Congresswoman Lee, Senator Cortez Masto, Colorado River Commission Celebrate Help Hoover Dam Act Being Signed Into Law
Watch and Download Video of Press Conference
BOULDER CITY, NV – Today, Congresswoman Susie Lee (NV-03) joined Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Puoy Premsrirut, Colorado River Commission Chairwoman, to discuss their bipartisan, bicameral Help Hoover Dam Act, which was recently signed into law and will free about $50 million in funds for maintaining the Hoover Dam.
“The Hoover Dam is as much a wonder of the West today as it was when it first became part of the Nevada landscape 90 years ago, and it continues to provide us with power, water, and recreational opportunities. But sadly, not even a structural achievement as grand as the Hoover Dam is immune from aging, and its maintenance needs are mounting,” said Congresswoman Susie Lee, lead House sponsor of the Help Hoover Dam Act. “That’s why I’m so glad that our common-sense legislation successfully made it through Congress with broad, bipartisan support and will cut through federal red tape and free tens of millions of dollars in long-stranded funding for Hoover Dam capital improvement projects. This bill will ensure that the federal government is making the best use of the resources available to us for the upkeep of the nearly century-old Hoover Dam.”
“Today, Congresswoman Susie Lee and I celebrated something that’s become all too rare in Washington: we passed legislation to make government more efficient,” said Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, lead Senate sponsor of the Help Hoover Dam Act. “Our Help Hoover Dam Act will release $50 million in existing funds so we can make much-needed improvements to the Hoover Dam, protect Western water, and save Nevadans money on their energy bills. As we work to improve things for Nevadans, we must keep chipping away at the red tape that makes it harder to get federal support to people and projects.”
“Hoover Dam is one of the most important power facilities in the United States. It provides power to millions, and we use it for critical grid stability and revenue that supports continued project operations. Everyone knows we are facing operational pressures across the Colorado River Basin, and we’re facing challenges to maintain the reliability and resilience of Hoover Dam. Doing so is not optional, it is essential,” said Puoy Premsrirut, Colorado River Commission Chairwoman. “These funds can and will support wide head turbine modernization, electrical and mechanical upgrades, environmental compliance and cleanup, and infrastructure resilience improvements. This is about responsible financial management, as the funds are already in the account and Congress has confirmed their appropriate use. Utilizing them now avoids unnecessary delay, strengthens our infrastructure, and supports strong stewardship of a national asset.”
The legislation allows the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) — which testified in support of the bill during the 118th Congress — to access about $50 million in long-stranded funds for Hoover Dam operations, maintenance, and improvement projects.
Reclamation has estimated that the nearly century-old Hoover Dam will require more than $200 million in major plant investment over and above routine operation and maintenance during the next decade. Constructed in the 1930s, the dam generates hydroelectric power for 1.3 million people across Nevada, Arizona, and California each year. Lake Mead, the dam’s reservoir, supplies water to 25 million people and serves as the focal point of America’s first and largest National Recreation Area.
The Help Hoover Dam Act will:
- Invest upwards of $50 million in the Hoover Dam, utilizing existing funding collected from Hoover hydropower contractors over the last 25 years — helping save taxpayer dollars, prevent energy prices from going up, and protect Western water and other natural resources.
- Give the Bureau of Reclamation clear authority to recover these previously stranded funds from an orphaned federal account, as well as partner with Hoover hydropower contractors to pay 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 was signed into law as part of the Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act, 2026.
This legislation was cosponsored by Representatives Mark Amodei (NV-02), Greg Stanton (AZ-04), and Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06), and Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Adam Schiff (D-CA).
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 Nevada Rural Electric Association, the Arizona Power Authority, the Irrigation and Electrical Districts Association of Arizona, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, and others.
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