[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 70 (Tuesday, April 21, 2026)]
[House]
[Pages H3024-H3025]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EXTENSION OF TIME TO COMMENCE CONSTRUCTION OF CERTAIN HYDROPOWER
PROJECTS
Mrs. HARSHBARGER. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass
the bill (S. 1020) to require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
to extend the time period during which licensees are required to
commence construction of certain hydropower projects.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
S. 1020
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. EXTENSION OF TIME TO COMMENCE CONSTRUCTION OF
CERTAIN HYDROPOWER PROJECTS.
(a) Definition of Covered Project.--In this section, the
term ``covered project'' means a hydropower project with
respect to which the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
issued a license before March 13, 2020.
(b) Authorization of Extension.--Notwithstanding section 13
of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 806), on the request of a
licensee of a covered project, the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission may, after reasonable notice and for good cause
shown, extend in accordance with subsection (c) the period
during which the licensee is required to commence
construction of the covered project for not more than an
additional 6 years beyond the 8 years authorized by that
section.
(c) Period of Extension.--An extension of time to commence
construction of a covered project under subsection (b)
shall--
(1) consist of not more than 3 consecutive 2-year periods;
(2) begin on the date on which the final extension of the
period for commencement of construction granted to the
licensee under section 13 of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C.
806) expires; and
(3) end on the date that is not more than 6 years after the
latest date to which the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
is authorized to extend the period for commencement of
construction under that section.
(d) Reinstatement of Expired License.--If the time period
required under section 13 of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C.
806) to commence construction of a covered project expires
after December 31, 2023, and before the date of enactment of
this Act--
(1) the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission may reinstate
the license for the applicable project effective as of the
date of expiration of the license; and
(2) the extension authorized under subsection (b) shall
take effect on the date of that expiration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
Tennessee (Mrs. Harshbarger) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr.
Pallone) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Tennessee.
General Leave
Mrs. HARSHBARGER. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks
on the legislation and to insert extraneous material on S. 1020.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Tennessee?
There was no objection.
Mrs. HARSHBARGER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of S. 1020, led by Senator Daines
and, in the House of Representatives, by Representative Newhouse.
Hydropower is a critical part of our Nation's energy mix, supplying
baseload power to approximately 30 million homes and businesses and
accounting for 40 percent of our black start capacity.
S. 1020 authorizes the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC,
to extend construction deadlines for critical hydropower projects
licensed before March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted global
supply chains and halted many projects.
Current law requires hydropower projects to commence construction
within 10 years of receiving a license. This legislation allows FERC to
authorize an additional 6 years for certain projects to ensure fully
licensed infrastructure is not permanently halted, depriving Americans
of reliable energy.
There are currently 37 projects, across 15 States, that are at risk
of losing licenses without the passage of this bill providing
additional construction time.
These projects in limbo would provide energy that is imperative to
power our communities, win the artificial intelligence race, and lower
electricity prices for consumers.
I urge my colleagues to support S. 1020, and I reserve the balance of
my time.
Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 1020, which will grant
an extension to hydropower projects impacted by the COVID pandemic.
The Federal Power Act requires hydropower projects to start
construction within 2 years of receiving a license from the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC. Subsequent amendments have
allowed FERC to grant extensions of up to 8 years to a project's
construction deadline.
While I think it makes sense to have a hydropower license expire if a
project can't start construction within a decade of the license being
issued, I recognize that the COVID pandemic and resulting supply chain
issues wreaked havoc on the hydropower industry. Therefore, this bill
would allow FERC to grant up to 6 additional years for projects whose
licenses were issued prior to COVID to start construction and would
allow FERC to reinstate the licenses of projects whose authorizations
have since expired.
Madam Speaker, I will note that this authority is not a blank check
to any developer with a license issued pre-COVID. The bill explicitly
only allows FERC to grant an extension for good cause. I expect FERC to
adhere to that restriction.
In addition, I will also note that while the House has been able to
complete work on this bill, my colleagues from the Energy and Commerce
Committee, Representatives Schrier and Fulcher, have another bill on
hydropower, H.R. 3657, that has been sitting in the Senate for 9
months. I certainly hope our friends over in the Senate can pass that
bill, which grants additional transparency into the hydropower
licensing process as soon as possible.
Madam Speaker, in any case, I urge my colleagues to support this
bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. HARSHBARGER. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I close by saying, again, that our
committee is always concerned about hydropower. I urge my colleagues to
support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mrs. HARSHBARGER. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume
to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Newhouse).
Mr. NEWHOUSE. Madam Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to talk on
this very important bill.
As everybody who knows me knows, I am a huge fan of hydropower. The
Pacific Northwest boasts some of the most abundant form of low-cost,
carbon-free renewable baseload power in the country, and I want to see
other parts of the country be able to enjoy the same kind of benefits
that we do in the Pacific Northwest from hydropower.
That is why this legislation is so important. It will extend the
deadline so that construction projects can commence because their
licensing opportunities will be extended.
Our country needs this hydropower. We need all forms of power, but
this, in particular, is something that will help us provide a critical
role in meeting the growing demand that we see throughout our country.
As I said, this is baseload power. It is carbon-free. It is something
that is important to everybody in the country to make sure that we are
good stewards of our environment.
I appreciate the opportunity to be able to speak in favor of an
option that we have in front of us that potentially could provide 2.5
gigawatts more power in the near future, which will go a long ways in
meeting the important demands that we have in our electrical future.
Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this
legislation.
Mrs. HARSHBARGER. Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to vote
``yes'' on S. 1020, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Harshbarger) that the House suspend
the rules and pass the bill, S. 1020.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
[[Page H3025]]
Mrs. HARSHBARGER. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
____________________