Take Action: Bad Hydropower Legislation Still in Play
Posted: 06/06/2016
By: Thomas O'Keefe
Many of you weighed in earlier this year on the Energy Bill and specifically some very troubling
provisions concerning hydropower. Your actions made a difference but now that the House and
Senate have both passed an Energy Bill, negotiations will soon get underway to determine what the
final language will be. The fate of our rivers, and our ability to effectively advocate for the
interests of whitewater paddlers, hangs in the balance.
Under the guise of "modernizing" hydropower and "reducing costs," the
hydropower industry is working feverishly to get a free pass on environmental regulations that
help us restore flows to rivers. If they are successful, it will damage our work to restore flows
and enhance whitewater recreation downstream of hydropower projects.
You can help us today by telling Congress to oppose this effort by the hydropower industry to
take us back in time. Over the past 30 years, we have demonstrated that we can keep our rivers
flowing while still keeping the lights on. The hydropower industry does not need to roll back
environmental regulations.
Use our Take Action tool to send a message to legislators:
We have customized the message depending on the role your member of Congress is expected to play
in negotiating final language. You should feel free to add a personalized note about what rivers
mean to you, particulary if you can speak to a local run you enjoy that has been restored through
hydropower licensing.
Thomas O'Keefe
3537 NE 87th St.
Seattle, WA 98115
E-mail: okeefe@americanwhitewater.org
Phone: 425-417-9012
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