[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 36 (Wednesday, March 13, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Page S1787]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. MURKOWSKI (for herself, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Risch, Ms. 
        Cantwell, Mr. Crapo, Mrs. Murray, and Mr. Begich):
  S. 545. 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 legislation 
aimed at increasing the production of our hardest working renewable 
resource, one that often gets overlooked in the clean energy debate--
hydropower. The Hydropower Improvement Act of 2013 is a bipartisan bill 
co-sponsored by my colleagues Senators Wyden, Risch, Cantwell, Crapo, 
Murray, and Begich, true hydropower advocates. The Hydropower 
Improvement Act of 2013 seeks to increase substantially 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 approximately 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 over 200 million metric 
tons 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's because conventional wisdom dismisses our Nation's 
hydropower capacity as tapped out. That is simply not the case. If 
anything, hydropower is really an underdeveloped 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 Department of Energy, 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 2013 seeks to multiply our nation's 
hydropower capacity in an effort to expand clean power generation and 
create domestic jobs. The bill provides the Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission with the authority to extend preliminary permit terms and to 
explore a possible 2-year licensing process for hydropower development 
at non-powered dams and closed loop pumped storage projects. The bill 
establishes an expedited process for FERC to consider ``qualifying 
conduit'' hydropower facilities and increases the rated capacity for 
small hydro projects to 10 megawatts. The act also calls for the 
Department of Energy to conduct studies of the technical flexibility 
and grid reliability benefits that pumped storage facilities can 
provide to support intermittent renewable energy, as well as on the 
range of opportunities for conduit hydropower potential. Importantly, 
the Hydropower Improvement Act of 2013 does not contain any spending 
authorizations and therefore does not represent any 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, 
toward our clean energy goals. Our colleagues in the House have already 
done so. The Hydropower Improve Act of 2013 is a companion piece to 
H.R. 267, the Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act of 2013 sponsored by 
Representatives McMorris-Rogers and DeGette. H.R. 267 recently passed 
the House by a stunning 422-0 vote and is supported by both the 
National Hydropower Association and American Rivers. I ask my 
colleagues to join me in supporting this hydropower legislation to 
promote the further development of our most cost-effective, clean 
energy option.
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