Open AccessU.S. Congress to consider streamlining dam relicensing
Author(s) -
Showstack Randy
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1029/99eo00360
Subject(s) - hydropower , legislation , commission , agency (philosophy) , government (linguistics) , business , hydro power , environmental planning , public administration , engineering , political science , environmental science , finance , law , environmental engineering , philosophy , linguistics , epistemology , electrical engineering
Between the years 2000 and 2010, 220 nonfederal hydropower projects in the United States are due for relicensing by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), a government agency. These projects, with a combined capacity of 22 gigawatts, or 20% of the U.S.‐installed hydropower capacity, are among the 1600 hydropower projects at over 2000 dams that FERC regulates under the Federal Power Act. Some backers of hydropower say the relicensing process, by which dams can obtain renewed, 30‐ to 50‐year licenses, is too cumbersome, and they favor new legislation to streamline and speed up the process.