Sponsors (2)
The bill opens Reclamation facilities to more hydropower development and clarifies federal oversight to encourage clean energy projects, but does so at the risk of greater competition for water, added costs and constraints for local operators, reduced local control, and short-term legal uncertainty.
Utilities and energy developers can pursue hydropower projects at all Bureau of Reclamation facilities, expanding opportunities for clean energy generation and potential new renewable capacity.
Utilities, state governments, and developers gain clearer regulatory rules because FERC authorizations remain valid until inactive and may be renewed, reducing regulatory uncertainty and the risk of abrupt permit lapses.
Local governments and facility operators get clearer definitions of 'reserved works' and 'transferred works' and clearer operations/maintenance roles, which should improve site management and reduce operational confusion.
Municipal water suppliers and irrigation users may face increased competition for limited water resources as more hydropower projects are authorized at Reclamation facilities, risking impacts to water deliveries and availability.
Non‑Federal entities that operate transferred facilities under O&M contracts (including small businesses and some local governments) may incur new costs or operational constraints from expanded hydropower activity and related requirements.
When FERC authorizations lapse and exclusive jurisdiction shifts to the Bureau of Reclamation, local and state authorities could lose planning control and revenue arrangements tied to project sites.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Broadens Bureau of Reclamation authority to allow hydropower at all Reclamation facilities, clarifies terminology, definitions, and FERC/Reclamation jurisdiction rules.
Official title: To amend the Reclamation Project Act of 1939 to encourage non-Federal hydropower development with respect to Bureau of Reclamation projects.
Introduced February 11, 2026 by Lauren Boebert · Last progress February 11, 2026
Makes targeted changes to the Bureau of Reclamation’s hydropower authorities by expanding the types of hydropower projects the Bureau may authorize and by clarifying related contract, jurisdiction, and definition language in the Reclamation Project Act of 1939. It updates terminology (replacing “conduit” with broader terms), allows Bureau-authorized hydropower at all Reclamation facilities (not just small conduit or certain pumped storage), clarifies how FERC authorizations remain in effect or yield jurisdiction to Reclamation when inactive, and adds definitions for “reserved works facility” and “transferred works facility.” This bill is technical and changes legal authorities and interplay between FERC and the Bureau of Reclamation but does not itself appropriate new funding or create new programs.