Ed Markey: “I thank the gentlelady very much. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to this legislation. After 427 days in the majority…”

“I thank the gentlelady very much. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to this legislation. After 427 days in the majority and having no energy or jobs strategy to show for it, House Republicans are now offering H.R. 2842, the Bureau of Reclamation Small Conduit Hydropower Development and Rural Jobs Act. We need legislation that gets hydro projects moving and that gets hard hats down in the ditches again. Instead, Republicans are offering more legislation that is certain to be ditched by the Senate. We should encourage the development of small hydropower projects at existing facilities. In fact, if the legislation simply gave the Bureau of Reclamation exclusive jurisdiction to develop hydropower at Federal reclamation facilities, I would support it. If it mandated that the Bureau of Reclamation institute categorical exclusions for their small hydro projects, I would support it. But Republicans, they just couldn't help themselves. It doesn't matter the nature of the problem. For Republicans, the problem is always just nature, so they went and gutted environmental review altogether in this bill. That's what happens when your entire economic platform is deregulation and gutting safety and environmental protections. You start waiving environmental review even when the industry you're trying to help isn't asking for it.…”