firm energy. In the event that water
is not available to produce the contingent capacity and firm
energy set forth in Schedule A, Schedule B, and Schedule D,
the Secretary of Energy shall adjust the contingent capacity
and firm energy offered under those Schedules in the same
proportion as those contractors' allocations of Schedule A,
Schedule B, and Schedule D contingent capacity and firm
energy bears to the full rated contingent capacity and firm
energy obligations.''.
(k) Conforming Amendments.--Section 105 of the Hoover Power
Plant Act of 1984 (43 U.S.C. 619a) is amended--
(1) by striking subsections (e) and (f); and
(2) by redesignating subsections (g), (h), and (i) as
subsections (e), (f), and (g), respectively.
(l) Continued Congressional Oversight.--Subsection (e) of
section 105 of the Hoover Power Plant Act of 1984 (43 U.S.C.
619a)) (as redesignated by subsection (k)(2)) is amended--
(1) in the first sentence, by striking ``the renewal of'';
and
[[Page H6479]]
(2) in the second sentence, by striking ``June 1, 1987, and
ending September 30, 2017'' and inserting ``October 1, 2017,
and ending September 30, 2067''.
(m) Court Challenges.--Subsection (f)(1) of section 105 of
the Hoover Power Plant Act of 1984 (43 U.S.C. 619a) (as
redesignated by subsection (k)(2)) is amended in the first
sentence by striking ``this Act'' and inserting ``the Hoover
Power Allocation Act of 2011''.
(n) Reaffirmation of Congressional Declaration of
Purpose.--Subsection (g) of section 105 of the Hoover Power
Plant Act of 1984 (43 U.S.C. 619a) (as redesignated by
subsection (k)(2)) is amended--
(1) by striking ``subsections (c), (g), and (h) of this
section'' and inserting ``this Act''; and
(2) by striking ``June 1, 1987, and ending September 30,
2017'' and inserting ``October 1, 2017, and ending September
30, 2067''.
SEC. 3. PAYGO.
The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of
complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall
be determined by reference to the latest statement titled
``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation'' for this Act,
submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the
Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that such
statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Utah (Mr. Bishop) and the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Napolitano)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Utah.
General Leave
Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Utah?
There was no objection.
Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I wish to yield such time as he may
consume to the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Heck), who is the sponsor of
this bill, to introduce this particular piece of legislation, which
does so much for the West and recognizes the importance of
hydroelectric power for those of us who live in the West.
Mr. HECK. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 470, the Hoover
Power Allocation Act of 2011.
This issue is very important to my home State of Nevada and the more
than 29 million residents across Nevada, Arizona, and California that
benefit from Hoover power.
The Hoover Dam is located in my district, and Hoover power has been
critical to southern Nevada's economy, businesses, and consumers since
the dam first started operating in 1936.
Hoover power is clean and affordable, and today we are taking an
important step toward making it stable. The Hoover power contracts are
due to expire in 2017, and H.R. 470 would authorize the continued
allocation of electricity from the Hoover Dam for the next 50 years,
until 2067.
Extending Nevada's access to low-cost, clean hydropower through the
enactment of H.R. 470 is key to Nevada's economic recovery because it
will help create certainty over future electricity prices, and
certainty is exactly what our economy needs right now in order to get
people back to work.
H.R. 470 was developed as a consensus, bipartisan plan to ensure the
continued availability and reliability of Hoover power to the citizens
of Nevada, California, and Arizona. Hoover contractors who participated
in developing this plan have invested more than $1.3 billion to
construct, operate, and maintain Hoover Dam in the past. They agreed to
contribute 5 percent of their post-2017 Hoover power allocations to
form a 100-megawatt resource pool that will be made available to
customers such as tribes, irrigation districts, and rural cooperatives
that did not have access to this power in the past.
H.R. 470 provides that this resource pool will be allocated by a
Federal-State partnership involving the Western Area Power
Administration and the States of Nevada, California, and Arizona.
