Bill > S182

This bill, titled the "Northwest Energy Security Act," establishes operational guidelines for the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS), a network of hydroelectric dams in the Pacific Northwest. The bill defines key terms, including identifying the Secretaries responsible for FCRPS operations (the Secretaries of the Interior, Energy, and Army) and referencing a 2020 environmental impact statement called the Supplemental Opinion. The legislation mandates that the FCRPS must be operated consistent with the reasonable and prudent alternative described in the Supplemental Opinion, but allows the Secretaries to amend this plan if they unanimously determine such changes are necessary for public safety, grid reliability, or if certain requirements are no longer warranted. Importantly, the bill prohibits any structural modifications, actions, studies, or engineering plans that would restrict electrical generation at FCRPS hydroelectric dams or limit navigation on the Snake River, unless specifically authorized by future federal legislation. The bill clarifies that these restrictions do not prevent the Secretaries from conducting routine maintenance or making necessary capital improvements to FCRPS facilities.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/182/all-info