Washington, D.C. (May 10, 2017)
NHA Issues Statement on Senate Bill to Assist Small Hydropower Projects
Washington, D.C. (May 10, 2017) – The following is a statement from Linda Church Ciocci, Executive Director of the National Hydropower Association, on S. 1029. The bill would expand the existing FERC exemption program for approvals of existing small hydropower projects.
“NHA commends Senator Angus King (I‐Maine) and Senator Jeff Flake (R‐ Arizona) for their work on S. 1029 – a bill to assist small hydropower project owners and developers.
“NHA is hearing from owners of smaller projects from across the country, but particularly in the Northeast, that the process costs for relicensing may render projects uneconomic and result in the surrender of licenses. As states continue to press for more clean and renewable energy resources, it would be unfortunate to lose the
many benefits these existing hydropower projects provide.
“We support efforts to make the licensing and relicensing process more transparent and efficient, which can be done while preserving environmental values and recreation and other benefits. This bill is consistent with those criteria and we look forward to working with the Senators further as the legislative process unfolds, along with other important pressing process issues affecting the broader hydropower community.”
