Hydropower Improvement Act of 2011

openUnited States· United States Congress· EN

Introduced

17 March 2011

Last action

18 May 2011 · Reported

Status

Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 55.

Summary

Hydropower Improvement Act of 2011 - Expresses the sense of the Senate that the United States should increase substantially the capacity and generation of clean, renewable hydropower which will improve the environmental quality of resources and support local job creation and economic investment across the United States. Directs the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to establish: (1) a grants program for increased hydropower production; and (2) a plan for research, development, and demonstration to increase hydropower capacity, including technical assistance to certain applicants and licensees to perform environmental studies, or comply with applicable environmental requirements. Directs the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to: (1) investigate the feasibility of the issuance of a license for certain hydropower development during the two-year period beginning on the date of commencement of the prefiling licensing process; and (2) hold workshops and develop hydropower pilot projects. Directs FERC to enter into a memorandum of understanding with relevant federal agencies with conditioning authority in order to: (1) establish a coordinated approach to any environmental impact statement or similar analysis relating to the consideration of conduit hydropower projects, and (2) develop an expedited approval process for such projects. Directs the Commissioner of Reclamation and FERC to conduct public workshops on pilot conduit hydropower projects. Directs FERC to conduct regional public workshops to: (1) reduce barriers for small hydroelectric power projects, (2) aggregate appropriate small hydroelectric power projects for consideration in a consolidated license or exemption, and (3) determine whether the rated capacity for small hydroelectric power projects established by FERC should be increased from five electrical megawatts. Directs the Commissioner to study barriers to non-federal hydropower development at Bureau of Reclamation projects. Directs the Secretary to study: (1) the potential quantity of hydropower that may be obtained from conduits in the United States; and (2) federal and nonfederal land that is well-suited for pumped storage sites and is located near existing or potential sites of intermittent renewable resource development, such as wind farms. Directs the President to report to certain congressional committees on actions taken by DOE, the Department of the Interior, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to implement the memorandum of understanding on hydropower entered into on March 24, 2010.

This text is taken from the official record. PoliticalRepo does not editorialize.

Timeline

17 March 2011
Introduced
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Source: IntroReferral
17 March 2011
Introduced
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S1841)
Source: IntroReferral
17 March 2011
Introduced
Introduced in Senate
Source: IntroReferral
31 March 2011
Committee
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 112-26.
Source: Committee
12 April 2011
Reported
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported with an amendment favorably.
Source: Committee
18 May 2011
Calendars
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 55.
Source: Calendars
18 May 2011
Reported
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Reported by Senator Bingaman with an amendment. With written report No. 112-19.
Source: Committee
18 May 2011
Reported
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Reported by Senator Bingaman with an amendment. With written report No. 112-19.
Source: Committee

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

Reported to Senate · 18 May 2011 · Download file
Introduced in Senate · 17 March 2011 · Download file

Documents

6 official files

Reported to Senate (text)

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Reported to Senate (text)
Reported to Senate · EN · 18 May 2011
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Reported to Senate (PDF)
Reported to Senate · EN · 18 May 2011
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Reported to Senate with amendment(s)
summary · EN · 18 May 2011
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Introduced in Senate (text)
Introduced in Senate · EN · 17 March 2011
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Introduced in Senate (PDF)
Introduced in Senate · EN · 17 March 2011
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Introduced in Senate
summary · EN · 17 March 2011
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Related records

related to → Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act of 2011
related to → Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act of 2012

Sources

PoliticalRepo is an index and interpretation layer, not the authoritative legal source.

Official source: https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/senate-bill/629
Open data entity: https://api.congress.gov/v3/bill/112/s/629
us · 112-s-629 · source updated 24 March 2026