Proposed FY 2019 House Energy and Water Appropriations Legislation Includes Dam Protections

House funding legislation includes language to stop forced spill order; provides support for Yucca Mountain

WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 8, 2018) – Eastern Washington Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) and Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA-04) released the following statements on the House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Energy and Water’s approval in a subcommittee markup of legislation that would end the current forced spill order by requiring federal funds used to operate the Federal Columbia River Power System hydroelectric dams to do so in a manner that is consistent with the Army Corps of Engineers’ 2017 Fish Operations Plan.

“Dams and fish can coexist, and this language in the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill is another avenue for us to stop the spill at the Columbia and Snake River dams,” said Rep. McMorris Rodgers. “We have to get this done to protect our dams, our fish, and ratepayers in the Pacific Northwest. Thank you to Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID), Chairman of the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee for including this critical provision in the bill.”

“This legislation includes language I worked to include to stop the forced spill order at the lower Snake and Columbia River dams,” said Rep. Newhouse. “It also continues congressional efforts to support the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, providing funding for statutorily-required activities to store the nation’s nuclear waste – including waste stored at Hanford. I will continue to push these priorities as well as robust federal investment in Hanford cleanup and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory as the legislation moves to the full committee.”
 
See below for the language approved by the House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Energy and Water related to the use of federal funds to operate the Federal Columbia River Power System hydroelectric dams (page 61, line 8):
 
SEC. 506. None of the funds made available in this Act, or federal funds provided from any other source, may be used to operate the Federal Columbia River Power System hydroelectric dams in a manner that is inconsistent with the Army Corps of Engineers’ 2017 Fish Operations Plan.