House Natural Resource Committee Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) today issued the following statement on the passage of the 2019 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations bill (H.R. 5895) by the U.S. House of Representatives.

“This Energy and Water Appropriations measure improves how we manage our river systems, and allows for science to guide the process instead of politics. It also promotes an all-of-the-above energy infrastructure strategy by bolstering hydropower markets, and promoting a stable, affordable source of energy for millions of Americans. I look forward to working to secure passage of the provisions in the final bill we send to the president’s desk for signature.”

Background:

H.R. 5895 includes language from two bills that passed out of the Committee this Congress: H.R. 3144 (Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo.) and H.R. 1967 (Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash.).

H.R. 3144, the bipartisan Bureau of Reclamation Pumped Storage Hydropower Development Act, authorizes expanded pumped storage hydropower at select Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) facilities.

H.R. 1967, Bureau of Reclamation Pumped Storage Hydropower Development Act, provides certainty over the reliable management of the Federal Columbia River Power System and prevents the wasting of $40 million in lost power generation.

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