119-hr626

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 626 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

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119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 626

 To provide for operations of the Federal Columbia River Power System 
 pursuant to a certain operation plan for a specified period of time, 
 and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 January 22, 2025

Mr. Newhouse (for himself, Mr. Baumgartner, Mr. Fulcher, and Mr. Bentz) 
 introduced the following bill; which was 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

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To provide for operations of the Federal Columbia River Power System 
 pursuant to a certain operation plan for a specified period of time, 
 and for other purposes.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 The Act may be cited as the ``Northwest Energy Security Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

 In this Act:

    (1) FCRPS.--The term ``FCRPS'' means those portions of the 
 Federal Columbia River Power System that are the subject of the 
 Supplemental Opinion.

    (2) Secretaries.--The term ``Secretaries'' means--
        (A) the Secretary of the Interior, acting through 
 the Commissioner of Reclamation;
        (B) the Secretary of Energy, acting through the 
 Administrator of the Bonneville Power Administration; 
 and
            (C) the Secretary of the Army, acting through the 
 Chief of Engineers.

    (3) Supplemental opinion.--The term ``Supplemental 
 Opinion'' means the document entitled ``Columbia River System 
 Operations Environmental Impact Statement Record of Decision'' 
 and dated September 2020.

SEC. 3. OPERATION OF FCRPS.

 The Secretaries shall operate the FCRPS in a manner consistent with 
the reasonable and prudent alternative described in the Supplemental 
Opinion.

SEC. 4. AMENDMENTS TO SUPPLEMENTAL OPINION.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding 

section 3, the Secretaries may 
amend portions of the Supplemental Opinion and operate the FCRPS in 
accordance with those amendments if all of the Secretaries determine, 
in the sole discretion of each Secretary, that--

    (1) the amendment is necessary for public safety or 
 transmission and grid reliability; or

    (2) the actions, operations, or other requirements that the 
 amendment would remove are no longer warranted.

    (b) Restriction on Amendments.--The process described in subsection

    (a) shall be the only method by which the Secretaries may operate the 
FCRPS in any way that is not consistent with the reasonable and prudent 
alternative set forth in the Supplemental Opinion.

SEC. 5. LIMITATION ON RESTRICTING FCRPS ELECTRICAL GENERATION; 
 CLARIFICATION.

    (a) Restricting FCRPS Electrical Generation.--No structural 
modification, action, study, or engineering plan that restricts 
electrical generation at any FCRPS hydroelectric dam, or that limits 
navigation on the Snake River in the State of Washington, Oregon, or 
Idaho, shall proceed unless such proposal is specifically and expressly 
authorized by a Federal statute enacted after the date of the enactment 
of this Act.

    (b) Clarification.--Nothing in this section affects or interferes 
with the authority of the Secretaries to conduct operation and 
maintenance activities or make capital improvements necessary to meet 
authorized project purposes of FCRPS facilities.
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