Hoover Power Allocation Act of 2010

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4349) to further allocate and expand the availability of hydroelectric power generated at Hoover Dam, and for other purposes, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Madam Speaker, H.R. 4349 would update the statutory allocation of electric power generated at the Hoover Dam, located on the Colorado River, to its various users. The current allocation of this hydropower resource expires at the end of fiscal year 2017.

In this regard, H.R. 4349 would increase the amount of electricity to be marketed by the Western Area Power Administration, known as WAPA, and provide to Native American tribes and other previously excluded entities the opportunity to acquire Federal power. The revised allocation would remain in effect from 2017 to 2067.

H.R. 4349 has 43 bipartisan cosponsors. This hydroelectric generation, which provides a renewable, affordable, and accessible resource to the American Southwest, is, in this bill, being made now available to additional users through this legislation. Western Area Power has committed to implement a full and transparent process in the allocation of this resource. We expect that the State regulatory agencies of Arizona and Nevada will follow the same procedures and commitment to an impartial and unbiased allocation determination.

Hydropower is a valuable resource for our country. The 50-year time frame for allocation of this resource matches the commitment by collaborators to fund the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program. The conservation program is a nationally recognized example of how diverse stakeholders can, together, find solutions without litigation that allow everyone to use the Lower Colorado River to promote economic growth while supporting compliance with the Endangered Species Act and then protecting more than 100 species which the Lower Colorado River floodplain has within the river.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support the passage of H.R. 4349, and I reserve the balance of my time.

I want to thank my colleague for being with us today and to all of my other colleagues who are supporting and endorsing this bill, especially the staff of the Water Subcommittee on our side and on the minority staff. The collaborative effort that has gone into this is exemplary of how we can work together to get things done, and I am very happy that we are

able to do that in this bill. I urge my colleagues to vote for this bill.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1636) celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Hoover Dam.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 1636, a bipartisan resolution, commemorates the 75th anniversary of the dedication of Hoover Dam, and recognizes the past, the present, and the future benefits of its construction to the agricultural, to the industrial, and to the urban development of the southwestern United States.

During its 75-year history, Hoover Dam has played a pivotal role in shaping what the Southwest is today, from a region with an inconsistent supply of water, to now providing water for more than 18 million people, including irrigation water for over 1 million acres of farm land in the States of Arizona, California, Nevada and 500,000 acres in Mexico. That beautiful natural resource that sparkles adds life and economy to our west.

While this facility was completed three-quarters of a century ago, it continues for today and tomorrow to provide water and power certainty for millions of people. We currently have legislation pending in the Senate, Senate bill 2819, and H.R. 4349, the Hoover Power Allocation Act of 2010. This legislation would allocate hydropower generated at Hoover Dam, estimated at

4 billion kilowatt hours of hydroelectric power each year, for the next 50 years. I would want to reiterate our support for the enactment of this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support the passage of this bipartisan resolution. Hoover Dam is truly a marvel of engineering, of technology and human endeavor. And tomorrow this reenactment of its 75- year dedication will take place in Las Vegas.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, very, very swiftly and quickly, before I yield back the balance of my time, I thank my staff and the minority staff on this beautiful resolution that is going to commemorate some magnificent achievements by the United States to really promote what we now know as the Southwest.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

The Hoover Dam may be 85 years old, but its legacy of providing emissions-free electricity, water for cities and farms, recreation for millions of boaters, flood control, and environmental protection remains to this day. It is a symbol of what our Nation's legendary infrastructure has done and will continue to do for generations to come.

This legislation specifically continues the promise of delivering clean and renewable hydropower generated at the legendary Hoover Dam. This hydropower helped make the southwest United States what it is today. This bill costs nothing, which is an important aspect in these tight financial times since all of the costs to generate and deliver this hydropower will be borne by the electricity ratepayers. This bill is a reminder of the ``beneficiary pays'' principle that western water and power projects are based on can still work and thrive today.

I appreciate the gentlewoman for bringing this bill forward, the bipartisan manner in which it was crafted, and I urge my colleagues to support this important piece of legislation.

I yield back the balance of my time.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, generations ago water and power visionaries came up with the idea of making the West bloom by harnessing our rivers. The Hoover Dam is a legendary example of that vision.

When completed in 1935, it was the tallest dam and the largest hydroelectric generator in the world. It literally helped create cities in the arid West and to this day, as my friend from California pointed out, still provides numerous benefits: emissions-free hydropower, drinking and irrigation water, and recreation and flood control.

This bipartisan resolution is a fitting honor to the Hoover Dam and to those who had the foresight to create one of the world's best-known engineering marvels.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.