Pacific Northwest Pumped Storage Hydropower Development Act of 2021
This bill provides the Department of the Interior exclusive authority to develop hydropower facilities in certain instances and contains other related provisions.
Specifically, Interior shall have exclusive authority to develop small conduit hydropower using Bureau of Reclamation facilities and pumped storage hydropower that exclusively use bureau reservoirs. Currently, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) also has regulatory authority over some of the bureau infrastructure involved in such projects, so some projects require approval from both Interior and FERC.
The bill also imposes various requirements related to certain proposed projects involving specified tribes in Washington State. Before Interior may issue a lease to use power generated from such a project, the parties involved must agree to a study plan that lays out certain information, time lines, and procedures for addressing issues. Such a lease must also meet certain requirements, such as conditions to ensure that the project will not interfere with the tribes' hunting and fishing rights.
| Action Date | Type | Text | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-12-15 | Calendars | Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 463. | House floor actions |
| 2022-12-15 | Committee | Reported by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 117-644. | House floor actions |
| 2021-05-26 | Committee | Ordered to be Reported by Unanimous Consent. | House committee actions |
| 2021-05-26 | Committee | Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held. | House committee actions |
| 2021-05-26 | Committee | Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States Discharged. | House committee actions |
| 2021-05-26 | Committee | Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife Discharged. | House committee actions |
| 2021-05-21 | Committee | Referred to the Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States. | House committee actions |
| 2021-05-21 | Committee | Referred to the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife. | House committee actions |
| 2021-04-19 | IntroReferral | Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources. | House floor actions |
| 2021-04-19 | IntroReferral | Introduced in House | Library of Congress |