Sponsor:

• Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.)

Introduced:

• 6/12/17

Status:

• Passed by House 12/12/17

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WHAT IT DOES

H.R. 2880 would streamline the federal licensing process for pumped storage hydropower facilities.

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WHY WE LIKE IT

These facilities make up the vast majority of U.S. electricity storage technologies, which are crucial as more intermittent renewable energy is connected to the power grid. A 2016 Department of Energy report found the economic potential for pumped hydropower to exceed 35 GW. Tapping this potential by 2050 is unlikely to occur without regulatory reforms: a single pumped storage hydropower project can exceed $1 billion and take several years to permit. Streamlining the regulatory process would improve investor certainty and encourage more market-driven investments.

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View the full text of H.R. 2880