Lee, Cortez Masto Lead Bipartisan Legislation to Recover Millions in Unused Funding for Hoover Dam
WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Susie Lee (NV-03) and Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Help Hoover Dam Act in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate to allow the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) to access about $50 million in unused, long-stranded funds for Hoover Dam operations, maintenance, and improvement projects. Representatives Mark Amodei (NV-02), Greg Stanton (AZ-04), and Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06) are co-leading this legislation in the House.
Tens of millions of dollars in the Colorado River Dam Fund have been inaccessible for decades due to bureaucracy, federal red tape, and government inefficiency. 40 million people depend on the Colorado River for water and 1.3 million people in Nevada, Arizona, and California depend on the Hoover Dam for electricity.
The Help Hoover Dam Act will:
- Invest these funds in the Hoover Dam — helping save taxpayer dollars, protect Western water and other natural resources, and strengthen a key source of Nevada’s energy.
- Give Reclamation clear authority to partner with Hoover hydropower contractors in recovering and utilizing these stranded funds for authorized activities — including operations, maintenance, capital improvements, and clean-up actions — at Hoover Dam and lands connected to the dam.
The Help Hoover Dam Act is endorsed by the American Public Power Association, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the Colorado River Commission of Nevada, the Southern Nevada Water Authority, the Arizona Power Authority, the Irrigation and Electrical Districts Association of Arizona, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, and others.
“The Help Hoover Dam Act will cut through federal red tape and free tens of millions of dollars in long-stranded funding for Hoover Dam improvement projects. This is government efficiency,” said Congresswoman Susie Lee (NV-03), lead House sponsor of the Help Hoover Dam Act. “Our bill is about keeping energy prices from going up, protecting our natural resources, and saving taxpayers' money.”
“The Hoover Dam is a monument to the idea that America can and will invest in infrastructure that improves the lives of its people,” said Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV). “The dam and its powerplant serve residents across Nevada, Arizona, and California. It’s past time we cut the red tape, unlock the $50 million in unused funds to improve and maintain the dam, and save taxpayer dollars.”
“The Help Hoover Dam Act is of critical importance to Nevada,” said Eric Witkoski, Executive Director of the Colorado River Commission of Nevada. “Hoover Dam is an icon of the American West, facing unprecedented challenges due to extreme drought. This bill will preserve power generation at a time when the Western United States needs reliable and cost-effective energy resources.”
“Drought on the Colorado River has had a dramatic impact on Hoover Dam customers, reducing generation by roughly 40 percent compared to pre-drought generation levels. The Help Hoover Dam Act would give the Bureau of Reclamation the congressional authority necessary to make beneficial use of stranded funds in order to pay for critical operation, maintenance, and replacement projects at Hoover Dam. This legislation is urgently needed to help not-for-profit, community-owned utilities served by Hoover Dam to continue to serve their communities during this difficult time,” said Desmarie Waterhouse, Senior Vice President, Advocacy and Communications & General Counsel, American Public Power Association (APPA).
“The Help Hoover Dam Act is urgently needed to ensure adequate funding for operation, maintenance and replacement projects at Hoover dam and mitigate cost impacts on consumers. The dam provides clean and affordable energy to many southwestern rural communities and is critical to maintaining grid reliability in the western United States. We appreciate Senator Cortez Masto and Congresswoman Susie Lee's efforts to ensure that electric cooperatives and other not-for-profit utilities can continue to rely on Hoover Dam to meet the energy needs of their communities,” said Louis Finkel, Senior Vice President for Government Relations, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA).
"For nearly a century, Hoover Dam has been vital to delivering clean, reliable power and drinking water to communities across the West,” said Congressman Mark Amodei (NV-02). “This bipartisan legislation provides a cost-effective, commonsense approach to ensuring the dam receives the essential upkeep needed to continue quality service to the millions who rely on it."
“Arizonans rely on the nearly 100-year-old Hoover Dam to store precious Colorado River water, generate affordable electricity and protect against dangerous flooding,” said Congressman Greg Stanton (AZ-04). “Our bipartisan, common-sense legislation unlocks needed federal funds for operations, maintenance and improvement so it can continue to serve Arizonans for generations to come.”
"The Hoover Dam is critical to southern Arizona's water supply and provides clean and affordable hydropower to the Western United States," said Congressman Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06). "As Co-Chair of the bipartisan Colorado River Caucus, I am proud to support this commonsense solution to allow the Bureau of Reclamation to access millions in unused funds for the operation, maintenance, and improvement of the Hoover Dam."
###