(WASHINGTON, DC) -- The National Hydropower
Association and three other trade groups are keeping up the pressure on
lawmakers conferencing the House and Senate energy bills to make sure the final
measures "include a strong hydropower title that improves the licensing
and regulatory approval process for new hydropower development and relicensing
of existing projects." In a letter to
top lawmakers on Monday, the groups argue the licensing process will block the
industry from reaching its growth potential, which a recent Energy Department
report pegged at 50 gigawatts of new capacity by 2050.
"The current licensing process must be modernized to add
accountability and transparency, eliminate inefficiencies and redundancies, and
unlock innovation and advancements in technology and operations," the
groups, which include the American Public Power Association, the Edison Electric
Institute and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, wrote.
"We believe the provisions in both the House and Senate energy bills,
taken together, will implement this new direction, and do so in a way that
protects environmental values, public participation, and the authorities of
federal and state decision-makers in the licensing process."
