PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Nov 9, 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Operations and Maintenance Title II: Rates Title III: Transmission Title IV: Enforcement Federal Power Marketing Act of 1997 - Title I: Operations and Maintenance - Directs the Secretary of Energy (the Secretary), in cooperation with the Secretaries of the Army and of the Interior, to: (1) develop and publish annually in the Federal Register an inventory of uncompleted maintenance and capital improvement projects for federally-owned hydroelectric generating facilities operated by the Department of the Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation (the Bureau); and (2) develop and publish in the Federal Register criteria and procedures for competitive outsourcing of such projects. Prescribes procedures for awarding of contracts, including submission and acceptance of unsolicited proposals. (Sec. 102) Makes routine operations and any maintenance or improvement projects that are not successfully outsourced eligible for user fee financing. Directs the Secretary to establish a user fee to fully offset appropriations made for eligible hydroelectric generating, maintenance, and improvement projects. Instructs the Secretary to ensure that the views of customer groups are reflected in implementation of this Act. Directs the Bureau, the United States Army Corps of Engineers, and the Administrators of the Federal Power Marketing Administrations (the FPM Administrations) to develop jointly and make available to the public five-year plans for the operation, maintenance, and replacement of all hydroelectric facilities under their management. Title II: Rates - Requires the Secretary to prescribe procedures: (1) to ensure that the FPM Administrations utilize the same accounting principles and requirements as apply to public utilities under the Federal Power Act; and (2) to recover ultimately from the Administrations' electric energy customers all costs incurred for the generation and marketing of Federal energy sold to them. (Sec. 201) Directs each FPM Administration to propose rates and apply them (with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approval) to each new contract for the sale or disposition of Federal energy. (Sec. 202) Amends specified laws to conform to this Act. Authorizes FERC to: (1) approve, revise or determine rates for the sale or disposition of electric energy proposed by the FPM Administrations; and (2) assure that Administration rates accord with this Act. Title III: Transmission - Amends the Federal Power Act to deem each FPM Administration a public utility with respect to ratemaking and conditions for electric energy transmission. Mandates that the cost recovery of Federal transmission facilities be equitably allocated to Federal and non-Federal power utilizing such facilities in accordance with generally accepted ratemaking principles for public utilities. Title IV: Enforcement - Grants any affected person or entity the right to bring an action in U.S. district court to enforce the requirements of this Act.
People & committees
Rep. Doolittle, John T. [R-CA-4] · R–CA
Legislative record
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Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
Executive Comment Requested from Bur Reclamation.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Water and Power.
Referred to House Transportation and Infrastructure
Referred to House Commerce
Referred to the Committee on Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Commerce, and Transportation and Infrastructure, 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 House Resources
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
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Source last updated: Aug 21, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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