Title: HYPE Act
Policy area: Energy

Summary:
HYdropower Permit Extension Act or the HYPE Act
This bill amends the Federal Power Act to authorize the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to issue a preliminary permit to a hydropower construction license applicant for up to four years, instead of three.
FERC may extend a preliminary permit once for no more than four years and may issue an additional four-year extension if it determines there are extraordinary circumstances that warrant the issuance of an additional extension.
Additionally, FERC may extend the time a licensee has to commence construction on a project for up to eight years.	Under current law, FERC may extend the license for no more than two years.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2274 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2274

To amend the Federal Power Act to provide for extended periods relating 
to preliminary permits and commencement of construction, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 1, 2017

  Mr. Peters introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Federal Power Act to provide for extended periods relating 
to preliminary permits and commencement of construction, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``HYdropower Permit Extension Act'' or 
the ``HYPE Act''.

SEC. 2. EXTENSIONS OF PERIODS.

    (a) Preliminary Permits.--Section 5 of the Federal Power Act (16 
U.S.C. 798) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), by striking ``three'' and inserting 
        ``four''; and
            (2) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) by striking ``Commission may extend the period 
                of a preliminary permit once for not more than 2 
                additional years beyond the 3 years'' and inserting the 
                following: ``Commission may--
            ``(1) extend the period of a preliminary permit once for 
        not more than four additional years beyond the four years'';
                    (B) by striking the period at the end and inserting 
                ``; and''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(2) if the period of a preliminary permit is extended 
        under paragraph (1), extend the period of such preliminary 
        permit once for not more than four additional years beyond the 
        extension period granted under paragraph (1), if the Commission 
        determines that there are extraordinary circumstances that 
        warrant such additional extension.''.
    (b) Time Limit for Construction of Project Works.--Section 13 of 
the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 806) is amended in the second sentence 
by striking ``once but not longer than two additional years'' and 
inserting ``for not more than eight additional years,''.
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