House passes bill extending Hoover Dam power allocations

WASHINGTON -- The House voted Monday to reauthorize for an additional 50 years the distribution of electricity from Hoover Dam.

The bill that passed by voice vote would put in place an agreement negotiated by Nevada and large power contract holders in Arizona and California. It would protect their shares of low-cost electricity from the massive generating station, which powers large portions of the Southwest.

Power allocations that were to expire in 2017 would be extended to 2067 under the bill.

The large regional users also agreed to contribute 5 percent of their allocations to form a 100 megawatt pool of electricity that would be offered to Native American tribes, electricity cooperatives and other new customers.

Besides meeting the demands of new entities, expanding the dam's customer base spreads costs for maintenance and upgrades, officials from the affected states have said.

But some potential Arizona customers said the bill falls short, and they had little confidence the new pool would be shared equitably.

The Grand Canyon State Electric Cooperative Association, representing 10 co-ops, said that "it provides no assurances that we will be able to acquire this valuable federal resource over the next 50 years."

"The existing manner in which Hoover is allocated in Arizona is inherently unfair to municipalities and electric cooperatives," the association said.

During a short debate, lawmakers acknowledged the opposition from the Arizona co-ops. But Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., said their problem would be better addressed at the state level.

Rep. Joe Heck, R-Nev., the bill sponsor, said the certainty of a continued power supply would aid Nevada's economic recovery. A corresponding bill by Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., awaits action in the Senate.