Bill
Bill > HR1963
summary
Introduced
05/14/2013
05/14/2013
In Committee
06/18/2014
06/18/2014
Crossed Over
12/09/2013
12/09/2013
Passed
Dead
01/03/2015
01/03/2015
Introduced Session
113th Congress
Bill Summary
Bureau of Reclamation Conduit Hydropower Development Equity and Jobs Act - Amends the Water Conservation and Utilization Act (WCUA) to: (1) authorize the Secretary of the Interior (acting through the Bureau of Reclamation) to enter into leases of power privileges for electric power generation in connection with any project constructed under such Act, using the processes applicable to such leases under the Reclamation Project Act of 1939 (RPA); and (2) grant the Secretary authority in addition to and alternative to any authority in existing laws relating to particular projects, including small conduit hydropower development. Requires the lease of power privilege contracts to be at rates that will produce revenues at least sufficient to cover the appropriate share of the annual operation and maintenance cost of the project and such fixed charges, including interest, as the Secretary deems proper. Limits such leases to periods not to exceed 40 years. Specifies that no findings required as prerequisites for construction of a water conservation or utilization project under WCUA shall be required for such a lease. Requires all right, title, and interest to installed power facilities constructed by non-federal entities pursuant to a lease of power privilege, and direct revenues derived therefrom, to remain with the lessee, except that lease revenues and fixed charges, if any, shall be covered into the Reclamation Fund to be credited to the project from which those revenues were derived. Requires the Secretary: (1) to first offer the lease of power privilege to an irrigation district or water users association operating the applicable transferred conduit, or to the district or association receiving water from such conduit; (2) to determine a reasonable timeframe for the district or association to accept or reject the lease offer; and (3) if the district or association rejects the offer, to offer the lease to other parties using the applicable RPA processes. Requires the Bureau to apply its categorical exclusion process under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) to small conduit hydropower under WCUA, excluding siting of associated transmission facilities on federal lands.
AI Summary
This bill, the Bureau of Reclamation Conduit Hydropower Development Equity and Jobs Act, amends the Water Conservation and Utilization Act (WCUA) to allow the Secretary of the Interior, through the Bureau of Reclamation, to lease out the rights to generate electricity from hydropower facilities built on existing water conduits, which are defined as man-made water conveyances like tunnels or pipelines not primarily built for power generation. These leases, which can last up to 40 years, will follow the procedures outlined in the Reclamation Project Act of 1939 (RPA) and must generate enough revenue to cover the project's operational costs and any other charges the Secretary deems appropriate. Importantly, the bill clarifies that certain pre-construction findings required for water conservation projects under the WCUA are not needed for these hydropower leases, and that any power facilities built by non-federal entities under these leases, along with the revenue they generate, will remain with the lessee, though lease revenues and charges will be credited to the Reclamation Fund for the specific project. The Secretary must first offer these leases to irrigation districts or water user associations that operate or receive water from the conduit, giving them a set time to respond before offering the lease to other parties. For small hydropower facilities (5 megawatts or less) on these conduits, the Bureau of Reclamation will use its streamlined environmental review process under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), with the exception of siting transmission lines on federal lands.
Committee Categories
Agriculture and Natural Resources, Transportation and Infrastructure
Sponsors (5)
Last Action
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 518. (on 07/31/2014)
Official Document
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