WASHINGTON,
D.C. – U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today applauded the Department
of Energy and the Department of the Interior for investing $26.6 million to
advance hydropower technology.
“There
is no question that hydropower is, and must continue to be, part of our energy
solution,” Murkowski said. “The administration’s investment is a long-overdue
down payment on expanding our use of hydro to generate clean, baseload power.”
Murkowski
has long been a strong proponent of hydropower, an energy resource she says
that is, unfortunately, too often overlooked. She has been outspoken in recent
months over the administration’s reluctance to treat hydropower on par with
other renewable energy resources.
The
administration’s announcement comes after Murkowski was critical of DOE’s
anemic budget request for hydropower at a hearing in February with Energy
Secretary Steven Chu and again with acting Deputy Assistant Secretary Steven
Chalk at the end of March.
Hydropower
currently provides 7 percent of the nation’s electricity. In Alaska, hydropower
accounts for 24 percent of the electricity generation.
“Hydropower
is our nation’s largest source of renewable energy, yet its value is so under
realized,” said Murkowski, the ranking Republican on the Senate Energy and
Natural Resources Committee.
Last
month, Murkowski introduced the Hydropower Improvement Act (S. 629) and the
Hydrokinetic Renewable Energy Promotion Act (S. 630) to promote the development
of clean, renewable hydropower resources, including ocean energy technologies
such as wave, current and tidal energy. Both bills would provide federal aid
and increased research and development for conventional and marine hydrokinetic
energy.
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