David Loebsack: “I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2872, the Promoting Hydropower…”

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2872, the Promoting Hydropower Development at Existing Nonpowered Dams Act. Iowa has become a national leader in renewable energy. Currently, my State provides over 40 percent of its electricity from renewable sources, including over 37 percent from wind power alone. But there is a lot of potential. In 2012, the U.S. Department of Energy found that there is over 12,000 megawatts of untapped hydropower potential in the Nation's existing dams. That is enough electricity to power 4 million homes. That same report ranked Iowa 10th in available energy capacity in the United States if these nonpowered dams were converted, with the potential to generate 427 megawatts. {time} 1400 Renewable energy development like hydropower has created thousands of good-paying jobs across Iowa. My district is the home of three hydroelectric generation plants and will soon be the home of the second largest hydro plant in the State, the Red Rock Hydroelectric Project. Upon completion, Red Rock will produce upwards of 36 megawatts of energy. That is enough electricity to power the nearby city of Pella, and it has led to hundreds of jobs across the State of Iowa. However, projects like Red Rock and others have been slowed by a cumbersome licensing process as has been mentioned by folks on both sides of the aisle here.…”