Boebert and Gray’s Rural Jobs and Hydropower Expansion Act Passes Natural Resources Committee

May 14, 2026 Press Release Washington, DC— Today, Rep. Lauren Boebert (CO-04) and Rep. Adam Gray’s (CA-13) Rural Jobs and Hydropower Expansion Act passed the House Natural Resources Committee with a bipartisan vote. “I'm proud that my Rural Jobs and Hydropower Expansion Act passed out of Committee today with bipartisan support,” said Rep. Lauren Boebert (CO-04) “This is an important first step to get this vital legislation to the President’s desk. Cutting red tape and unleashing new hydropower development will create good-paying rural jobs, lower energy costs for families and businesses, and strengthen our energy independence.” “Hydropower is critical to both water storage and energy reliability in the Central Valley and across the West. If we are serious about increasing water supply and lowering energy costs, we cannot keep burying projects in red tape. The Rural Jobs and Hydropower Expansion Act will help cut through delays and create a faster, more predictable process to deliver water and generate power,” said Congressman Adam Gray (CA-13). Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee Bruce Westerman said, “Hydropower is an important energy source for rural communities across the West. Rep. Boebert’s legislation encourages the development of non-federal hydropower projects and creates jobs for rural Americans. I applaud her for her commitment to ensuring that American families have affordable and reliable sources of energy.” Background: The Rural Jobs and Hydropower Expansion Act streamlines the permitting process and authorizes new non-federal hydropower development on Reclamation projects to include diversion dams and other facilities. Further expanding clean hydro will help lower energy costs for American families and small businesses and create jobs in rural America Current non-federal hydropower development on Reclamation projects and the associated permits can fall under both the Bureau of Reclamation and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) often requiring approvals from both agencies depending on the project. This fragmented system can lead to significant permitting delays, increased costs and other inefficiencies when seeking to develop new hydroelectric resources. This split-in-agency jurisdiction has led to nearly 70 non-federal projects being subject to a dual permitting process and a dozen projects requiring dual permits in the development stages. This legislation creates a one-stop shop to help solve these permitting issues by giving the Bureau of Reclamation exclusive authority to issue permits for hydropower development within Reclamation projects. Text of the bill as passed by committee can be accessed HERE Issues : Getting Things Done Energy and Natural Resources Water Infrastructure and Transportation