Hydropower Licensing Affordability Act

Steve Daines

Republican · MT · Senator

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

• James E. Risch (R-ID)Original· 2026-07-21
• Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)Original· 2026-07-21

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

2026-07-21

Source: Congress.gov

The proposal would update how the federal government approves and manages licenses for hydropower dams and facilities, making the process faster and more efficient for energy companies while potentially streamlining environmental reviews. The changes would affect hydropower operators, environmental groups, and communities near dams by altering how projects are evaluated and approved. The bill is currently under review by the Senate's energy committee.

AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [S. 5048 Introduced in Senate (IS)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 5048 To amend the Federal Power Act to modernize the hydropower licensing process, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES July 21, 2026 Mr. Daines (for himself, Mr. Risch, and Ms. Murkowski) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend the Federal Power Act to modernize the hydropower licensing process, 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. This Act may be cited as the ``Hydropower Licensing Affordability Act''. SEC. 2. ENSURING PROPER SCOPE OF FEDERAL RESERVATION LICENSE CONDITIONS. Section 4(e) of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 797(e)) is amended, in the first proviso, by inserting ``to reasonably mitigate the direct adverse effect of the applicable project on such reservation, so as to provide'' after ``deem necessary''. SEC. 3. ENSURING PROPER SCOPE OF PRESCRIBED FISHWAYS. Section 18 of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 811) is amended, in the first sentence, by inserting ``, to reasonably mitigate the direct adverse effect of the applicable project on the population of a species of fish in the applicable river system'' before the period at the end. <all>

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