This bill amends Section 9(c) of the Reclamation Project Act of 1939. It broadens language that formerly focused on "small conduit hydropower" to apply to hydropower using all Bureau of Reclamation facilities. The bill replaces the term "conduit" with "works facility" and adds two definitions: "reserved works facility" (facilities the Bureau still operates and maintains) and "transferred works facility" (facilities where a non-Federal entity carries out operations and maintenance under a formal transfer contract). It updates references to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) authorizations by replacing a fixed past date with the bill's enactment date, says a FERC authorization remains in place until it becomes inactive (and may be renewed where allowed by FERC), and states that when an authorization becomes inactive, project site jurisdiction shifts to the Bureau of Reclamation exclusively. The bill also clarifies that it does not expand the Bureau's lease of power privilege authorities outside the project boundary and makes related numbering and wording edits in the statute.
If you live near or work with a Bureau of Reclamation project, this bill changes the statutory words used to describe which facilities can host non-Federal hydropower. It defines two types of facilities (reserved and transferred works) and clarifies when FERC authorizations remain active and when site jurisdiction returns to the Bureau. The bill updates the statute's dates and cleans up several technical terms and paragraph numbers.
No publicly available information.
The bill's stated purpose is to encourage non-Federal hydropower development with respect to Bureau of Reclamation projects.
No publicly available information.