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Federal Electric Power: Effects of Delaying Colorado River Storage Project Irrigation Units

RCED-91-62 Published: Mar 22, 1991. Publicly Released: Apr 25, 1991.
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Highlights

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the effects of the Bureau of Reclamation's and the Department of Energy's (DOE) exclusion from the hydropower rate of irrigation construction costs for certain projects within the Colorado River Storage Project (CRSP).

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of the Interior The Secretary of the Interior should direct the Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, to provide the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Offshore Energy Resources, House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, at the beginning of each calendar year, with a schedule comparing the original estimated cost, indexed for inflation, and the current estimated cost for each CRSP authorized participating project, regardless of the project's construction status.
Closed – Implemented
Interior concurs with the recommendation. The Bureau of Reclamation provided the information to the Subcommittee and the Department of the Interior on September 27, 1992.
Department of the Interior The Secretary of the Interior should direct the Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, to provide the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Offshore Energy Resources, House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, at the beginning of each calendar year, with explanations of significant differences between the indexed and current costs.
Closed – Implemented
Interior concurs with the recommendation. The Bureau of Reclamation provided the information to the Subcommittee and to the Department of the Interior on September 27, 1992.
Department of the Interior The Secretary of the Interior should direct the Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, to provide the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Offshore Energy Resources, House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, at the beginning of each calendar year, with a schedule showing, for each CRSP authorized project, the estimated irrigation construction cost included in the power rate calculation and the estimated irrigation construction cost excluded from the power rate calculation.
Closed – Implemented
Interior concurs with the recommendation. The Bureau of Reclamation provided the information to the Subcommittee and to the Department of the Interior on September 27, 1992.
Department of the Interior The Secretary of the Interior should direct the Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, to provide the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Offshore Energy Resources, House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, at the beginning of each calendar year, with an explanation for any irrigation construction costs that are excluded from the power rate calculation.
Closed – Implemented
Interior concurs with the recommendation. The Bureau of Reclamation provided the information to the Subcommittee and to the Department of the Interior on September 27, 1992.
Department of the Interior The Secretary of the Interior should direct the Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, to provide the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Offshore Energy Resources, House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, at the beginning of each calendar year, with an explanation for significant changes in costs included in the power rate calculation that have occurred since the date of the previous schedule provided to the Subcommittee.
Closed – Implemented
Interior concurs with the recommendation. The Bureau of Reclamation provided the information to the Subcommittee and to the Department of the Interior on September 27, 1992.

Full Report

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Topics

Construction costsElectric power generationElectric power transmissionElectric utility constructionFederal aid to localitiesFuture budget projectionsHydroelectric powerplantsInland waterwaysIrrigationUtility ratesWater resources developmentIrrigation projects