[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 9523]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 H.R. 1495, WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 2007; VOTE 233: ON THE 
                  MOTION TO RECOMMIT WITH INSTRUCTIONS

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                           HON. JOHN J. HALL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 19, 2007

  Mr. HALL of New York. Madam Speaker, although I am a staunch advocate 
of increasing the use of hydroelectric power to meet America's energy 
needs, I voted against the motion to recommit H.R. 1495 because it does 
not constitute a good-faith effort to meet this important goal.
  Under the guise of supporting renewable energy, the amending language 
contained in the motion to recommit would have directed the Secretary 
to undertake a boundless survey of America's waterways and wherever 
possible to augment existing hydroelectric dams or build new ones. 
While supporters of the motion may attempt to portray it as advancing 
``green'' solutions to our energy challenges, the reality is that the 
language only required economic considerations to be taken into account 
and provided no framework or guidance regarding the environmental 
suitability of potential hydroelectric sites or requirements to account 
for environmental impact mitigation or wildlife protection.
  I am strongly supportive of exploring beneficial ways to increase the 
role that hydroelectricity plays in our energy mix, and look forward to 
working with my colleagues on pursuing environmentally responsible 
hydroelectric options such as installing low-head hydroelectric 
turbines in existing small dams. It is extremely important that we 
explore such alternatives, but we must do so in a way that is 
thoughtful, measured, and responsible. The language in the motion to 
recommit could have opened the door to reckless, counterproductive 
hydroelectric projects and so I chose to vote against it.

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