[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.

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