Senate signs off on license extension for new hydropower projects
March 26, 2024
The Senate recently advanced a bill (S.4050) by U.S. Sens. Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and John Kennedy (R-LA) that would allow the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to extend construction licenses for new hydropower projects beset by supply chain shortages.
Specifically, the bill targeted those projects afflicted since 2020, when the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic induced supply chain issues whose effects, in some cases, are still felt to this day. Many FERC-licensed hydropower projects were among those hit, pushing them close to their deadlines for start-of-construction. Failure to meet those deadlines necessitates FERC rescinding their license and terminating the project.
