Title: 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.
Policy area: Water Resources Development

Summary:
This bill requires the Bureau of Reclamation, the Bonneville Power Administration, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to operate the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS) in a manner consistent with the document titled "Endangered Species Act Section 7(a)(2) Supplemental Biological Opinion," dated January 17, 2014, until the later of September 30, 2022, or the date upon which a subsequent final biological opinion for FCRPS operations is in effect with no pending further judicial review.
Such entities may amend the supplemental opinion and operate the FCRPS accordingly before such date if the entities agree that: (1) the amendments are necessary for public safety or transmission and grid reliability; or (2) the actions, operations, or other requirements that the amendments remove are no longer warranted.
No structural modification, action, study, or engineering plan may restrict electrical generation at any FCRPS hydroelectric dam or limit navigation on the Snake River in Washington, Oregon, or Idaho unless authorized by Congress.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3144 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3144

 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 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 Representatives 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 ``Supplemental 
        Opinion'' means the document titled ``Endangered 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 Reasonable and Prudent Alternative 
        contained therein.

SEC. 2. OPERATION OF FCRPS.

    The Secretaries shall operate the FCRPS in a manner 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 biological 
        opinion for the FCRPS operations is--
                    (A) issued after completion of the final 
                environmental impact statement on a record of decision 
                for a new operations plan for the FCRPS; and
                    (B) in effect, with no pending further judicial 
                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 safety or 
        transmission and grid reliability; or
            (2) the actions, operations, or other requirements 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 during the time period established under section 2 in any way 
that is not consistent with the reasonable and prudent alternatives 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 engineering 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 Congress of a proposal for such 
modification, action, study, or engineering plan, respectively.
                                 <all>