U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, this week worked with Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wa., to secure passage of 11 more bills jurisdictional to the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Ten of the bills will help increase the use of clean, abundant hydropower throughout the United States, while the other addresses workforce issues in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).  

“These bills will promote economic growth in the CNMI and enable more Americans to benefit from their local hydropower resources,” Murkowski said. “I thank my colleagues for coming together to ensure the Senate could pass them last night, and look forward to continued progress on many of the remaining bills that we have reported from our committee.”

The Senate passed the following measures last night:

• S. 724, a bill to amend the Federal Power Act to modernize authorizations for necessary hydropower approvals, sponsored by Sen. Murkowski.
• H.R. 219, the Swan Lake Hydroelectric Project Boundary Correction Act, sponsored by Rep. Don Young (R-AK-At Large). Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, and Sen. Murkowski sponsored S. 267, the Senate version of this bill.
• H.R. 220, a bill to authorize the expansion of the Terror Lake hydroelectric project expansion near Kodiak, Alaska, sponsored by Rep. Young. Sen. Murkowski and Sen. Sullivan sponsored S. 214, the Senate version of this bill.
• S. 215, a bill to authorize the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to issue an order continuing a stay of a hydroelectric license for the Mahoney Lake hydroelectric project in the State of Alaska, sponsored by Sen. Murkowski and cosponsored by Sen. Sullivan.
• S. 490, a bill to reinstate and extend the deadline for commencement of construction of a hydroelectric project involving the Gibson Dam, sponsored by Sen. Daines (R-MT) and cosponsored by Sens. Tester (D-MT) and Risch (R-ID).
• H.R. 951, a bill to extend the deadline for commencement of construction of the W. Kerr Scott hydroelectric project, by Rep. Foxx (R-NC-5).
• H.R. 446, a bill to extend the deadline for commencement of construction of the Gathright Dam hydroelectric project, by Rep. Griffith (R-VA-9).
• H.R.447, a bill to extend the deadline for commencement of construction of the Flannagan Dam hydroelectric project, by Rep. Griffith (R-VA-9).
• H.R. 2122, a bill to reinstate and extend the deadline for commencement of construction of a hydroelectric project involving Jennings Randolph Dam, sponsored by Rep. McKinley (R-WV-1) and cosponsored by Rep. Delaney (D-MD-6).
• H.R. 2292, a bill to extend a project of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission involving the Cannonsville Dam, sponsored by Rep. Faso (R-NY-19) and cosponsored by Reps. Adriano (D-NY-13), Meng (D-NY-6), Nadler (D-NY-10), Clarke (D-NY-9), Engel (D-NY-16), Tonko (D-NY-20), Donovan (R-NY-11), Collins (R-NY-27) and Maloney (D-NY-12).
• H.R. 5956, the Northern Mariana Islands Workforce Act of 2018, sponsored by Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT-1) and cosponsored by Rep. Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (D-MP-At Large).

Each of the House measures will head to the President’s desk for signature. S. 215 and S. 724 will head to the House of Representatives for consideration in that chamber.

Murkowski is chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.