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Legislative bills

Bipartisan Legislation Introduced to Enhance Hydroelectricity and River Restoration

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Reps. Kim Schrier, M.D. (D-WA), Adrian Smith (R-NE), Annie Kuster (D-NH), Suzan DelBene (D-WA), Claudia Tenney (R-NY), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) introduced the bipartisan Maintaining and Enhancing Hydroelectricity and River Restoration Act of 2023, aiming to incentivize investments for dam safety, fish migration, and river health.

Key Takeaways:

  • The legislation would establish a 30 percent federal Investment Tax Credit for projects related to dam safety, fish passage, environmental upgrades, and water quality.
  • The bill creates a new federal cost-share to incentivize the removal of obsolete river obstructions that harm river ecosystems and impede outdoor recreation.
  • Investments eligible for the credit include projects that improve fish passage or fish-friendly turbines at a qualified dam, manage river sediment transport and habitat maintenance, and upgrade, repair, or reconstruct a qualified dam to meet Federal dam safety and security standards.
  • Hydropower is the largest source of electricity in Washington state, comprising 67% of the energy generation mix, according to Rep. Schrier.
  • The bill aims to restore river health, enhance public safety, and support the benefits of hydroelectricity.

Statistics:

  • 67% of Washington state's energy generation mix is comprised of hydropower (Source: Rep. Kim Schrier).
  • 30 million American homes are provided with zero-carbon electricity by hydropower (Source: Malcolm Woolf, National Hydropower Association).
  • 17,000 MWs of flexible, carbon-free generation are at risk of premature retirement due to expensive relicensing (Source: Malcolm Woolf, National Hydropower Association).
  • Almost half of the non-federal hydropower fleet faces expensive relicensing in the next few years (Source: Malcolm Woolf, National Hydropower Association).
  • The bill would create a new tax incentive for hydropower facilities to enhance the safety of dams, protect and enhance fish habitat and passage across the Pacific Northwest, improve grid resiliency, and water quality (Source: Rep. Suzan DelBene).

Sources:

  • United States House of Representatives -- Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08)
  • [http://milnz.co.nz/mil-osi-aggregation/](http://milnz.co.nz/mil-osi-aggregation/)
  • Contify.com

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