Washington, DC – The National Hydropower Association, America’s leading trade association for the water power industry, applauded the U.S. House of Representatives for overwhelmingly passing the Build More Hydro bill (S. 1020). This legislation empowers the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to extend construction deadlines for around three dozen hydropower projects delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain shortages, and other unique hurdles that threaten their completion. The bill now heads to the president’s desk for signature.
“Today is a great day for affordable, around the clock reliable energy,” said NHA’s President and CEO, Malcolm Woolf. “In an era of rising demand and new challenges for the grid, we need to get every megawatt of hydropower on the grid possible. NHA has worked hard to get this bill across the finish line, and it should come as no surprise why; the projects this legislation supports are more than just the 2,600 MW of baseload power and $6.5 billion in private investment they provide. They also mean good jobs for communities that need them, reliable energy that powers local economies, lower energy bills for consumers, and so much more. I thank Rep. Newhouse, Sen. Daines and their colleagues for working alongside us to get this bill passed in the House, and I can’t wait to see it become law.”
The legislation unanimously passed the U.S. Senate in July of 2025, where it was led by Senator Steve Daines of Montana. Most recently, it unanimously advanced out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee in January of 2026.
The National Hydropower Association (NHA) has actively supported this bill throughout the entire legislative process. Last November, NHA led a letter to Congress urging Republican and Democratic leaders of the Energy and Commerce Committee to advance the bill. This letter was co-signed by representatives from most of the three dozen hydropower projects impacted by the legislation.
