[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 8]
[House]
[Pages 10649-10650]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              COLLINSVILLE RENEWABLE ENERGY PRODUCTION ACT

  Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules 
and concur in the Senate amendment to 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 Senate amendment is as follows:
  Senate amendment:

       Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert:

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Collinsville Renewable 
     Energy Production Act''.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Commission.--The term ``Commission'' means the Federal 
     Energy Regulatory Commission.
       (2) License.--The term ``license'' means--
       (A) the license for Commission project number 10822;
       (B) the license for Commission project number 10823; or
       (C) both.
       (3) Town.--The term ``Town'' means the town of Canton, 
     Connecticut.

     SEC. 3. REINSTATEMENT, EXTENSION, AND TRANSFER OF EXPIRED 
                   LICENSES.

       Notwithstanding the termination of the license, the 
     Commission may, at the request of the Town, in accordance 
     with section 4(a), and after reasonable notice--
       (1) reinstate the licence;
       (2) extend for 2 years after the date on which the license 
     is reinstated the time period during which the licensee is 
     required to commence the construction of the project subject 
     to the license; and
       (3) subject to section 4, transfer the license to the Town.

     SEC. 4. CONDITIONS OF TRANSFER.

       (a) Application for Transfer.--The Town may request the 
     reinstatement, extension, and transfer of the license by 
     filing an application for approval of the transfer.
       (b) Contents of Application.--The application for approval 
     of the transfer shall set forth in appropriate detail the 
     qualifications of the Town to hold the license and to operate 
     the property under license, which qualifications shall be the 
     same as those required of applicants for the license.
       (c) Commission Approval.--The Commission may approve the 
     transfer on a showing that the transfer is in the public 
     interest.
       (d) Terms and Conditions of Licenses.--The Town shall be 
     subject to--
       (1) all the conditions of the license and all the 
     provisions and conditions of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 
     791a et seq.), as though the Town were the original licensee; 
     and
       (2) any additional terms and conditions the Commission 
     determines to be necessary, including conditions for the 
     protection, mitigation, and enhancement of fish and wildlife 
     and related habitat under sections 10(j) and 18 of the 
     Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 803(j), 811).

     SEC. 5. ADMINISTRATION.

       The Commission shall supplement the environmental impact 
     statement or similar analysis required under the National 
     Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) 
     prepared in connection with the issuance of the original 
     license to examine all new circumstances and information 
     relevant to environmental concerns and bearing on the 
     reinstatement of the license or the impact of the license.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Kinzinger) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Sarbanes) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois.


                             General Leave

  Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. 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 Illinois?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  H.R. 316 would provide the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or 
FERC, with limited authority to reinstate two terminated hydroelectric 
licenses and transfer them to a new

[[Page 10650]]

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.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, 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 projects on the Farmington 
River and to transfer these licenses, as was indicated, to the town of 
Canton, Connecticut.
  This noncontroversial, but very, very important legislation has 
passed the House by voice vote in three consecutive Congresses and has 
now passed the Senate with a few nonsubstantive changes. It is high 
time to get this bill to the President's desk, Mr. Speaker.
  With that, I would like to yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Connecticut (Ms. Esty), the sponsor of the bill.
  Ms. ESTY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my good friend and 
colleague from Maryland, Congressman Sarbanes, as well as the gentleman 
from Illinois (Mr. Kinzinger), for their roles in bringing this bill to 
the floor today.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise as a proud sponsor of the Collinsville Renewable 
Energy Production Act.
  This bill provides, as has been noted, the Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, commonly known as FERC, the authority to reinstate, extend, 
and transfer the licenses of two dams in my district to the town of 
Canton in order to redevelop hydropower at these two facilities that 
have been dormant since 1966.
  The upper and lower Collinsville dams on the Farmington River were 
first built in the 18th and 19th centuries to power an ax manufacturer. 
Although this business closed in the 1960s, the dams have remained and 
are a lasting symbol of the manufacturing history of the Farmington 
Valley.
  Today's legislation provides Canton the opportunity to create local 
clean energy and to stimulate local economic development along the 
scenic Farmington River.
  As provided in the Senate's amendment to H.R. 316, Canton would need 
to file an application for approval with FERC that describes the town's 
qualifications to hold these licenses and to operate the dams.
  It would require the town to be subject to the same conditions as in 
the original licenses, as well as any additional terms that FERC may 
deem necessary after reviewing the application.
  I am aware that there are legitimate environmental concerns about the 
impact on the river and the surrounding ecosystem's health. These 
concerns are reflected in part with the addition of fish ladders to the 
hydrodams in the ensuing years since the closing of the facility.
  To address those concerns, FERC would need to update the 
environmental impact statement provided for in the original licenses 
before they could be reinstated, extended, and transferred to the town.
  If the Commission, under the authority provided in this bill, 
approves the application to reinstate these permits, the upper and 
lower Collinsville dams would provide nearly 2 megawatts of power. That 
is enough to power more than 1,500 homes.
  It is important for me to acknowledge that the passage of this bill 
today is only possible because of the work and support of many others 
who have labored over this for many years.
  First, I want to thank Senator Chris Murphy--my colleague, friend, 
and neighbor--who championed this issue for several sessions here in 
the House, and our senior Senator, Richard Blumenthal, for their 
leadership and sponsorship of the Senate amendment, which is before us 
today.
  My thanks also go out to Chairman Whitfield, as well as Chairman 
Upton and Ranking Members Waxman and Rush and their staffs, for their 
bipartisan support to advance this legislation.
  I also want to thank First Selectman Richard Barlow for all he has 
done over many years to spearhead this effort at home.
  Finally, as I mentioned, 1\1/2\ years ago, when this bill first came 
to the floor, I want to honor two gentleman, Art Fournier and Mark 
Quattro, environmental and community leaders who sadly are no longer 
with us, but who championed this effort for many years. We could not be 
here today without their efforts.
  Mr. Speaker, roughly 5,000 bills have been introduced in the House of 
Representatives this Congress. Of those 5,000 pieces of legislation, 
this bill, H.R. 316, represents just the 167th bill which hopefully 
will pass both the House and the Senate.
  I am honored and humbled to be able to work with colleagues across 
the aisle in this Congress to advance clean energy legislation that 
empowers local communities to harness local resources to produce 
renewable electricity and, at the same time, supports and advances 
local economic development.
  There is much more that we can and should do to advance energy 
production and to protect our environment, but today is an excellent 
start.
  I urge my colleagues to support the motion to concur in the Senate 
Amendment to H.R. 316.
  Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I will just say this is a 
good bill, and I urge my colleagues to support it.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. Speaker, I, too, would like to congratulate Ms. 
Esty of Connecticut. This is an important bill. I salute her 
persistence.
  With that, I urge my colleagues to support it, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Kinzinger) that the House suspend the 
rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill, H.R. 316.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. Mr. 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.

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