Senate subcommittee on water Issue 4, Vol. But over the years, other legislation has seriously watered it down. Those sections require the FERC to include mandatory license conditions prescribed by other federal and state agencies. In a nutshell, the industry panel said the process is now fraught with problems caused by the conflicts. The panel included FERC Chairman James Hoecker and representatives from the Interior and Agriculture departments and the state of Vermont.
Air knows no state boundaries, and the same is true of our rivers and streams.
And they see that mandate as being unencum- bered by cost considerations, as industry concerns must be. Hoecker made the best case for restoring that authority. While he's obviously committed to working with all stakeholders to seek ways to improve the process, he also supported legislative changes. Some mistakenly believe the FERC would not be as mindful of the environ- mental issues as other federal and state agencies, a perception probably based on a time in our history when the nation demanded hydropower development to fuel the economy. But as Hoecker pointed out, the FERC is an environmental agency.