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S. 5048Senate119th Congress (2025-2027)In Committee

Hydropower Licensing Affordability Act

Sponsored by Steve DainesSen. Steve Daines (R-MT)
Introduced July 21, 2026

AI-Generated Summary

Updated July 25, 2026 at 4:42 AM UTC

The Hydropower Licensing Affordability Act updates the Federal Power Act to make the licensing process for new or modified hydropower projects more environmentally responsive. It adds language that license conditions must include reasonable steps to lessen direct harms to federal reservations and to fish populations in the rivers where projects are built. The changes affect future hydropower developers, federal agencies overseeing reservations, and wildlife agencies concerned with fish conservation.

Key Provisions

  • Amends the Federal Power Act’s Section 4(e) to require that any federal reservation license condition include measures to reasonably mitigate the direct adverse effects of a hydropower project on that reservation.
  • Amends the Federal Power Act’s Section 18 to require that any prescribed fishway condition include measures to reasonably mitigate the direct adverse effects of a hydropower project on the population of fish species in the affected river system.

Legislative Activity

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2 earlier actions
SenateCommittee Latest Action

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearings held.

Energy and Natural Resources Committee

September 16, 2026

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SenateIntro Referral

Introduced in Senate

July 21, 2026

SenateIntro Referral

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

Energy and Natural Resources Committee

July 21, 2026

SenateCommittee

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearings held.

Energy and Natural Resources Committee

September 16, 2026

Bill Text

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Introduced in SenateIssued July 21, 2026

II

119th CONGRESS

2d Session

S. 5048

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.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Hydropower Licensing Affordability Act.

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.

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.