"Hydro Licensing Bill Passes House; Dam Safety Amendment Omitted"

"Legislation designed to streamline hydroelectric power licensing and relicensing was approved by a majority vote in the House.

The bill, called the Hydropower Policy Modernization Act of 2017 -- or officially House Resolution 3043 -- passed the Republican-controlled House with a 257-166 advantage.

The policy's primary purpose is to allow the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to extend its preliminary permitting for an additional four years with the potential for an additional four years, while also establishing FERC as the lead agency in coordinating pertinent federal authorizations and reviews.

The bill also ensures that both conventional hydroelectric and marine generation are recognized by Congress as "renewable" forms of energy."

Michael Harris reports for HydroWorld November 9, 2017.