Congress has authorized and appropriated $200 million in funds for energy development in the Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations bill. Unfortunately, these funds have been impacted over the past two years and are currently being held at the Department of Energy, pending review. This freeze has had an outsize impact on adding new generation to America's electric grid and expansion of off-grid capabilities. These new and developing energy technologies and projects are critical to support load growth as we pursue global energy leadership.

The U.S. water power industry provides tremendous reliability and resiliency services to our nation’s electric grid, reduces environmental effects, and helps power local economies and domestic job growth. The industry is poised to do even more. The United States has significant untapped water power resources and infrastructure, including non-powered dams, conduits, new hydropower and pumped storage, and vast available marine energy resources.

Advancing innovative technologies, operations, and approaches to harness these resources in a globally competitive marketplace is enhanced by federal funding that augments research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) efforts underway in the private sector with support from the National Labs, universities, as well as the National Marine Energy Centers.

Ensuring investments are dispersed from the Hydropower and Hydrokinetic Office (H2O) will significantly expand the current contributions from water power resources. The H2O supports cutting-edge private sector-led RD&D for innovative hydropower, pumped storage, and marine energy technologies. New advanced generation systems to capture untapped water power resources represent a substantial economic opportunity for the U.S. to lead the world in an emerging area of energy production and stimulate a broad range of job-creating businesses.

 We request your office support OMB releasing the delayed H2O funds and the hydropower incentive awards authorized under Section 247 of EPACT.