Fact of the Day – U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

Because of the energy bill . . .

New procedures have been drafted for the relicensing of hydropower dams around the country. The procedures give everyone a voice in the process, allow groups to offer alternative ways to meet environmental standards and provide hearings where facts in dispute can be aired before an Administrative Law Judge. The first such hearing has been scheduled for June.

Hydropower is the most affordable energy in the country and the most adaptable to emergencies and unexpected electricity demands. Hydropower played a central role in ending the August 2003 blackout and turning the lights back on in New York. In the next decade, a fifth of the non-federal dams in this country will need to be relicensed. The hydropower provisions in the energy bill will help avoid years of litigation and delay during that process.