Hoover Dam, called a ‘high hazard,’ may get $50M for upkeep
Nearing the 90th anniversary of its dedication, Hoover Dam has seen better days.
The massive dam made urban life possible in the desert Southwest, creating the nation’s biggest reservoir: a source to keep taps flowing in cities like Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Phoenix.
Though the bill died in the last Congress, Nevada’s federal delegation is re-upping the Help Hoover Dam Act — an effort to allocate about $50 million to the maintenance of the dam.
“This is government efficiency,” Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev., the lead sponsor of the House bill introduced Thursday, said in a statement. “Our bill is about keeping energy prices from going up, protecting our natural resources, and saving taxpayers money.”
In 2000, the Department of Energy’s Western Area Power Administration began collecting about $2 million a year from hydropower users and put that money into an account for dam employees’ retirement benefits. But when those benefits found other funding sources, the money was left unused.
The bill has bipartisan support, with Nevada’s sole Republican representative, Mark Amodei, joining as a co-sponsor. In a statement, Amodei called it a “cost-effective, commonsense approach” to ensuring that the dam has funds for upkeep.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ national database of dams shows that Hoover Dam was last inspected in February 2023. While it doesn’t list a condition, the dam is considered “high hazard,” meaning it could cause significant loss of life downstream should it fail.
Catherine Cortez Masto, one of Nevada’s two Democratic U.S. senators, is sponsoring the version of the companion bill in the Senate.
“The Hoover Dam is a monument to the idea that America can and will invest in infrastructure that improves the lives of its people,” Cortez Masto said in a statement. “It’s past time we cut the red tape, unlock the $50 million in unused funds to improve and maintain the dam, and save taxpayer dollars.”
Contact Alan Halaly at ahalaly@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlanHalaly on X.
