Last progress January 22, 2025 (10 months ago)
Introduced on January 22, 2025 by Daniel Milton Newhouse
Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
This measure keeps the federal dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers running under a 2020 plan that focuses on how the dams are operated, maintained, and set up. It tells the Bureau of Reclamation, the Bonneville Power Administration, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to follow that 2020 decision, instead of newer proposals that emphasize wild fish restoration, unless Congress says otherwise. The plan covers dams in Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Idaho.
Agencies may change parts of the plan only if all agree it’s needed for public safety, to keep the electric grid reliable, or because a requirement is no longer needed. Any move that would cut power generation at these dams or limit barge traffic on the Snake River must be specifically approved by a new federal law. Routine upkeep and needed upgrades can still go forward.