Today, U.S. Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52) voted in support of the Hydropower Policy Modernization Act to expedite the licensing process for non-federal hydropower plants. Rep. Peters released the following statement:

 “As we continue the push toward a clean energy future, we need to be supportive of energy sources that cut down on our reliance on fossil fuels. Hydropower is a cost-effective, renewable source of energy and can play an important role in helping us battle climate change,” Rep. Scott Peters said. “There is nothing simple about licensing large scale hydropower projects. I believe that we can come together in a bipartisan manner to achieve both high environmental standards and establish a process that allows for more efficiency and certainty in licensing.”

Streamlining licensing for hydropower facilities will increase the opportunity to utilize new hydropower plants, and will help develop cheap, renewable, and clean power. According to the Department of Energy, increasing the hydropower generation by only 49 gigawatts between 2015 and 2050 would accrue more than $200 billion in savings by reducing greenhouse gas emissions while at the same time being capable of providing power to more than 35 million homes.