President Obama Signs Groundbreaking Legislation to Expand U.S. Hydropower Production

Bills to streamline the hydropower licensing process are now law.

Legislation designed to expand hydropower production in the United States by improving and streamlining the licensing process for small hydropower projects is now law. The Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act and the Bureau of Reclamation Small Conduit Hydropower Development and Rural Jobs Act were signed into law by President Obama. Previously, the Senate unanimously passed the legislation just before it adjourned for August; the House passed each bill with nearly unanimous support earlier in the year. 

Grant PUD supports federal hydropower bill

Grant County PUD is supporting a federal bill promoting hydropower as America's largest renewable source of energy.

The bill highlights the fact there's tremendous untapped potential for new generation, renewable energy and new job creation, according to information provided to Grant PUD commissioners by Andrew Munro, the district's external affairs director.

The bipartisan bill is titled the "Hydropower Efficiency Act of 2011."