Uncommon Dialogue | Hydropower, River Restoration, and Public Safety
Working Groups
There are currently seven working groups, each focused on a distinct area. Explore their descriptions to learn more about their objectives, deliverables, and contact information.
Working Group #1: Accelerate Development of Hydropower Technologies and Practices that Improve Generation Efficiency, Environmental Performance and Solar and Wind Integration
There are significant opportunities to accelerate the development and deployment of advanced hydropower-related technologies in two areas. The first is to better leverage hydropower’s capability to integrate rapidly increasing amounts of variable solar and wind generation with advancements such as software for hydropower dispatch and closed loop pumped storage capacity. The second opportunity is to accelerate progress in mitigating the environmental impacts of dams (including potential impacts from the increased use of hydropower as peaking units) and increasing the climate resilience of U.S. rivers. The hydropower industry currently invests hundreds of millions of dollars annually to improve the health of our nation’s rivers, but there is more to do. This area of opportunity includes the development and deployment of 8 various technologies such as safe and effective fish passage strategies, new monitoring technologies, innovative “restoration hydro” projects, conduit hydropower, and improved dam rehabilitation, retrofit, removal and inspection technologies and techniques.
Working Group #2: Advocate for Improved U.S. Dam Safety
Fewer than 10% of U.S. dams are federally regulated, either by agencies such as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which oversees non-federal U.S. hydropower dams or by the federal agency owners of U.S. government dams. Instead, most U.S. dams are regulated by states under individual dam safety programs, which are often understaffed and underfunded. While many of these dams are properly staffed, funded, and maintained, some have safety issues that need to be addressed.
Working Group #3/5: Increase Basin-Scale Decision-Making and Access to River-Related Data and Advance Effective River Restoration through Improved Off-Site Mitigation Strategies Basin-Scale
Today, decisions related to dam relicensing, retrofits, removals, and environmental mitigation are typically made on a dam-by-dam basis. In contrast, basin-wide approaches consider the full complement of dams, water supply, security needs, and natural systems within a watershed, often revealing efficiencies and environmental opportunities not visible through site-specific analysis. Basin-scale strategies may enable more cost effective and streamlined approaches to river restoration and mitigation.
Working Group #4: Improve the Measurement, Valuation of, and Compensation for Hydropower Flexibility and Reliability Services and Support for Enhanced Environmental Performance
As the grid increasingly depends on flexible resources to support variable solar and wind generation, hydropower can provide services such as frequency regulation, reserve capacity, and black start capability. Yet, many of these attributes remain undervalued in regional energy markets. At the same time, hydropower operators often have limited economic incentive to invest in enhanced environmental performance, such as achieving “low impact” certification or meeting higher ecological standards. Working Group 4 supports ongoing efforts by DOE and others to develop tools that measure and value hydropower’s grid and environmental services, and it explores opportunities to integrate these values into market structures, clean energy standards, and policy mechanisms.
Working Group #6: Improve Federal Hydropower Licensing, Relicensing, and License Surrender Processes
Working Group 6 will examine improvements to the licensing, relicensing, and license surrender processes that will benefit federal and state agency decision-making, license applicants, and interested organizations.
Working Group #7: Policy, Strategy and Implementation of U.S. Dam Rehabilitation, Retrofits, and Removals
Working Group 7 will explore opportunities for a more coordinated approach to increasing public and private investment in the 3Rs of the nation’s dams (rehabilitate, retrofit, remove). Potential funding options may include but are not limited to federal and state grants and loans for dam rehabilitation and innovative energy projects; infrastructure-related funding; federal dam removal funding; tax credits; private activity bonds; master limited partnerships; state carbon programs; and philanthropic investment in river restoration and dam removal. The WG may also evaluate the creation of a broad- based coalition to advocate for the funding of the three Rs and thereby advance renewable energy, river conservation, and public safety.
Working Group #8: Support the Modernization of the Hydropower, River Restoration, and Public Safety Workforce
Working Group 8 is dedicated to strengthening the future of hydropower, river restoration, and public safety workforces. Recognizing the dual challenges of an aging workforce and the urgent need for more inclusive and accessible career pathways, the group brings together a cross-sector coalition to explore workforce needs, identify shared priorities, and support long-term change.