Hydropower--An Energy Source Whose Time Has Come Again

There is an urgent need for the United States to develop its renewable energy resources and reduce its dependence on imported oil. One resource for which technology is available now is hydropower. The best prospects for the development of hydropower are at existing hydro sites where the dam structures are already built and the environmental impacts are few. Despite the administration's stated interest in small-hydro development, the Small-Hydro Program has moved slowly.