Bill
Bill > HR678
summary
Introduced
In Committee
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
Signed/Enacted/Adopted
08/09/2013
08/09/2013
Introduced Session
113th Congress
Bill Summary
Bureau of Reclamation Small Conduit Hydropower Development and Rural Jobs Act - Amends the Reclamation Project Act of 1939 to authorize the Secretary of the Interior (acting through the Bureau of Reclamation) to contract for the development of small conduit hydropower at Bureau facilities. Defines: (1) "small conduit hydropower" as five megawatts or less; and (2) "conduit" as a tunnel, canal, pipeline, aqueduct, flume, ditch, or similar manmade water conveyance. Requires that power privilege leases be offered first to an irrigation district or water users association operating or receiving water from the applicable transferred or reserved conduit. Defines: (1) reserved conduit as any conduit included in project works whose care, operation, and maintenance has been reserved by the Secretary (through the Bureau); and (2) transferred conduit as any conduit included in project works whose care, operation, and maintenance has been transferred to a legally organized water users association or irrigation district. Requires the Secretary to offer the lease of power privilege to other parties if the irrigation district or water users association elects not to accept a lease of power privilege offer. Requires the Bureau to apply its categorical exclusion process under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) to small conduit hydropower, except with respect to siting of associated transmission on federal lands. Makes the Bureau's Power Resources Office the lead office for such small conduit hydropower policy and procedure-setting activities. (Thus excludes such activities from the jurisdiction of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [FERC].) Declares that nothing in this Act shall: (1) obligate specified power administrations to purchase or market the power produced by such facilities, (2) alter or impede the delivery and management of water for original project purposes, or (3) alter or affect any existing agreements for conduit hydropower development projects or disposition of revenues. Deems water used for conduit hydropower generation to be incidental to use of water for the original project purposes.
AI Summary
This bill, the Bureau of Reclamation Small Conduit Hydropower Development and Rural Jobs Act, allows the Secretary of the Interior, through the Bureau of Reclamation, to enter into contracts for the development of "small conduit hydropower," defined as generating five megawatts or less of electricity, at Bureau facilities. A "conduit" is broadly defined as any man-made water conveyance like a tunnel, canal, or pipeline. The bill prioritizes offering hydropower development leases to irrigation districts or water users associations that operate or receive water from the specific conduit, whether it's a "reserved conduit" (managed by the Bureau) or a "transferred conduit" (managed by a water district). If these entities decline, the lease will be offered to others. The Bureau will use its existing environmental review process, known as the categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), for these projects, except for the siting of transmission lines on federal land, and the Bureau's Power Resources Office will lead policy development, excluding the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) from this specific area. Importantly, the bill clarifies that it does not obligate certain power administrations to buy the generated power, nor does it alter water delivery for original project purposes, considering hydropower generation as incidental to the primary water use. It also preserves existing agreements and preliminary permits or licenses issued by FERC.
Committee Categories
Agriculture and Natural Resources, Transportation and Infrastructure
Sponsors (12)
Scott Tipton (R)*,
Mark Amodei (R),
Mike Coffman (R),
Jim Costa (D),
Kevin Cramer (R),
Steve Daines (R),
Cory Gardner (R),
Paul Gosar (R),
Doug LaMalfa (R),
Cynthia Lummis (R),
Tom McClintock (R),
Adrian Smith (R),
Last Action
Became Public Law No: 113-24. (on 08/09/2013)
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