69–010 

Calendar No. 102 

115TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! SENATE 1st Session 115–83 

TO EXTEND A PROJECT OF THE FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION INVOLVING THE CANNONSVILLE DAM 

MAY 24, 2017.—Ordered to be printed 

Ms. MURKOWSKI, from the Committee on Energy and Natural 

Resources, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany S. 734] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 

referred the bill (S. 734) to extend a project of the Federal Energy 

Regulatory Commission involving the Cannonsville Dam, having 

considered the same, reports favorably thereon with amendments 

and recommends that the bill, as amended, do pass. 

The amendments are as follows: 

1. On page 2, line 12, strike ‘‘required date of’’ and insert ‘‘period 

required for’’. 

2. On page 2, line 13, insert ‘‘of the project’’ after ‘‘construction’’. 

PURPOSE

The purpose of S. 734 is to extend a project of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) involving the 

Cannonsville Dam in New York. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED

The Commission issued an original license to the City of New 

York for the Cannonsville Project (No. 13287) on the Delaware 

River on May 13, 2014. The license would allow the City to construct and operate a 14.08-megawatt project on its own 

Cannonsville Dam in New York State. The original license required 

the commencement of project construction within two years of the 

license issuance date, or by May 13, 2016. On April 21, 2016, the 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with HEARING
2 

Commission extended the deadline by two years. Due to dam safety 

issues at the project site, and the need to conduct engineering studies and redesign the project, construction has yet to commence. 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

Senator Gillibrand introduced S. 734 on March 27, 2017. 

In the 114th Congress, a similar measure was included in 

Amendment No. 3234, which the Senate agreed to on April 19, 

2016, as an amendment to S. 2012, the Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2016, which the Senate passed, as amended, on April 

20, 2016. 

Representatives Gibson, Engel, Tonko, and Collins introduced a 

similar bill, H.R. 4434, in the House of Representatives on February 2, 2016. H.R. 4434 passed the House by a vote of 417–2 on 

March 16, 2016. 

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources met in open 

business session on March 30, 2017, and ordered S. 734 favorably 

reported, as amended. 

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in an open 

business session on March 30, 2017, by a majority voice vote of a 

quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass S. 734, if 

amended as described herein. 

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS

During the consideration of S. 734 the Committee adopted two 

amendments to make technical corrections. 

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1 authorizes the Commission, at the request of the licensee and after reasonable notice in accordance with Commission 

procedures, to extend the time period during which the licensee is 

required to commence project construction for up to eight years. 

Section 1 also authorizes the Commission to reinstate the license 

if the license has expired prior to the date of enactment of this Act. 

If so reinstated, the reinstated license is to be effective as of the 

date of the expiration of the previous extension. 

COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS

The following estimate of the costs of this measure has been provided by the Congressional Budget Office: 

CBO estimates that implementing S. 734 would have no net effect on the federal budget. The bill would authorize the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to reinstate the license and 

extend the deadline for beginning construction of a hydroelectric 

project (number 13287) involving the Cannonsville Hydroelectric 

Project in New York. The proposed extension could have a minor 

effect on FERC workload; however, because FERC recovers 100 

percent of its costs through user fees, any change in that agency’s 

costs (which are controlled through annual appropriation acts) 

would be offset by an equal change in fees that the commission 

charges, resulting in no net change in federal spending. 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with HEARING
3 

Enacting S. 734 would not affect direct spending or revenues; 

therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. CBO estimates 

that enacting S. 734 would not increase net direct spending or onbudget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028. 

S. 734 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates 

as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments. 

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Megan Carroll. The estimate was approved by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Assistant 

Director for Budget Analysis. 

REGULATORY IMPACT EVALUATION

In compliance with paragraph 11(b) of rule XXVI of the Standing 

Rules of the Senate, the Committee makes the following evaluation 

of the regulatory impact which would be incurred in carrying out 

S. 734. The bill is not a regulatory measure in the sense of imposing Government-established standards or significant economic responsibilities on private individuals and businesses. 

No personal information would be collected in administering the 

program. Therefore, there would be no impact on personal privacy. 

Little, if any, additional paperwork would result from the enactment of S. 734, as ordered reported. 

CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING

S. 734, as ordered reported, does not contain any congressionally 

directed spending items, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in rule XLIV of the Standing Rules of the Senate. 

EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS

Executive Communications were not requested by the Committee 

on Energy and Natural Resources in the 115th Congress. 

CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the Standing 

Rules of the Senate, the Committee notes that no changes in existing law are made by the bill as ordered reported. 

Æ 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with HEARING