Number: 1982-13
WHEREAS, the nation’s free flowing rivers are a resource of great significance for a variety of purposes including fisheries, recreational boating, hydropower and other uses which are frequently in conflict; and
WHEREAS, Federal statutes have been enacted or amended in recent years to give hydropower development favorable tax treatment and purchase guarantees, resulting in a dramatic increase in applications for hydropower projects, including many undeveloped sites; and
WHEREAS, the history of federal licensing of hydropower projects clearly demonstrates that, under the present laws, hydro projects are almost always licensed regardless of environmental impacts; and
WHEREAS, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has legal authority to override state rivers conservation programs by licensing projects on protected rivers; and
WHEREAS, FERC grants power of eminent domain to hydro power developers to take potential sites away from owners with interest in conservation of river sections;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation, in annual meeting assembled March 18-21, 1982, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, hereby supports changes to the Federal Power Act and the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act to bring a balance of interests to licensing decisions, including provisions to eliminate federal preemption authority over state river conservation programs and to eliminate the power of eminent domain over undeveloped hydro dam sites; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Federally mandated incentives and benefits be directed toward the development of hydroelectric power at appropriate existing small-scale dams operating on a run-of-the-river basis.