The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a business meeting to consider and vote on pending legislation.
The committee considered 33 pieces of legislation, which may be viewed here. The vast majority were reported favorably to the full Senate by an en bloc voice vote.
Relevant legislation for the American Public Power Association (APPA), along with voting totals, are:
S. 140, the Wildfire Prevention Act of 2025 (Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY)).
Reported favorably along party lines 11-9.
• This would reduce wildfire risk on federal lands by increasing active forest management, improving data and reporting, accelerating environmental reviews using existing authorities, and deploying new wildfire prevention technologies.
S. 3500, the Hydropower Licensing Transparency Act. (Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV)).
Reported favorably by en bloc voice vote.
• This would amend the Federal Power Act to require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to submit an annual report to Congress on the status of ongoing hydropower relicensing applications. FERC would be required to report to Congress on the status of each new license for which a licensee has notified the commission within the last three years that they intend to file an application for a license, but FERC has not issued one. This is the Senate companion to Rep. Kim Schrier’s (D-WA) H.R. 3657, which passed the full House in July of last year.
S. 3518, the FLOWS Act (Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)).
Reported favorably by en bloc voice vote.
• This would amend the Federal Power Act to remove the requirement for hydropower projects to seek FERC approval for routine maintenance or non-substantial alterations. Currently, these must be approved by FERC, a process that results in months-long delays and unnecessary costs. It would also allow FERC to issue shorter-term licenses of 10-20 years to micro hydrokinetic projects. APPA supports this legislation.
S. 3723, the Western South Dakota Water Supply Project Feasibility Study Act (Sen. John Thune (R-SD)).
Reported favorably by en bloc voice vote.
• This legislation would require the Secretary of the Interior and the Western Dakota Regional Water System (WDRWS) to conduct a study on the feasibility of constructing a project to supply municipal, rural, and industrial water from the Missouri River to the WDRWS.
S. 3743 (ENR Chair Mike Lee (R-UT)).
Reported favorably along party lines 11-9.
• This would direct the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and in consultation with the Department of Energy and Colorado River Storage Project power contractors, to conduct this study on a selective water withdrawal system to optimize hydropower generation when releasing cold water from Glen Canyon Dam while also preventing the entrainment of invasive species in the Colorado River. Importantly, this feasibility study would not interfere with Colorado River Operating Guidelines or its anticipated post-2026 operations.
