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People & committees
Rep. Newhouse, Dan [R-WA-4] · R–WA
Legislative record
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Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Mar 6, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-03-11 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
This proposal would restrict federal officials from breaching federally operated dams or retiring their hydropower generation when specified thresholds are met. It addresses carbon emissions, commercial shipping, product prices, replacement land use, electricity rates, and regional power reliability. It would also require replacement of a retired dam’s minimum power supply within 30 days. These are proposed requirements, not evidence of changes already in force.
the Secretary of the Army may not breach a federally operated dam
(A) would result in an increase in carbon emissions by more than 5 percent; (B) would make the body of water impacted by the breach less navigable for commercial interests; or (C) would result in increase of at least 5 percent of the price of any products, including agricultural products, shipped via the body of water impacted by the breach
the energy resource intended to replace such dam as a result of such breach would occupy an area of land that is larger in acreage than the area occupied by such dam by at least 5 percent.
(1) raise customer electricity rates by more than 5 percent; or (2) decrease energy reliability, as determined by the Administrator of the Bonneville Power Administration, in any portion of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and California by more than 5 percent of the energy reliability as compared to the 12 month period before the retirement.
Not later than 30 days after retiring an energy generation source, the Secretary shall ensure that not less than 100 percent of the baseload generation of the retired energy generation source has been replaced.
The term baseload generation means the the minimum amount of electric power supplied to an electrical grid.
The term energy generation source means a federally operated dam that generates hydropower.
Section 1 names the proposal the Protecting Our Water Energy Resources Act, or POWER Act.
This Act may be cited as the Protecting Our Water Energy Resources Act or the POWER Act.
The Army Secretary would be prohibited from breaching a federally operated dam if the Secretary determines that doing so would increase carbon emissions by more than 5 percent or make the affected waterway less navigable for commercial users. The prohibition would apply despite other provisions of law.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of the Army may not breach a federally operated dam— (1) if the Secretary determines that such breach— (A) would result in an increase in carbon emissions by more than 5 percent; (B) would make the body of water impacted by the breach less navigable for commercial interests
Breaching would also be prohibited if the Army Secretary determines it would increase the price of any products shipped on the affected waterway by at least 5 percent. Agricultural products are expressly included.
the Secretary of the Army may not breach a federally operated dam— (1) if the Secretary determines that such breach
(C) would result in increase of at least 5 percent of the price of any products, including agricultural products, shipped via the body of water impacted by the breach
A separate prohibition would prevent the Army Secretary from breaching a dam if the intended replacement energy resource would occupy at least 5 percent more land than the dam.
the Secretary of the Army may not breach a federally operated dam
(2) if the energy resource intended to replace such dam as a result of such breach would occupy an area of land that is larger in acreage than the area occupied by such dam by at least 5 percent.
For the emissions, navigation, and product-price determinations, the Army Secretary would have to consult specified federal officials: Energy for emissions, Transportation for navigation, and Agriculture and Commerce for product prices. Relevant agencies in the state where the dam is located would also have to be consulted.
In making the determinations required under subsection (a)(1), the Secretary shall— (1) consult with the Secretary of Energy with respect to the determination described in subparagraph (A) of such subsection; (2) consult with the Secretary of Transportation with respect to the determination described subparagraph (B) of such subsection; (3) consult with the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Commerce with respect to the determination described in subparagraph (C) of such subsection; and (4) consult with the relevant agencies in the State in which the dam proposed to be breached is located.
Whenever the Army Secretary considers breaching a federally operated dam, the Secretary would have to coordinate with the Interior Secretary on a study of how many acres the dam occupies.
If the Secretary considers breaching a federally operated dam, the Secretary, in coordination with the Secretary of the Interior, shall conduct a study analyzing the number of acres of land such dam occupies.
Section 3's retirement rules concern federally operated dams that generate hydropower. Responsibility would fall to the Interior Secretary for Bureau of Reclamation sources and the Army Secretary for Army Corps of Engineers sources.
The term energy generation source means a federally operated dam that generates hydropower.
The term Secretary means— (A) the Secretary of the Interior, in reference to an energy generation source operated by the Bureau of Reclamation; and (B) the Secretary of the Army, in reference to an energy generation source operated by the Army Corps of Engineers.
The responsible Secretary could not retire a covered hydropower source if retirement would raise customer electricity rates by more than 5 percent. Retirement would also be barred if the Bonneville Power Administration's Administrator determines it would reduce energy reliability by more than 5 percent in any portion of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, or California, compared with the 12 months before retirement.
The Secretary shall not retire an energy generation source if the retirement of that energy generation source would— (1) raise customer electricity rates by more than 5 percent; or (2) decrease energy reliability, as determined by the Administrator of the Bonneville Power Administration, in any portion of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and California by more than 5 percent of the energy reliability as compared to the 12 month period before the retirement.
Within 30 days after retiring a covered hydropower source, the responsible Secretary would have to ensure that at least 100 percent of its baseload generation is replaced. The bill defines this as the minimum amount of electric power supplied to an electrical grid.
Not later than 30 days after retiring an energy generation source, the Secretary shall ensure that not less than 100 percent of the baseload generation of the retired energy generation source has been replaced.
The term baseload generation means the the minimum amount of electric power supplied to an electrical grid.
The supplied actions snapshot, updated March 6, 2026, records introduction in the House on March 11, 2025, and referrals that day to the Transportation and Infrastructure and Natural Resources committees and the Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee. This snapshot does not establish subsequent passage or enactment.
Source snapshot updated 2026-03-06T20:45:52Z.
2025-03-11: Introduced in House
2025-03-11: Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
2025-03-11: Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-03-11. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy rider attached to appropriations was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow carve-out, special exemption, or preferential treatment separate from the proposal's ordinary policy coverage was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Mar 6, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI