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Hydropower Day 2020 highlights importance of partnerships in the future of America’s first renewable resource

Trump Administration renews commitment to deliver affordable, clean, reliable electricity

Media Contact: Robert Manning, 202.513.0554, rmanning@usbr.gov

For Release: August 24, 2020

Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman, Assistant Secretary Office Energy and Efficiency and Renewable Energy Daniel Simmons and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Civil Works Ryan Fisher with signed MOU.WASHINGTON – The Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Department of Energy's Water Power Technology Office and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers signed a Federal Hydropower generation memorandum of understanding at Hoover Dam today. The MOU provides for a collaborative working relationship that prioritizes similar goals and aligns ongoing and future renewable energy development efforts among the three agencies. See the MOU.

“Cooperation with our federal, industry partners and electricity customers ensures hydropower will continue to power American innovation and ingenuity, as it has throughout our nation’s history,” said Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman. “Hydropower Day underscores our federal commitment to investing in hydropower, the backbone of our nation’s electrical grid.”

Hydropower Day is sponsored annually by the National Hydropower Association and celebrates 127 years of hydropower’s renewable and reliable contributions to our nation’s clean energy infrastructure. Hydropower is a unique resource, critical to America’s future, which supports the integration of other renewables like wind and solar onto the grid.

“Reclamation continues to invest in strategies that improve and increase the stability and value of the hydropower for states, Tribes, and customers. This MOU strengthens our collective commitment to provide affordable, environmentally sustainable hydropower for America’s energy needs today and, in the future,” said Commissioner Burman.

Reclamation’s hydropower program supports Administration and Department of the Interior domestic energy security initiatives to develop hydropower on federal water resource projects through collaborative regulatory reform, innovation, and outreach. Learn more about Reclamation’s role in hydropower at https://www.usbr.gov/power/.

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The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR; Facebook @bureau.of.reclamation; LinkedIn @Bureau of Reclamation; Instagram @bureau_of_reclamation; and YouTube @reclamation.