Tribes, Industry Groups Agree To Boost US Hydroelectric Power, But Congress Needs To Act

Native American tribes, environmentalists, and the hydroelectric power industry have reached a deal on a proposed legislative package to boost clean energy and river conservation.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the compromise deal resulted from four years of talks between groups that involved disagreements on vanishing fish populations and changes to river ecosystems. The deal would require approval from Congress.

The deal seeks to grant approvals to add hydroelectric power to some existing dams in two years while speeding the approval of off-river pumped-storage projects, which store surplus energy for later use, in three years. 

The deal would give tribes authority on the conditions put on permits to protect tribal cultural resources or fish passage.

The groups plan to send the package on Monday to House and Senate lawmakers and the White House. The proposal would amend the Federal Power Act, first passed in 1920. New Jersey Democratic Rep. Frank Joseph Pallone Jr., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said the groups had made an “unprecedented collaborative effort” to modernize hydropower licensing.

“Tribes need to be fully at the table as critical governmental agencies whose lands and these projects impact resources,” Ms. Pavel said. “This package allows this to happen in significant and historic ways.”

In 2018, environmentalists, industry groups, and tribes advocated for river and hydropower projects in the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which ultimately included $2.4 billion for dam safety, upgrading the existing hydroelectric fleet, and accelerating dam removals.

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