IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1175 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that hydropower is 

a vital component to an all-of-the-above approach to energy development 

which is critical to United States national security. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 29, 2024 

Mr. NEWHOUSE (for himself, Mrs. RODGERS of Washington, Mr. FULCHER, 

Mr. BENTZ, and Mr. ZINKE) submitted the following resolution; which 

was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 

hydropower is a vital component to an all-of-the-above 

approach to energy development which is critical to 

United States national security. 

Whereas various forms of hydropower development have existed since as far back as A.D. 21 when the Greeks and 

Egyptians used wheels and screws to create flour and 

manage irrigation; 

Whereas, in the United States, hydropower serves as one of 

the earliest and most substantial sources of renewable energy with approximately 2,300 hydroelectric producing 

dams; 


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•HRES 1175 IH 

Whereas maintaining, utilizing, and developing all available 

domestic sources of energy, including hydropower, can 

ensure the United States has a stable, secure, and reliable energy supply which will enhance national security 

by reducing dependence on foreign energy sources; 

Whereas both rural and urban communities across the United 

States rely on hydropower as a vital everyday energy 

source to heat homes, operate appliances, and access 

clean air and water, particularly in the West; 

Whereas hydropower is dependable, flexible, and capable of 

restarting the electric system after major outages resulting from extreme weather, natural disasters, and 

cyberattacks; 

Whereas a robust hydropower source plays an essential role 

in preserving a reliable and resilient United States power 

grid; 

Whereas, outside of electricity generation, hydropower also 

helps with water supply, irrigation support for food production activities, flood control, and transportation; 

Whereas hydropower also provides immense recreation and 

tourism benefits for individuals; 

Whereas, according to the United States Energy Information 

Administration, as of 2022, the top 5 States which 

produce the most hydroelectric energy are, in descending 

order, Washington, Oregon, New York, California, and 

Montana; 

Whereas, in 2022, approximately 80,000,000 kilowatts of 

hydroelectricity net summer generational capacity were 

generated in the United States; 

Whereas, according to the Department of Energy, 28.7 percent of overall United States renewable electricity generaVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:33 Apr 30, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1175.IH HR1175

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tion and 6.2 percent of total United States electricity 

generation comes from hydropower; 

Whereas the hydropower industry has created jobs and economic prosperity across the United States, especially in 

rural communities, with over 72,000 workers being employed in conventional hydropower, pumped storage hydropower, construction, regulatory affairs, and technology 

development; 

Whereas despite the strength of the United States hydropower industry, the United States is fourth globally in 

hydroelectricity production with Brazil, Canada, and 

China coming in third, second, and first, respectively; 

Whereas, because of the hydropower development success of 

China, the industry in China has plateaued; 

Whereas, as a result, China has invested billions of dollars 

into energy generation and transmission in Latin American countries, such as Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and 

Peru, and African countries, such as Uganda, Zambia, 

and Ghana; and 

Whereas to combat increasing Chinese energy aggression, the 

United States must strongly focus on attaining international hydro-hegemony to gain preeminence and independence in the energy sector: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that— 

3 (1) hydropower is a necessary part of an all-of4 the-above approach to energy development; 

5 (2) protecting the existing hydropower re6 sources and establishing new ones are critical to the 


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1 grid security and national security of the United 

2 States; 

3 (3) increased hydropower production will lower 

4 energy prices for American consumers, decrease the 

5 national carbon footprint, and enhance the resiliency 

6 of the United States power grid; 

7 (4) hydro-hegemony will provide the United 

8 States with an indispensable edge over global com9 petitors and foreign bad actors, such as China; and 

10 (5) the Secretary of Energy should create a hy11 dropower independence plan which articulates a 

12 clear and comprehensive proposal for how the Sec13 retary intends to create, maintain, improve, and ex14 pand a vigorous domestic hydropower industry. 

Æ 


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