US Dept. of Commerce and
Green Groups Stand Against Hydropower Provisions in Senate “Energy Reform Bill”

On Monday, July 27, 11 major environmental groups came out strongly against a bipartisan Senate energy policy billnow under consideration in key Senate Committees. The list of groups includes big names like the Sierra Club, League of Conservation Voters, and Natural Resources Defense Council, among others. The groups find “several provisions in this bill could cause detrimental effects to public health and our environment.” Ten sections were quoted by the groups to be problematic, including: provisions aimed to speed up permitting of fracking exports and mining operations, a section repealing a fossil-fuel phase-out for federal buildings, and changes to hydropower regulations that could put fish and wildlife in danger.

The groups claim that the bill may also endanger Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) public health programming, and believe it does not invest enough in clean energy or reduce greenhouse gasses efficiently. The bipartisan bill is a product of months of hearings and negotiations between the two Senate members carrying it: Maria Cantwell (D-Wash) and LisaMurkowski (R-Alaska). The groups did, however, comment in favor of the bipartisan effort put into the bill, and noted a few commendable sections of the bill as well.