Washington, D.C. – Thursday, the House Committee on Natural Resources unanimously approved legislation sponsored by Alaska Congressman Don Young to authorize and streamline the expansion of the Terror Lake hydroelectric project on Kodiak Island, Alaska.

“There’s no reason why a hydro-rich community like Kodiak should ever have to rely on diesel fuel for power generation,” said Chairman Emeritus Don Young. “With the enactment of my legislation, which will expedite the much needed expansion of the Terror Lake hydroelectric project, I believe we can meet the needs of Kodiak for years to come. Alaska has tremendous hydroelectric potential and I look forward to moving additional commonsense reforms to provide our rural and remote communities with new opportunities to obtain reliable and affordable energy.”

H.R. 220, introduced by Congressman Young on the first day of the 115th Congress, seeks to expedite the expansion of the Kodiak Electric Association (KEA) hydroelectric project at Terror Lake. The legislation would allow KEA to use no more than twenty acres of federal land within the Kodiak Island National Wildlife Refuge to construct, operate, and maintain the proposed Upper Hidden Basin Diversion Expansion – which would increase water resources at Terror Lake by 25% – without a need for further authorization from the Secretary of the Interior or under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA). The KEA project would result in an additional 33,000 megawatt-hours of generation each year for the Island’s residents

H.R. 220 seeks to expedite the expansion of the Terror Lake Hydroproject in light of rising costs and a limited construction season. According to KEA, delaying construction by just one year would incur $11 million in additional project costs, which includes $1.3 million in costs associated with future supplemental diesel generation that will be required to meet electricity demand – costs that would be borne by the Island’s ratepayers, including the U.S. Coast Guard.

On April 4^th, 2017, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans met to review H.R. 220. Kodiak Electric Associate President and CEO Darren Scott testified before the Subcommittee on behalf of the legislation.

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