Taxpayers fund dam study, but power companies get final say
S. 3743 — A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to carry out a feasibility study on a selective water withdrawal system at Glen Canyon Dam, and for other purposes. · Filed by Mike Lee (R-UT) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced Jan 29, 2026 · Reported out
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What it does
This bill directs the Interior Department to study whether Glen Canyon Dam can be fitted with a selective water withdrawal system that would allow it to release cold water for hydropower while preventing invasive species from being sucked into the system. The study must be completed within 18 months, funded by federal appropriations, and if deemed feasible and approved by power contractors, construction can proceed.
Why we flagged it
The bill is ostensibly a technical study directive, but its operative mechanism grants Colorado River Storage Project power contractors effective veto power over construction—a private interest embedded in a public-works authorization. The study itself is straightforward, but the governance structure is the story.
What the text implies
- Power contractors' concurrence requirement (subsection b) gives private hydropower operators effective veto over a federally funded study outcome, potentially blocking construction even if Interior deems it feasible and environmentally beneficial.
- Nonreimbursable federal funding (subsection d(2)) means taxpayers absorb the full cost of the feasibility study with no recovery mechanism, even if the system is never built or power contractors block implementation.
The full analysis lists 4 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
Colorado River Storage Project power contractors (hydropower operators); Engineering and consulting firms hired to conduct feasibility study and hydrological modeling