IB 
Union Calendar No. 492 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 3144 
[Report No. 115–643, Part I] 
To provide for operations of the Federal Columbia River Power System 
pursuant to a certain operation plan for a specified period of time, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 29, 2017 
Mrs. MCMORRIS
RODGERS
(for herself, Ms. HERRERA
BEUTLER, Mr. 
NEWHOUSE, Mr. SCHRADER, and Mr. WALDEN) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in 
addition to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, for a 
period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee concerned 
APRIL 18, 2018 
Additional sponsors: Mr. AMODEI, Mr. LABRADOR, Mr. GIANFORTE, and Mr. 
GOSAR 
APRIL 18, 2018 
Reported from the Committee on Natural Resources 
APRIL 18, 2018 
The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure discharged; committed 
to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and or-
dered to be printed 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:29 Apr 18, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6652
E:\BILLS\H3144.RH
H3144
khammond on DSK30JT082PROD with BILLS
A BILL 
To provide for operations of the Federal Columbia River 
Power System pursuant to a certain operation plan for 
a specified period of time, and for other purposes. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:29 Apr 18, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6652
E:\BILLS\H3144.RH
H3144
khammond on DSK30JT082PROD with BILLS
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. DEFINITIONS. 
For the purposes of this Act: 
(1) FCRPS.—The term ‘‘FCRPS’’ means the 
Federal Columbia River Power System. 
(2) SECRETARIES.—The term ‘‘Secretaries’’ 
means— 
(A) the Secretary of the Interior, acting 
through the Bureau of Reclamation; 
(B) the Secretary of Energy, acting 
through the Bonneville Power Administration; 
and 
(C) Secretaries of the Army, acting 
through the Army Corps of Engineers. 
(3) SUPPLEMENTAL OPINION.—The term ‘‘Sup-
plemental Opinion’’ means the document titled ‘‘En-
dangered Species Act Section 7(a)(2) Supplemental 
Biological Opinion’’, NOAA Fisheries Log Number 
NWR–2013–9562, and dated January 17, 2014, 
which supplements, without replacing, the 2008 and 
2010 FCRPS Biological Opinions and the Reason-
able and Prudent Alternative contained therein. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:29 Apr 18, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3144.RH
H3144
khammond on DSK30JT082PROD with BILLS
SEC. 2. OPERATION OF FCRPS. 
The Secretaries shall operate the FCRPS in a man-
ner consistent with the reasonable and prudent alternative 
set forth in the Supplemental Opinion until the later of 
the following dates: 
(1) September 30, 2022. 
(2) The date upon which a subsequent final bio-
logical opinion for the FCRPS operations is— 
(A) issued after completion of the final en-
vironmental impact statement on a record of 
decision for a new operations plan for the 
FCRPS; and 
(B) in effect, with no pending further judi-
cial review. 
SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO SUPPLEMENTAL OPINION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding section 2, the 
Secretaries may amend portions of the Supplemental 
Opinion and operate the FCRPS in accordance with such 
amendments, before the date established under section 2 
if all of the Secretaries determine, in the sole discretion 
of each Secretary, that— 
(1) the amendment is necessary for public safe-
ty or transmission and grid reliability; or 
(2) the actions, operations, or other require-
ments that the amendment would remove are no 
longer warranted. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:29 Apr 18, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3144.RH
H3144
khammond on DSK30JT082PROD with BILLS
(b) RESTRICTION ON AMENDMENTS.—The process 
described in subsection (a) shall be the only method by 
which the Secretaries may operate the FCRPS during the 
time period established under section 2 in any way that 
is not consistent with the reasonable and prudent alter-
natives set forth in the Supplemental Opinion. 
SEC. 4. LIMITATION ON RESTRICTING FCRPS ELECTRICAL 
GENERATION OR NAVIGATION ON THE SNAKE 
RIVER. 
No structural modification, action, study, or engi-
neering plan that restricts electrical generation at any 
Federal Columbia Power System hydroelectric dam, or 
that limits navigation on the Snake River in the State of 
Washington, Oregon, or Idaho, shall proceed unless such 
proposal is specifically and expressly authorized by an Act 
of Congress enacted after the date of submission to Con-
gress of a proposal for such modification, action, study, 
or engineering plan, respectively. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:29 Apr 18, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3144.RH
H3144
khammond on DSK30JT082PROD with BILLS
Union Calendar No. 492 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 3144 
[Report No. 115–643, Part I] 
A BILL 
To provide for operations of the Federal Columbia 
River Power System pursuant to a certain oper-
ation plan for a specified period of time, and for 
other purposes. 
APRIL 18, 2018 
Reported from the Committee on Natural Resources 
APRIL 18, 2018 
The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
discharged; committed to the Committee of the Whole 
House on the State of the Union and ordered to be 
printed 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:29 Apr 18, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6651
Sfmt 6651
E:\BILLS\H3144.RH
H3144
khammond on DSK30JT082PROD with BILLS