# 119-hr-7487: Rural Jobs and Hydropower Expansion Act

119-hr-7487, Rural Jobs and Hydropower Expansion Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Boebert, Lauren [R-CO-4] (R-CO); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-11-01).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7487
- As of: 2026-11-01
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-7487
- Congress: 119
- Title: Rural Jobs and Hydropower Expansion Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2026-02-11
- Sponsor: Rep. Boebert, Lauren [R-CO-4] (R-CO)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Water Resources Development
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-11-01

## Summary

**Expands non‑Federal hydropower development across Bureau of Reclamation facilities.** This bill would broaden which Reclamation works can host hydropower, retitle and standardize facility types, and set clearer rules for Federal Energy Regulatory Commission authorizations and operation and maintenance transfers. - Municipalities and local utilities: The bill unifies rules for furnishing water, selling electric power, and leasing power privileges, making it easier for local partners to attach power projects to Reclamation facilities. - Non‑Federal developers and operators: It opens hydropower to "all Bureau of Reclamation facilities" instead of only small conduits or pumped storage. It defines "transferred works facility" and "reserved works facility" so non‑Federal entities can operate and maintain facilities under formal contracts. - Reclamation and regulators: The bill says FERC authorizations remain active until inactive and can be renewed. When an authorization becomes inactive, site jurisdiction shifts back to the Bureau of Reclamation. It also changes language so hydropower is "secondary to" other water uses rather than merely "incidental to."

## Cosponsors (1)

- Rep. Gray, Adam [D-CA-13] (D-CA), 2026-02-11T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Hydropower permit and boundary rules: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would treat Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approvals in this section as formal "authorizations." Authorizations would remain in place until they become inactive and could be renewed under FERC rules. When an authorization becomes inactive, the Bureau of Reclamation would…
- More hydropower on Reclamation facilities: mixed, low. If enacted, developers and local utilities would be able to propose hydropower projects on all Bureau of Reclamation facilities, not just small conduits and reservoirs. The bill would add clear definitions for facilities Reclamation keeps versus those transferred to non‑Federal operators. Hydropowe…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-471: Fix Our Forests Act
- 119-hr-4242: Innovate Less Lethal to De-Escalate Tax Modernization Act
- 119-hr-2189: To modernize Federal firearms laws to account for advancements in technology and less-than-lethal weapons, and for other purposes.
- 119-hr-1269: Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act of 2025
- 119-hr-8324: Great American Healthcare Plan
- 119-hr-1422: Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-7487 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7487)

## Related
- [119-hr-471: Fix Our Forests Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-471)
- [119-hr-4242: Innovate Less Lethal to De-Escalate Tax Modernization Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4242)
- [119-hr-2189: To modernize Federal firearms laws to account for advancements in technology an…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2189)
- [119-hr-1269: Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1269)
- [119-hr-8324: Great American Healthcare Plan](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8324)
- [119-hr-1422: Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1422)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7487 (as of 2026-11-01).