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H.R. 6247 112th Congress House

Saving Our Dams and New Hydropower Development and Jobs Act of 2012

Official title: To protect the Federal Columbia River Power System, Power Marketing Administration customers, and Bureau of Reclamation dams and other facilities and to promot… Show full official titleShow less

Official title: To protect the Federal Columbia River Power System, Power Marketing Administration customers, and Bureau of Reclamation dams and other facilities and to promote new Federal and other hydropower generation.

Introduced: September 20, 2012 See on congress.gov
Energy Administrative law and regulatory proceduresAir qualityCivil actions and liabilityCongressional oversight
More subjectsShow fewer subjects
Consumer affairsDams and canalsDepartment of EnergyElectric power generation and transmissionEndangered and threatened speciesEnergy revenues and royaltiesEnergy storage, supplies, demandEnvironmental assessment, monitoring, researchFederal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)FiresFishesFloods and storm protectionGeneral public lands mattersGovernment information and archivesLicensing and registrationsNavigation, waterways, harborsPublic utilities and utility ratesWater storageWater use and supplyWildlife conservation and habitat protection
This bill died when the 112th Congress ended
It never became law before the 112th Congress (2011–2012) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 4 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Aug 15, 2012
Committee Hearings Held.
Aug 3, 2012
Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Power.
Aug 1, 2012
Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, 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.
Aug 1, 2012
Introduced in House
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 Latest action August 15, 2012

Committee Hearings Held.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Saving Our Dams and New Hydropower Development and Jobs Act of 2012 - Amends the Reclamation Project Act of 1939 to authorize small conduit hydropower development. Designates the Power Resources Office of the Bureau of Reclamation as the lead office of small conduit hydropower policy and procedure-setting activities.

Requires the Administrators of the Bonneville Power Administration, the Western Area Power Administration, the Southwestern Power Administration, and the Southeastern Power Administration to include in monthly billings sent to customers estimates and reports of costs related to compliance with federal environmental laws impacting fish and wildlife.

Authorizes the Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation to partner or enter into an agreement with local joint power authorities to complete planning and feasibility studies authorized by Congress for water storage projects.

Prohibits the Bureau of Reclamation and other federal agencies from bypassing hydroelectric turbines if a state in which the affected facilities are located has declared a drought emergency or if such bypass could result in harming endangered fish, unless such bypasses are necessary for flood control purposes.

Exempts from the requirement to prepare an environmental assessment or impact statement an electricity right-of-way holder, including a Power Marketing Administration, that applies to remove insect-infected trees or other hazardous fuels within 500 feet of the right-of-way.

Prohibits: (1) federal funds from being used to implement a new program, project, activity, or action required by or proposed in a March 16, 2012, memorandum from Steven Chu, Secretary of Energy, to the Power Marketing Administrators, until a report justifying the implementation of such program, project, activity, or action is submitted to Congress; (2) federal funds from being used to remove, breach, or study the removal or breaching of any hydroelectric-producing dam unless explicitly authorized by Congress; (3) federal funds or funding from congressionally chartered organizations that provide grants impacting federal land and fish and wildlife from being used for mitigation activities related to hydroelectric-producing dam removal unless explicitly authorized by Congress; and (4) federal agencies or congressionally chartered organizations that provide grants impacting federal land and fish and wildlife from funding any nongovernmental organization that is or was involved in litigation that would negatively impact hydropower generation during the preceding 10 years.

 Related & companion bills 1
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 3
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 6247: Saving Our Dams and New Hydropower Development and Jobs Act of 2012. 112th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/112-HR-6247/
MLA
"H.R. 6247: Saving Our Dams and New Hydropower Development and Jobs Act of 2012." 112th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/112-HR-6247/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 6247, 112th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/112-HR-6247/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 6247: Saving Our Dams and New Hydropower Development and Jobs Act of 2012](https://openamerica.io/bill/112-HR-6247/)
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