Sponsors (2)
The bill funds coordinated analysis and planning to protect reservoir operations, grid reliability, and endangered species planning, but that process may slow immediate actions and could lead to reduced hydropower operations and higher electricity costs for customers.
Western state and local water managers and Upper Colorado River Basin Fund administrators will receive a coordinated plan to address changes from the July 2024 ROD, helping preserve routine reservoir operations and Fund-supported infrastructure maintenance.
Utilities, grid operators, and rural customers will get analysis of hydropower impacts and replacement costs, improving planning for reliability and mitigation of potential power shortfalls.
Conservation managers and public-lands stakeholders will gain clearer information about effects on ESA-listed fish and wildlife, informing Endangered Species Act conservation actions.
Electricity customers—including rural communities and critical facilities like hospitals—could face higher power costs if hydropower generation is reduced and replacement or mitigation increases expenses for WAPA or contractors.
Recreation users and water-rights holders may experience operational restrictions (e.g., reduced water releases or altered hydropower operations) as agencies adjust operations based on the MOU analysis.
State and local governments could see delays to on-the-ground mitigation or infrastructure work while agencies negotiate the MOU and complete assessments, slowing immediate responses.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Directs Interior and Energy to promptly enter an MOU to assess how the July 2024 Glen Canyon supplement affects the Upper Colorado River Basin Fund, hydropower production, grid reliability, and listed species.
Introduced March 6, 2025 by Mike Lee · Last progress March 6, 2025
Requires the Department of the Interior (Bureau of Reclamation) and the Department of Energy (Western Area Power Administration), working with the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Work Group, to quickly sign a memorandum of understanding to study and address how the July 2024 supplement to the Glen Canyon Dam long‑term plan affects the Upper Colorado River Basin Fund. The MOU must use existing hydropower contract information to plan actions covering Fund obligations (operations, maintenance, infrastructure replacement), impacts on hydropower production and grid reliability, and effects on threatened or endangered species, while preserving Administrative Procedure Act rights.