[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 1]
[House]
[Pages 1173-1174]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              COLLINSVILLE RENEWABLE ENERGY PROMOTION ACT

  Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 316) to reinstate and transfer certain hydroelectric 
licenses and extend the deadline for commencement of construction of 
certain hydroelectric projects.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                H.R. 316

       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 ``Collinsville Renewable 
     Energy Promotion Act''.

     SEC. 2. REINSTATEMENT OF EXPIRED LICENSES AND EXTENSION OF 
                   TIME TO COMMENCE CONSTRUCTION OF PROJECTS.

       Subject to section 4 of this Act and notwithstanding the 
     time period under section 13 of the Federal Power Act (16 
     U.S.C. 806) that would otherwise apply to Federal Energy 
     Regulatory Commission projects numbered 10822 and 10823, the 
     Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (referred to in this Act 
     as the ``Commission'') may--
       (1) reinstate the license for either or each of those 
     projects; and
       (2) extend for 2 years after the date on which either or 
     each project is reinstated under paragraph (1) the time 
     period during which the licensee is required to commence the 
     construction of such projects.

     Prior to reaching any final decision under this section, the 
     Commission shall provide an opportunity for submission of 
     comments by interested persons, municipalities, and States 
     and shall consider any such comment that is timely submitted.

     SEC. 3. TRANSFER OF LICENSES TO THE TOWN OF CANTON, 
                   CONNECTICUT.

       Notwithstanding section 8 of the Federal Power Act (16 
     U.S.C. 801) or any other provision thereof, if the Commission 
     reinstates the license for, and extends the time period 
     during which the licensee is required to commence the 
     construction of, a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 
     project under section 2, the Commission shall transfer such 
     license to the town of Canton, Connecticut.

     SEC. 4. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT.

       (a) Definition.--For purposes of this section, the term 
     ``environmental assessment'' shall have the same meaning as 
     is given such term in regulations prescribed by the Council 
     on Environmental Quality that implement the National 
     Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).
       (b) Environmental Assessment.--Not later than 180 days 
     after the date of enactment of this Act, the Commission shall 
     complete an environmental assessment for Federal Energy 
     Regulatory Commission projects numbered 10822 and 10823, 
     updating, to the extent necessary, the environmental analysis 
     performed during the process of licensing such projects.
       (c) Comment Period.--Upon issuance of the environmental 
     assessment required under subsection (b), the Commission 
     shall--
       (1) initiate a 30-day public comment period; and
       (2) before taking any action under section 2 or 3--
       (A) consider any comments received during such 30-day 
     period; and
       (B) incorporate in the license for the projects involved, 
     such terms and conditions as the Commission determines to be 
     necessary, based on the environmental assessment performed 
     and comments received under this section.

     SEC. 5. DEADLINE.

       Not later than 270 days after the date of enactment of this 
     Act, the Commission shall--
       (1) make a final decision pursuant to paragraph (1) of 
     section 2; and
       (2) if the Commission decides to reinstate one or both of 
     the licenses under such paragraph and extend the 
     corresponding deadline for commencement of construction under 
     paragraph (2) of such section, complete the action required 
     under section 3.

     SEC. 6. PROTECTION OF EXISTING RIGHTS.

       Nothing in this Act shall affect any valid license issued 
     by the Commission under section 4 of the Federal Power Act 
     (16 U.S.C. 797) on or before the date of enactment of this 
     Act or diminish or extinguish any existing rights under any 
     such license.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Kentucky (Mr. Whitfield) and the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Ben Ray 
Lujan) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Kentucky.


