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Northwest Energy Security Act This bill requires Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS) operations to be consistent with the preferred alternative in a 2020 environmental impact statement (EIS) decision that focuses on the operations, maintenance, and configuration of dams in the system rather than wild fish restoration. The system includes dams in the Columbia and Snake rivers in Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Idaho. Specifically, the Bureau of Reclamation, the Bonneville Power Administration, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must operate the FCRPS consistent with the Columbia River System Operations Environmental Impact Statement Record of Decision dated September 2020. Thus, Reclamation, the Bonneville Power Administration, and the Army Corps must follow the EIS rather than the 2023 Resilient Columbia Basin Initiative—and a supplemental EIS proposed in 2024—that focus on wild fish restoration in the Columbia Basin. The EIS decision may be amended if each agency determines that (1) changes are necessary for public safety or electrical grid reliability, or (2) certain requirements in the decision are no longer necessary. Further, the bill requires statutory authorization for any structural modification, action, study, or engineering plan that (1) restricts FCRPS hydroelectric dam generation; or (2) limits navigation on the Snake River in Washington, Oregon, or Idaho.
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Full Bill Text
119 HR 626 IH: Northwest Energy Security Act U.S. House of Representatives 2025-01-22 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. I 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 626 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 22, 2025 Mr. Newhouse (for himself, Mr. Baumgartner , Mr. Fulcher , and Mr. Bentz ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources , and in addition to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure , for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To provide for operations of the Federal Columbia River Power System pursuant to a certain operation plan for a specified period of time, and for other purposes. 1. Short title The Act may be cited as the Northwest Energy Security Act . 2. Definitions In this Act: (1) FCRPS The term FCRPS means those portions of the Federal Columbia River Power System that are the subject of the Supplemental Opinion. (2) Secretaries The term Secretaries means— (A) the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Commissioner of Reclamation; (B) the Secretary of Energy, acting through the Administrator of the Bonneville Power Administration; and (C) the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers. (3) Supplemental Opinion The term Supplemental Opinion means the document entitled Columbia River System Operations Environmental Impact Statement Record of Decision and dated September 2020. 3. Operation of FCRPS The Secretaries shall operate the FCRPS in a manner consistent with the reasonable and prudent alternative described in the Supplemental Opinion. 4. Amendments to supplemental opinion (a) In general Notwithstanding section 3, the Secretaries may amend portions of the Supplemental Opinion and operate the FCRPS in accordance with those amendments if all of the Secretaries determine, in the sole discretion of each Secretary, that— (1) the amendment is necessary for public safety or transmission and grid reliability; or (2) the actions, operations, or other requirements that the amendment would remove are no longer warranted. (b) Restriction on amendments The process described in subsection (a) shall be the only method by which the Secretaries may operate the FCRPS in any way that is not consistent with the reasonable and prudent alternative set forth in the Supplemental Opinion. 5. Limitation on restricting FCRPS electrical generation; clarification (a) Restricting FCRPS electrical generation No structural modification, action, study, or engineering plan that restricts electrical generation at any FCRPS hydroelectric dam, or that limits navigation on the Snake River in the State of Washington, Oregon, or Idaho, shall proceed unless such proposal is specifically and expressly authorized by a Federal statute enacted after the date of the enactment of this Act. (b) Clarification Nothing in this section affects or interferes with the authority of the Secretaries to conduct operation and maintenance activities or make capital improvements necessary to meet authorized project purposes of FCRPS facilities.
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