I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 626 
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 
JANUARY 22, 2025 
Mr. NEWHOUSE (for himself, Mr. BAUMGARTNER, Mr. FULCHER, and Mr. 
BENTZ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Trans-
portation 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 committee concerned 
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. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
The Act may be cited as the ‘‘Northwest Energy Se-
curity Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
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(1) FCRPS.—The term ‘‘FCRPS’’ means those 
portions of the Federal Columbia River Power Sys-
tem that are the subject of the Supplemental Opin-
ion. 
(2) SECRETARIES.—The term ‘‘Secretaries’’ 
means— 
(A) the Secretary of the Interior, acting 
through the Commissioner of Reclamation; 
(B) the Secretary of Energy, acting 
through the Administrator of the Bonneville 
Power Administration; and 
(C) the Secretary of the Army, acting 
through the Chief of Engineers. 
(3) SUPPLEMENTAL OPINION.—The term ‘‘Sup-
plemental Opinion’’ means the document entitled 
‘‘Columbia River System Operations Environmental 
Impact Statement Record of Decision’’ and dated 
September 2020. 
SEC. 3. OPERATION OF FCRPS. 
The Secretaries shall operate the FCRPS in a man-
ner consistent with the reasonable and prudent alternative 
described in the Supplemental Opinion. 
SEC. 4. AMENDMENTS TO SUPPLEMENTAL OPINION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding section 3, the 
Secretaries may amend portions of the Supplemental 
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Opinion and operate the FCRPS in accordance with those 
amendments 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. 
(b) RESTRICTION ON AMENDMENTS.—The process 
described in subsection (a) shall be the only method by 
which the Secretaries may operate the FCRPS in any way 
that is not consistent with the reasonable and prudent al-
ternative set forth in the Supplemental Opinion. 
SEC. 5. LIMITATION ON RESTRICTING FCRPS ELECTRICAL 
GENERATION; CLARIFICATION. 
(a) RESTRICTING FCRPS ELECTRICAL GENERA-
TION.—No structural modification, action, study, or engi-
neering plan that restricts electrical generation at any 
FCRPS 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 a Federal statute enacted 
after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(b) CLARIFICATION.—Nothing in this section affects 
or interferes with the authority of the Secretaries to con-
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