                             General Leave

  Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and insert extraneous materials in the Record on the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Kentucky?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  H.R. 316 would provide the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission with 
limited authority to reinstate two terminated hydroelectric licenses 
and transfer them to a new owner, the Town of Canton, Connecticut. The 
licenses are associated with the Upper and Lower Collinsville dams on 
the Farmington River in Connecticut. Both projects are under 1 megawatt 
each. This is important legislation that will certainly benefit the 
people in that area.
  I want to thank Mr. Lujan and others for working with us on this 
important piece of legislation.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BEN RAY LUJAN of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such 
time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Whitfield and all of the 
members of the majority as well for working with the minority on this 
important piece of legislation.
  I encourage my colleagues to support the Collinsville hydropower 
legislation introduced by Congresswoman Esty of Connecticut. The bill 
would authorize the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to reinstate 
licenses for two hydroelectric power plants on the Farmington River and 
to transfer these licenses to the Town of Canton, Connecticut. This 
noncontroversial legislation has passed the House by voice vote in both 
the 111th and 112th Congresses.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut 
(Ms. Esty), the sponsor of the bill.
  Ms. ESTY. Thank you, Congressman Lujan. And I'd like to thank 
Chairman Whitfield for his leadership on this important issue and for 
bringing this bill to the floor so quickly this year.
  I rise as the proud sponsor of the Collinsville Renewable Energy 
Promotion Act. This bill, as the chairman so aptly described, would 
provide FERC limited authority to license the Town of Canton, in my 
district, to operate two small and dormant dams for hydroelectric 
power.
  The Upper and Lower Collinsville dams on the Farmington River were 
first built in the 18th and 19th centuries to power an ax manufacturer. 
While this business closed in the 1960s, the dams have remained and are 
a lasting symbol of the Farmington Valley's very proud manufacturing 
history.
  And just as our communities have been reinvented over the years, we 
now have the opportunity to reinvent a dormant dam into a dam producing 
local, clean energy. If the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, under 
the authority of this bill, permits both dams to generate hydropower, 
the dams could produce nearly 2 megawatts of power, enough to power 
more than 1,500 homes, which I'll note, parenthetically, with 3 feet of 
snow in the last week, were much in demand, that additional power. 
Licenses for this purpose had previously been issued, and this bill 
would allow the reinstatement of the inactive FERC licenses.
  Now, as with any dam on any river, there are legitimate concerns 
about the river and the ecosystem's health. The Upper and Lower 
Collinsville dams already exist, and our legislation addresses many 
concerns to fully protect the river's health by requiring FERC to 
complete an updated analysis of the environmental impact of the 
projects and

[[Page 1174]]

seek additional public comment before taking action.
  Now, this project started long before I was elected to Congress, and 
I'm proud to continue the work on this bill. Just a few months ago, 
this body passed the exact same language offered by then-Congressman 
Chris Murphy, Connecticut's new Senator. He's been a longtime champion 
on this issue, and I'm grateful for his and First Selectman of Canton 
Richard Barlow's work spearheading these efforts back home.

                              {time}  1430

  I would also like to mention another longtime supporter of this 
project, Art Fournier. Sadly, Art passed away this past July. But 
during one of the occasions I had the opportunity to discuss issues 
with him and gain from his lifetime of experiences, he brought up this 
bill to enforce upon me how important it was. He was committed to 
public service and to ensuring that the world was a better place for 
the next generation. His commitment to public service was evident from 
his service on many boards and commissions in the town of Canton, 
including on the Hydro Power Advisory Commission.
  Another strong advocate for this project also, sadly, died this 
summer, Mark Quattro. Mark, too, made us aware of the importance of 
this project for the little town of Canton, and he was deeply committed 
to the community and served on many town organizations, including the 
chamber of commerce. It would be a fitting tribute to honor these two 
fine citizens of Canton, Art Fournier and Mark Quattro, by passing this 
bill today.
  I'd like to thank, again, Chairman Whitfield, as well as Chairman 
Upton and Ranking Members Waxman and Rush and their staffs for bringing 
the Collinsville Renewable Energy Promotion Act to the floor today for 
a vote. This project has a long history of bipartisan support at the 
local level, and I'm proud to be working with my colleagues across the 
aisle to empower local communities to utilize existing resources to 
create locally produced clean, renewable power. I respectfully urge my 
colleagues to support this bill.
  Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, we have no further speakers, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BEN RAY LUJAN of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I would just urge my 
colleagues to adopt this legislation.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. WHITFIELD. I want to thank Mr. Lujan, members of the committee, 
and certainly Ms. Esty for her involvement in this legislation and 
would urge all the Members to support this legislation.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Whitfield) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 316.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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