HOUSE RESOLUTION 6

(By Delegates Tully, Anderson, Barach, Barnhart, Barrett, Bates, Boggs, Booth, Bridges, Burkhammer, Clark, Conley, Cooper, Criss, Crouse, Dean, Doyle, Ellington, Espinosa, Evans, Fast, Ferrell, Fleischauer, Fluharty, Forsht, Foster, Garcia, Gearheart, Griffith, Hamrick, Hanna, Hansen, Hanshaw (Mr. Speaker), Hardy, Haynes, Holstein, Honaker, Hornbuckle, Horst, Hott, Householder, Howell, D. Jeffries, J. Jeffries, Jennings, Keaton, D. Kelly, Kessinger, Kimble, Kimes, Linville, Longanacre, Lovejoy, Mallow, Mandt, Martin, Maynard, Maynor, Mazzocchi, McGeehan, Miller, Nestor, Pack, Pethtel, Pinson, Pritt, Pushkin, Queen, Reed, Reynolds, Riley, Rohrbach, Rowan, Rowe, Skaff, Smith, Statler, Steele, Storch, Summers, Sypolt, Thompson, Toney, Tully, Walker, Wamsley, B. Ward, G. Ward, Westfall, Worrell, Young, Zatezalo, and Zukoff)

[January 18, 2022]

Urging the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to support hydroelectric power generation by moving forward in an expeditious manner with a study to increase clean energy production at City of Summersville’s Hydroelectric Project installed on Summersville Dam and urging efforts by others to also encourage hydroelectric power production in West Virginia.

Whereas, The Summersville Hydroelectric Project utilizes the Summersville Dam, which forms Summersville Lake on the Gauley River in West Virginia; and

Whereas, The Summersville Dam is operated by the USACE, which controls the amount, timing, and the rate of water released from the dam; and

Whereas, The Summersville Lake Modification Study, USACE, Huntington District, September 30, 1982, (Study) indicates the head pond winter pool elevation could be raised from an elevation of 1575 feet MSL to an elevation of 1637 feet MSL to create additional pressure to produce hydroelectric power without additional construction or significant downstream issues; and

Whereas, The Study also indicates changes to the management of the release of stored storm water, which is currently bypassing the hydroelectric facility, could be released more slowly and thereby utilized for additional power generation; and

Whereas, On December 21, 2020, Water Resource Reform Development Act (WRDA), HR133, authorized USACE to conduct an evaluation to consider operational changes at non-federally operated hydropower for the purpose of increasing power generation; and

Whereas, Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) could be reestablished and utilized in West Virginia in support of renewable energy including hydroelectric power; and

Whereas, Power Purchase Agreement rates in West Virginia are set and approved by the Public Service Commission at avoided cost rates for utility companies and could be changed to recognize the value and contribution of clean green hydroelectric energy; and

Whereas, Recent winter and summer power outages across the country have made it clear that all avenues of electric power generation are vital to ensuring an affordable, reliable, and resilient electric power grid; and

Whereas, The City of Summersville’s hydropower generation at Summersville Dam is capable of providing a more continuous flow of clean baseline energy to support a sustainable, affordable, reliable, and resilient electric power grid; and

Whereas, When economically feasible other reservoirs in West Virginia, including Bluestone Lake, Sutton Lake, and Tygart Lake, could be used to expand West Virginia’s hydroelectric power generation in the future; and

Whereas, The West Virginia House of Delegates and its committees may begin to study the foresaid subject matter in support of hydroelectric energy and its value to the West Virginia economy; therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Delegates:

That the West Virginia House of Delegates urges the Army Corps of Engineers to begin moving without further delay with a review and study to address the foresaid issues and ultimately allow for an increase in hydroelectric energy production, which will provide a more continuous source of baseload energy; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the West Virginia House of Delegates urges the West Virginia Public Service Commission to consider and recognize the true environmental value of increasing hydroelectric energy production for baseload energy to the power grid by considering setting electric purchase power rates above the avoided cost; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates forward a copy of this resolution to the Army Corps of Engineers, at both its Huntington District Office and Washington, D.C. headquarters office, to the West Virginia Public Service Commission, and to the members of West Virginia’s Congressional Delegation.