Skip to main content
CivicGate

S 1020
Became Law Re-checks Congress.gov for new actions and updates the bill's status, and fills in any sponsors, committees, or related bills that are missing. It does not re-pull sponsors/cosponsors/committees/related — those rarely change — and it skips all work if nothing has changed upstream, so it's cheap to click.

A bill to require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to extend the time period during which licensees are required to commence construction of certain hydropower projects.

To require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to extend the time period during which licensees are required to commence construction of certain hydropower projects.

Introduced Mar 13, 2025

Latest action (May 11, 2026) Became Public Law No: 119-90.

Referred to
Energy and Natural Resources Committee
Policy area
Energy
Issues
Climate & Energy
Legislative subjects (5)
Alternative and renewable resourcesDams and canalsElectric power generation and transmissionInfrastructure developmentLicensing and registrations

Summary

This bill allows the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to extend the time period for hydropower projects to begin construction. Hydropower licensees normally have 8 years from receiving their license to start construction, but this bill permits the FERC to grant an additional extension of up to 6 years if the licensee requests it and demonstrates good cause. The extension would consist of up to three consecutive 2-year periods. For projects whose licenses expired between December 31, 2023 and the bill's enactment, the FERC may reinstate the expired license and allow the new extension period to begin from the original expiration date.

AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.

Sponsor (1)
7 cosponsors

Actions (19)
  1. May 11, 2026 Became Public Law No: 119-90.
  2. May 11, 2026 Signed by President.
  3. Apr 30, 2026 Presented to President. · house
  4. Apr 21, 2026 Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection. · house
  5. Apr 21, 2026 On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 394 - 14 (Roll no. 129). (text: CR H3024) · house
  6. Apr 21, 2026 Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 394 - 14 (Roll no. 129). (text: CR H3024)
  7. Apr 21, 2026 Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H3026-3027) · house
  8. Apr 21, 2026 At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed. · house
  9. Apr 21, 2026 DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 1020. · house
  10. Apr 21, 2026 Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H3024-3025) · house
  11. Apr 21, 2026 Mrs. Harshbarger moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill. · house
  12. Aug 1, 2025 Held at the desk. · house
  13. Aug 1, 2025 Received in the House. · house
  14. Aug 1, 2025 Message on Senate action sent to the House. · senate
  15. Jul 29, 2025 Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S4797-4798; text: CR S4797-4798) · senate
  16. Jul 29, 2025 Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S4797-4798; text: CR S4797-4798)
  17. Jul 29, 2025 Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources discharged by Unanimous Consent. · senate
  18. Mar 13, 2025 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. · senate
  19. Mar 13, 2025 Introduced in Senate

How your representatives voted

Sign in to see how your own representatives voted on S 1020.

Roll-call votes (1)

How the chamber voted on this bill — the outcome, the tally by party, and every member's recorded position. A factual record.

More bills on these subjects (8)

Other bills that carry the most legislative subjects in common with this one (topical discovery — distinct from the procedural related bills above).

  • HR 2072 — To require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to extend the time period during which licensees are required to commence construction of certain hydropower projects. (shares 5 subjects)
  • HR 4553 — Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026 (shares 5 subjects)
  • HR 1968 — Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 (shares 5 subjects)
  • HR 1654 — CUTS Act (shares 5 subjects)
  • HR 191 — Inflation Reduction Act of 2025 (shares 5 subjects)
  • S 764 — Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy Act (shares 4 subjects)
  • HR 1728 — Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy Act (shares 4 subjects)
  • S 1397 — Federal Permitting Improvement Act of 2013 (shares 4 subjects)

Similar bills (6)

Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.

  • HR 2072 — To require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to extend the time period during which licensees are required to commence construction of certain hydropower projects. · Introduced Feb 2, 2026 · Cong. 119 79%
  • S 3518 — FLOWS Act · Introduced Jun 10, 2026 · Cong. 119 76%
  • HR 3657 — Hydropower Licensing Transparency Act · Passed House Jun 10, 2026 · Cong. 119 74%
  • HR 9806 — FLOWS Act · Introduced Jul 21, 2026 · Cong. 119 71%
  • S 3500 — Hydropower Licensing Transparency Act · Introduced Jun 10, 2026 · Cong. 119 68%
  • HR 8889 — National Dam and Hydropower Safety Improvements Act of 2026 · Introduced May 19, 2026 · Cong. 119 63%

Full text

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

March 13, 2025

Mr. Daines (for himself, Mr. Fetterman, Mr. Cassidy, Mr. Kennedy, Ms. Murkowski, and Mr. Sheehy) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

A BILL

To require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to extend the time period during which licensees are required to commence construction of certain hydropower projects.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. EXTENSION OF TIME TO COMMENCE CONSTRUCTION OF CERTAIN HYDROPOWER PROJECTS.

(a) Definition of Covered Project.—In this section, the term “covered project” means a hydropower project with respect to which the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a license before March 13, 2020.

(b) Authorization of Extension.—Notwithstanding section 13 of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 806), on the request of a licensee of a covered project, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission may, after reasonable notice and for good cause shown, extend in accordance with subsection (c) the period during which the licensee is required to commence construction of the covered project for not more than an additional 6 years beyond the 8 years authorized by that section.

(c) Period of Extension.—An extension of time to commence construction of a covered project under subsection (b) shall—

(1) consist of not more than 3 consecutive 2-year periods;

(2) begin on the date on which the final extension of the period for commencement of construction granted to the licensee under section 13 of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 806) expires; and

(3) end on the date that is not more than 6 years after the latest date to which the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is authorized to extend the period for commencement of construction under that section.

(d) Reinstatement of Expired License.—If the time period required under section 13 of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 806) to commence construction of a covered project expires after December 31, 2023, and before the date of enactment of this Act—

(1) the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission may reinstate the license for the applicable project effective as of the date of expiration of the license; and

(2) the extension authorized under subsection (b) shall take effect on the date of that expiration. <all>

Comments

Comments

Loading comments…