HYDROPOWER

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is taking public comment on a proposal to disrupt the spawning of a nonnative fish in the Grand Canyon by releasing spikes of cool water from Glen Canyon Dam. Many in the Colorado River community want more options.

Federal regulators have granted Native American tribes more power to block hydropower projects on their land after a flurry of applications were filed to expand renewable energy in the water-scarce U.S. Southwest.

A bill introduced in the U.S. Senate would stabilize electricity costs when hydropower facilities are forced to cut electricity because of drought.

Environmental and tribal groups are urging federal officials to deny preliminary permits for three hydro-storage energy proposals on the Navajo Nation. They say the projects threaten water resources and communities.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation forecasts a 23 percent chance that power production could cease at Glen Canyon Dam in 2024 due to low water levels. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reports on how that might affect energy consumers in the West.

U.S. hydropower generation is forecast to drop 14% this year compared with 2020 as drought grips vast areas of the West. Experts say the reductions…