The Bureau of Reclamation Small Conduit Hydropower Development and Rural Jobs Act of 2011 (Rep. Tipton, R-CO) is a bipartisan plan to create new American jobs and expand production of clean, renewable hydropower by cutting duplicative, bureaucratic red tape.
The bill is part of House Republicans’ American Energy Initiative to remove government roadblocks to ‘all-of-the-above’ American energy production.
Hydropower is one of the cheapest and cleanest forms of electricity. Expanding development will help lower energy costs for American families and small businesses while protecting the environment.
The bill would streamline the regulatory process and reduce administrative costs for small canal and pipeline hydropower development projects.
New hydropower development would only take place on existing Bureau of Reclamation canals and pipes. Such man-made facilities are already on disturbed ground, have no environmental impact and have already gone through environmental review.
The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill will generate $5 million in federal revenue over 10 years through increased hydropower production.
The bill protects water users by reaffirming supply and delivery as the first priority, and it ensures that there will be no financial or operational impacts to existing water and power users.
The bill is endorsed by the Family Farm Alliance, the National Water Resources Association, the Association of California Water Agencies and the American Public Power Association.
