In a post 9/11 environment, the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) has greatly increased the security surrounding the federal facilities it oversees.  A portion of these costs are the responsibility of the water and power agencies, and systems that rely on the federal power generated by these facilities.  NCPA is currently working closely with public power systems across the country, and with the water community in California, to advance proposals that assure full funding of these facilities, while providing cost certainty and predictability for all parties involved. 

Legislation to stabilize the payments made by power and water customers for security cost at federal hydroelectric facilities at the same, 15% rate applied to all other Safety of Dams costs, has now been introduced in both bodies of the U.S, Congress. In the House of Representatives, California Congresswoman Grace Napolitano (D- Norwalk) has introduced H.R. 1662, and NCPA submitted testimony at a hearing on the bill. HR 1662 has been passed out of the House Resources Water and Power Subcommittee, and is pending consideration by the full House Resources Committee.  In the U.S. Senate, Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) has introduced S. 1258, and NCPA has submitted testimony at a Senate hearing on the bill.

These bills represent a durable solution that will spare Congress the need to annually address the allocation of these costs. Moreover, they assure the Bureau of Reclamation a steady and consistent supply of funding to protect the vitally important federal facilities under their purview.

The amount of exposure to security costs has been unclear, and each year the amount has changed and the issue has had to be decided by Congressional action. We are willing to support these costs, but we seek a standard method of allocating the costs on a stabilized basis. HR 1662 and S 1258 would set power and water costs at 15 percent of all security cost, the same limit that is currently applied to all other Safety of Dams expenses. The bills also allow Congress to exercise vigorous oversight of the site security program to keep the escalation of future costs within reasonable bounds.