Memorandum of Understanding to Address Potential Impacts of A Certain Record of Decision on the Upper Colorado River Basin Fund

Floor Speech

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Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my legislation, H.R. 1001, which requires the Bureau of Reclamation and the Western Area Power Administration, or WAPA, to enter into a memorandum of understanding to address the impacts that bypass flows at Glen Canyon Dam have had on the Upper Colorado River Basin Fund.

It is worth taking a moment to highlight why we are here today. Under the Biden administration, the Bureau of Reclamation wanted to rush to implement bypass flows to prevent smallmouth bass and other warm water invasive nonnative fish from becoming established below the Glen Canyon Dam outlet works.

This action, however, comes at significant costs as it would mean foregoing hydropower generation for the majority of these releases.

The Bureau of Reclamation initiated its record of decision, or ROD, over Glen Canyon Dam's long-term experimental management plan supplemental EIS this past summer. It was signed on July 5, 2024, with implementation beginning just 3 days later on July 8. Pretty doggone quick.

The ROD calls for higher flows at the dam to combat the presence of predatory smallmouth bass which threaten the federally protected humpback chub. These higher flows bypass hydropower generators in order to cool the river temperature below the dam in an attempt to disrupt smallmouth bass downstream.

While this ROD was well-intentioned, it comes at a very serious cost to communities and power customers. Due to the bypass requirements, the lost hydropower generation must be replaced with power purchased on the open market.

WAPA makes these purchases from the Upper Colorado River Basin Fund which is funded by power revenues or, in other words, by the customers. WAPA's preliminary estimate of energy replacement is about $20 million more than it would have been without the bypass requirements. Going forward, it projects the impact on customers to be even significantly more.

The American people are fed up with these heavyhanded decisions by the Federal Government that makes it increasingly difficult to get by in this country, particularly if you are trying to raise a family. Water is the interior West's most important resource.

For over 60 years, Glen Canyon Dam has been producing hydroelectric power, providing reliable, flexible, low-cost, emission-free baseload energy across the entire region. That is why this bill is important.

My bill requires the Bureau of Reclamation to acknowledge the effect of the decision through a memorandum of understanding that measures the economic, environmental, and reliability impacts of the action. I am grateful that this important legislation is being considered today.

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