Now, I understand that some Arizona cooperatives have expressed
concerns over this bill because they are unhappy with Arizona's power
allocation priority list. But this bill actually sets aside additional
power for other entities, including cooperatives, thereby increasing
the likelihood of a power allocation, and this Federal legislation
should not be used to usurp the authority of the State of Arizona.
Again, this legislation is essential to the millions of consumers who
have invested in this renewable source of energy over the past 75 years
because it will continue to provide them with Hoover power for the next
50 years, as well as allow new customers to benefit from this clean,
low-cost energy source.
I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 470, the Hoover
Power Allocation Act of 2011.
Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
(Mrs. NAPOLITANO asked and was given permission to revise and extend
her remarks.)
Mrs. NAPOLITANO. I thank Congressman Bishop, Congressman Sablan, but
especially Congressman Hastings and our staff for working on this bill.
I rise in support of H.R. 470, the Hoover Power Allocation Act of
2011, as amended. And I agree with my colleague, I agree with his
remarks. Hydropower is a very valuable resource for our country. The
power produced at Hoover provides a renewable, very affordable and
accessible resource to the American Southwest, more specifically the
States of California, my State, Nevada, and Arizona, and has 30 million
residents, businesses, farms, and tribes that benefit from its
renewable power.
A new provision in the legislation, which my colleague talked about,
would create an additional Schedule D, where power will be made
available to eligible tribes and other users. And I'm hoping that those
eligible users are mostly tribes because they've been kept out of the
loop for many generations, and I think it's time that we put them up in
the priority status, rather than at the end of the line as normally
happens.
Western Area Power Administration has committed to implementing a
full and transparent process in the allocation of this valuable
resource. And we do expect that the State regulatory agencies of
Arizona and Nevada both will follow the same procedures and commitment
to an impartial and unbiased allocation determination.
The 50-year timeframe for allocation of this resource also matches
the commitment by collaborators to fund the Lower Colorado River Multi-
Species Conservation Program, a nationally recognized example of how
diverse stakeholders can find solutions, working together, that promote
economic growth while protecting more than 100 species, including some
endangered species that everybody wants to do away with, all within the
Lower Colorado floodplain, and this is without litigation.
Mr. Speaker, this legislation has 34 bipartisan cosponsors. This
exact same bill, H.R. 4349, which I was the lead sponsor of, as was
Senator Reid in the Senate, passed the House in the 111th Congress, and
I ask my colleagues now to again not only support but vote for the
passage of H.R. 470.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I wish to yield such time as he may
consume to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gosar).
Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 470, the
Hoover Power Allocation Act of 2011. Hoover power is a vital power
resource for the consumers in the States of Arizona, California, and
Nevada, as well as over 29 million people who rely on this clean
renewable source of energy.
{time} 1640
Hydroelectric power from the Hoover Dam was first allocated by
Congress in 1928 and has been allocated by Congress ever since. The
current power contracts expire in 2017. It is important this body pass
a new allocation now to ensure the continued availability and
reliability of Hoover power to the citizens of my State and those of
California and Nevada.
The version of this legislation that this body is considering today
reflects years of thorough negotiation. It includes provisions that
address issues that were raised in the 111th Congress by the Inter
Tribal Council of Arizona and the Western Area Power Administration.
Because of that, the bill has garnered strong bipartisan support within
the Arizona House delegation and at the grassroots level.
I would like to address the concerns expressed by the Arizona
Statewide Cooperatives Association. I personally
[[Page H6480]]
met with the representatives of the association in an attempt to
address their concerns. In those meetings, it became clear the only way
to address their concerns would be to overturn existing Arizona State
law. I encouraged them to take their charge to the State level and
committed to help facilitate the initial meeting if they so desired.
However, I have consistently maintained that it would be inappropriate
for Congress to incorporate language that would preempt Arizona State
law in this legislation.
