Rural Jobs and Hydropower Expansion Act

Sponsor: Lauren Boebert (Republican-CO)February 11, 2026

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Introduced

In Committee

Passed One Chamber

Passed Both Chambers

Signed into Law

Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Lets private companies build more hydropower projects on federal water facilities.

This bill would make it easier for private companies to build and operate hydropower projects on federal water facilities. It would expand where these projects can be built, clarify how their permits work, and give the Bureau of Reclamation more control over sites once permits expire.

What Would Change

Today, private companies can only build specific types of hydropower projects, such as "small conduit" or "pumped storage," on Bureau of Reclamation facilities. This bill would allow them to build hydropower projects using all Bureau of Reclamation facilities. Additionally, the rules for federal permits would be updated, clarifying permit duration and when the Bureau of Reclamation takes over a site.

Key Provisions

Lets private companies build hydropower projects on all Bureau of Reclamation facilities, expanding beyond current limits.
Updates the official date for Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) hydropower permits to the bill's enactment date.
Clarifies that FERC hydropower permits would stay active until they become inactive, can be renewed, and then the Bureau of Reclamation would take over the project site.
Removes specific limiting terms like "small conduit" from the rules to match the expanded hydropower opportunities.
Defines "Reserved works facility" and "Transferred works facility" for federal water projects.
Clarifies that the Bureau of Reclamation's power to lease power privileges would not expand beyond existing project boundaries.

View on Congress.gov

HR 7487 · 119th Congress · February 11, 2026 · AI Summary by gemini-2.5-flash · 8/10

Rural Jobs and Hydropower Expansion Act

What Would Change

Key Provisions

Lobbying Activity