Congresswoman Harriet Hageman’s bill requiring the Bureau of Reclamation and Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) to analyze the economic consequences that bypass flows at Glen Canyon Dam have had on the Upper Colorado River Basin Fund, passed the House of Representatives on May 13.

Representative Hageman said, “Our water and energy-producing infrastructure must be protected. America needs more hydropower, not less of it. Reducing hydropower generation is counterintuitive and my bill addresses that by keeping the Basin Fund intact as a short-term means ensuring operating, maintenance and other expenses are paid so that this dispatchable and reliable energy source remains viable for everyone dependent on this supply.”

The bill was introduced in February. Hageman said that there will be significant costs associated with cutting hydropower generation at Glen Canyon Dam to address smallmouth bass below the dam, to be paid for by utility customers.

"Taxpayers are again left to pay for the consequences of unsound endangered species and climate policies" said the Congresswoman.

Humpback Chub photographed by Bruce Taubert, Arizona Game & Fish

Background:

The Biden-Harris Administration’s Colorado River Long Term Experimental Management Plan SEIS Record of Decision (ROD) was signed on July 5, 2024, with Reclamation implementation beginning just three days later, on July 8.

The Biden's plan calls for bypass flows at Glen Canyon Dam, meaning higher flows to combat the presence of predatory smallmouth bass that threaten the federally protected humpback chub.

These higher flows bypass hydropower generators in order to cool the river temperature below the dam to attempt to disrupt smallmouth bass downstream.

The lost hydropower generation must be replaced with power purchased on the open market at more expensive prices during the middle of summer peak electricity demand.

The WAPA makes these purchases from the Upper Colorado River Basin Fund, which is financed by power revenues; or, in other words, it is customer funded.

Read the full bill and check on status updates here.

H.R. 1001

The Congresswoman's proposed plan orders the following:

Address the effects that the Upper Colorado River Basin Fund's current decision has on routine operations, maintenance, and replacement of critical infrastructure.
Address the impact the current plan has on hydropower production at Glen Canyon Dam, including costs to replace hydropower resources and grid reliability.
Identify impacts the decision has on threatened or endangered species.