Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today applauded final approval of the Hoover Power Allocation Act, a bill that will provide California with affordable clean energy until 2067. The bill will now be sent to the president for signature.
“As we debate whether to invest in infrastructure projects, I offer the Hoover Dam as proof positive that we should do so. Hoover was built during the depths of the Great Depression, yet 75 years later it remains a clean, affordable source of energy,” Senator Feinstein said.
“Passage of this legislation means California can continue purchasing Hoover Dam’s power at the cost of production for the next 50 years, saving millions of dollars for California consumers.”
The Boulder Canyon Project Act of 1928 authorized the Interior Secretary to build the Hoover Dam only after securing long-term contracts with local communities for the dam’s power that would repay the federal government for cost of construction. The dam provides an annual average of about 4 billion kilowatt-hours.
In 1984, Congress enacted the Hoover Power Plant Act, which authorized the Energy Secretary to allocate power under schedules that were scheduled to expire in 2017. The bill approved this week extends that authority another 50 years.