I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6084 
To provide for a program of hydropower, pumped storage, and marine energy 
research, development, demonstration, and commercial application, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 4, 2020 
Ms. BONAMICI (for herself, Mr. YOUNG, Mr. DEUTCH, Mr. MCKINLEY, and 
Ms. JOHNSON of Texas) introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 
A BILL 
To provide for a program of hydropower, pumped storage, 
and marine energy research, development, demonstration, 
and commercial application, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Water Power Research 
and Development Act’’. 
SEC. 2. WATER POWER RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle C of title VI of the En-
ergy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 
17211 et seq.) is amended to read as follows: 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:04 Mar 11, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6084.IH
H6084
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
‘‘Subtitle C—Water Power 
Research and Development 
‘‘SEC. 631. SHORT TITLE. 
‘‘This subtitle may be cited as the ‘Water Power Re-
search and Development Act’. 
‘‘SEC. 632. DEFINITIONS. 
‘‘In this subtitle: 
‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en-
tity’ means any of the following entities: 
‘‘(A) An institution of higher education. 
‘‘(B) A National Laboratory. 
‘‘(C) A Federal research agency. 
‘‘(D) A State research agency. 
‘‘(E) A nonprofit research organization. 
‘‘(F) An industrial entity or a multi-insti-
tutional consortium thereof. 
‘‘(2) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.— 
The term ‘institution of higher education’ has the 
meaning given such term in section 101 of the High-
er Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 
‘‘(3) MARINE ENERGY.—The term ‘marine en-
ergy’ means energy from— 
‘‘(A) waves, tides, and currents in oceans, 
estuaries, and tidal areas; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:04 Mar 11, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6084.IH
H6084
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
‘‘(B) free flowing water in rivers, lakes, 
streams, and man-made channels; 
‘‘(C) differentials in salinity and pressure 
gradients; and 
‘‘(D) differentials in water temperature, in-
cluding ocean thermal energy conversion. 
‘‘(4) NATIONAL LABORATORY.—The term ‘Na-
tional Laboratory’ has the meaning given such term 
in section 2(3) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 
U.S.C. 15801(3)). 
‘‘(5) WATER POWER.—The term ‘water power’ 
refers to hydropower, including conduit power, 
pumped storage, and marine energy technologies. 
‘‘(6) MICROGRID.—The term ‘microgrid’ has 
the meaning given such term in section 641 of the 
Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (42 
U.S.C. 17231). 
‘‘SEC. 633. WATER POWER TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH, DE-
VELOPMENT, AND DEMONSTRATION. 
‘‘The Secretary shall carry out a program to conduct 
research, development, demonstration, and commercial ap-
plication of water power technologies in support of each 
of the following purposes: 
‘‘(1) To promote research, development, dem-
onstration, and commercial application of water 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:04 Mar 11, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6084.IH
H6084
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
power generation technologies in order to increase 
capacity and reduce the cost of those technologies. 
‘‘(2) To promote research and development to 
improve the environmental impact of water power 
technologies. 
‘‘(3) To provide grid reliability and resilience, 
including through technologies that facilitate new 
market opportunities, such as ancillary services, for 
water power. 
‘‘(4) To promote the development of water 
power technologies to improve economic growth in 
the water power sector, including in coastal commu-
nities. 
‘‘SEC. 634. HYDROPOWER RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND 
DEMONSTRATION. 
‘‘The Secretary shall conduct a program of research, 
development, demonstration, and commercial application 
for technologies that improve the capacity, efficiency, resil-
ience, security, reliability, affordability, and environmental 
impact, including potential cumulative environmental im-
pacts, of hydropower systems. In carrying out such pro-
gram, the Secretary shall prioritize activities designed 
to— 
‘‘(1) develop technology for— 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:04 Mar 11, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6084.IH
H6084
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
‘‘(A) non-powered dams, including aging 
and potentially hazardous dams; 
‘‘(B) pumped storage; 
‘‘(C) constructed waterways; 
‘‘(D) new stream-reach development; 
‘‘(E) modular and small dams; 
‘‘(F) increased operational flexibility; and 
‘‘(G) enhancement of relevant existing fa-
cilities; 
‘‘(2) develop new strategies and technologies, 
including analytical methods, physical and numerical 
tools, and advanced computing, as well as methods 
to validate such methods and tools, in order to— 
‘‘(A) extend the operational lifetime of hy-
dropower systems and their physical structures, 
while improving environmental impact, includ-
ing potential cumulative environmental impacts; 
‘‘(B) assist in device and system design, 
installation, operation, and maintenance; and 
‘‘(C) reduce costs, limit outages, and in-
crease unit and plant efficiencies, including by 
examining the impact of changing water and 
electricity demand on hydropower generation, 
flexibility, and provision of grid services; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:04 Mar 11, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6084.IH
H6084
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS