WASHINGTON, DC - The Subcommittee on Energy, chaired by Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), today announced a hearing for Thursday, June 7, 2018, at 11:00 a.m. in room 2123 of the Rayburn House Office Building. The hearing is entitled, “Improving the Hydropower Licensing Process."
Members of the subcommittee will review progress in improving interagency coordination for the timely processing of environmental reviews and authorizations for non-Federal hydropower projects. The benefits of clean, baseload hydropower to the nation’s economy and energy security are numerous. The hydropower industry employs a workforce of about 143,000, which, combined with the affordable electricity produced by hydropower projects, brings multiple economic benefits to the communities in which they are located and those that they serve.
“Today’s hydropower developments face a burdensome regulatory approval process bogged down by unnecessary and costly delays," said Chairman Upton. “We must modernize the way we license projects that utilize hydropower to ensure consumers have access to our cleanest, most affordable, and reliable energy resource. The committee has already been hard at work advancing solutions to streamline the hydropower licensing and relicensing process through commonsense reforms. I look forward to hearing from our witnesses so we can identify more meaningful improvements to the regulatory process."
The Majority Memorandum, witness list and testimony, and a live webcast will be posted HERE as they’re made available.
