Today, the House passed H.R. 1967, the “Bureau of Reclamation Pumped Storage Hydropower Development Act.” Introduced by Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO), the bipartisan bill authorizes expanded pumped storage hydropower at select Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) facilities.

“For an ‘all-of-the-above’ energy strategy we need ‘all-of-the-above’ energy infrastructure. This bill bolsters a diverse and strong domestic power supply through the expansion of pumped water storage, providing greater certainty to hydropower markets and more affordable energy to the American consumer,” Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) said. 

“[T]he Bureau of Reclamation Pumped Storage Hydropower Development Act looks to pave the way for additional clean hydropower generation by clearing up regulatory permitting confusion at existing Bureau of Reclamation facilities… [It] will help pave the way for more pumped storage by incentivizing developers, who will in turn pay the American taxpayers for the use of federal facilities,” Rep. Lamborn said.

Background

H.R. 1967 streamlines the permitting of non-federal pumped storage hydroelectric projects by eliminating regulatory permitting confusion for some of these projects.

Hydropower is an important source of renewable energy throughout the West as BOR multi-purpose reservoirs and dams generate electricity for over 3.5 million homes annually.