I would also like to point out that the Arizona co-ops have an
opportunity under this legislation to receive Hoover power going
forward. H.R. 470 creates a pool of 103 megawatts that will be
allocated to eligible entities, including rural electric cooperatives
and federally recognized Native American tribes. In addition, the Salt
River Project has committed, in writing, to backstop up to three
megawatts of power for the Arizona co-ops should they not receive an
allocation through this specific provision.
Let me remind my colleagues that 22 percent of the population in my
district is tribal. This would be a wonderful means of having a vested
interest and would also diversify the portfolios of the tribes in the
energy sector.
Again, I rise in support of my friend Dr. Heck's legislation, H.R.
470, and encourage my colleagues to vote ``yes.''
Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask for passage of this bill, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, this once again is a very good bill
that is before us. The fact is that the Hoover Dam in Nevada produces
more than 2,000 megawatts, which is enough to power 2 million
households, of clean electricity and captures more than 28 million acre
feet of water for the States of Arizona, Nevada, and California.
In the more than 75 years since this engineering marvel was
completed, Hoover Dam still plays a key role in fulfilling its
economic, job-creation mission. This bill simply extends part of that
mission, and it's all paid for by the electricity ratepayers. Their
rates will cover all capital, all operating, all maintenance and other
costs associated with the power component of the Hoover Dam. There is
no taxpayer cost to this bill.
I want to thank Congressman Heck for bringing this bill forward, I
also want to thank Congresswoman Napolitano for her good work on this
bill, and I would encourage my colleagues to support this no-cost, job-
supporting legislation.
I urge adoption of this measure, and with that, I yield back the
balance of my time.
Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to voice my strong support for
H.R. 470, a bill for the allocation of power from the Hoover dam.
I thank my colleague from Nevada, Representative Heck, for sponsoring
this important resolution.
I support this bill because it will ensure that many small
communities in Southern California, including the community of Colton
in my district, have access to cost effective power that is provided by
a renewable resource.
Close to 4,000 homes in Colton are powered by the Hoover dam. The
Hoover dam is one of our nation's greatest feats of engineering. It is
a symbol of American ingenuity, and representative of the success that
the Roosevelt administration had in putting our nation back to work
during the Great Depression.
In a time when our country struggles with its dependence on foreign
oil, the Hoover dam and the power that it provides shines as a beacon
of what we are capable of in harnessing renewable energy. I commend the
men who generations ago built this engineering marvel, and thank those
today who maintain it for our benefit.
I urge my colleagues to vote yes on H.R. 470--and ask that they
ensure the lights will stay on for millions of families in California,
Arizona, and Nevada.
Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of
H.R. 470 ``Hoover Power Allocation Act of 2011,'' which Amends the
Hoover Power Plant Act of 1984 to modify, commencing October 1, 2017,
certain statutory schedules governing contracts for delivery to
specified localities in Arizona, California, and Nevada of
hydroelectric power generated at Hoover Dam. The Hoover dam represents
hope and prosperity that is possible if we, as legislators, do our job
well. To many the Hoover Dam represents hope, and with this bill we can
ensure good management of this facility into the future and hopefully
create more jobs!
In the depths of the Great Depression, when like today a slow economy
and high rate of unemployment caused great strife in the lives of
American citizens, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt showed enormous
leadership in launching the Hoover Dam project. Instead of abiding by
the general wisdom of the era, that isolationism and fiscal austerity
would insure the quickest economic recovery, FDR chose to use
government resources to help those who were suffering the most. Through
public works programs like this one, the President was able to put a
massive amount of Americans back to work and construct some of this
country's most impressive and meaningful structures. After construction
began in 1931, it took only five years to complete, finishing two years
ahead of schedule. The initiative and perseverance shown by the
American workers, many of whom gave their lives to the dam, exemplifies
the American spirit at its best. When people have a reason to believe
in their government, they will respond accordingly in their own lives.
Now it is our turn: we must ensure effective management of the dam's
power production into the future.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Utah (Mr. Bishop) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, H.R. 470, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________