California’s power grid can’t run on outdated policy

Hydropower has been part of my life for as long as I can remember.

My father spent his entire professional career as a hydropower engineer. I grew up following him into the field and later spent 15 years with California public utilities, working across dam safety, hydropower management, and power generation. Over the years, I have seen this industry from several perspectives, from the day-to-day realities of operating critical infrastructure to the long-term challenge of modernizing it.

That experience has taught me one thing our lawmakers should know: Hydropower can power California for generations to come if outdated federal processes stop holding progress back.

These facilities were built to last, but they were never meant to stand still. Turbines can become more efficient. Generators and controls can be upgraded. Monitoring and forecasting have improved. Dam safety investments reduce risk. Environmental improvements help facilities better meet the needs of rivers and communities. Modern data allows operators to make more precise decisions.

For California, that ability to evolve can make a big difference for our grid.

California depends on its water and energy infrastructure to do many things at once: deliver reliable electricity, support water management, protect communities, and respond to changing environmental conditions. As those demands grow, we should make the infrastructure we already have more capable and better prepared for the future.

Hydropower sits at the intersection of those responsibilities.

The problem is that federal policy has not kept pace with technology. Experts estimate that relicensing a hydropower facility takes seven to 10 years on average. For owners ready to invest in their facilities, that uncertainty has real consequences. When the process drags on, critical investments stall, upgrades are postponed, and California risks losing reliable power it already has and desperately needs.

Strong environmental review is essential. I have spent too much of my career around dams and powerhouses to believe otherwise. Safety, water quality, fish and wildlife, recreation, and community impacts all deserve serious consideration. But rigorous review should also lead to clear, timely decisions.

Long delays can hold back the very improvements the process is meant to support, from better dam safety and more efficient generation to stronger environmental performance. We should aim for a system that protects public and environmental interests while giving operators the certainty to invest and move forward.

Given that California is second only to Washington state in installed hydropower capacity, it is in California’s best interest to help lead the federal conversation on hydropower’s future.

Representative Adam Gray recently introduced the bipartisan CURRENT Act to help make federal hydropower reviews more efficient and predictable. That is the kind of progress California needs: protecting our rivers and communities while making it easier to invest in stronger, more modern hydropower.

Senator Alex Padilla can help carry that progress forward. As a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and a leader on California water issues, he is well-positioned to advance a durable approach to hydropower licensing that protects environmental standards while giving this critical resource room to grow.

After a lifetime in hydropower, I do not see an industry asking to be excused from change. I see the opposite; I see utilities, engineers, and technology developers working to make existing facilities smarter, more capable, and more responsive to the needs of the grid, rivers, and communities.

Hydropower helped build California’s energy system. With sensible permitting reform, we can give it the chance to help build what comes next.

California’s power grid can’t run on outdated policy

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