Workers at a British Columbia dam in May. Photo: James MacDonald/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The hydropower industry is not happy that it was largely left out of the permitting overhaul legislation that the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved Wednesday.
Why it matters: The industry's been lobbying hard to speed FERC's lengthy licensing process for dams, with a huge swath of the existing fleet up for renewal in the coming years.
- "To me, it's just outrageous to do a permitting reform bill and not reform hydropower," National Hydropower Association CEO Malcolm Woolf told Axios.
Driving the news: ENR debated hydro-related amendments from Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Steve Daines on Wednesday.
- But they were withdrawn or rejected after Chair Joe Manchin committed to work on hydro licensing between now and when the bill hits the Senate floor.
Zoom in: The legislation does include language to let FERC extend license deadlines for certain projects for a few years.
- But it doesn't include broader provisions to change the process, despite a bipartisan push during this Congress.
What they're saying: By way of explanation, Manchin said that hydro "came late" to the conversation.
- "We've just got to get the language right," he said.
- Manchin later told reporters he has some concerns about which parts of the issue fall under the committee's jurisdiction.
