Hydropower Licensing Transparency Act

The bill title changed from 'Hydropower Relicensing Transparency Act' to 'Hydropower Licensing Transparency Act,' signaling a broader scope beyond just relicensing.

The annual report now must cover subsequent licenses for which sections 14 and 15 of the Federal Power Act have been waived (licenses that skip the standard relicensing process).

The annual report now must cover original licenses under section 4(e) where a citizen, association, corporation, State, Indian Tribe, or municipality has notified the Commission of intent to file an application at least 3 years before the report is due.

The list of parties whose ongoing or completed actions must be described in the report was expanded to include citizens, associations, corporations, States, Indian Tribes, and municipalities, not just existing licensees and government agencies.

A new subsection (c) requires that all information in the annual report be disaggregated by whether it relates to a new license, a subsequent license under section 15, or an original license under section 4(e).

The provision was moved from being added as a new subsection (g) of Section 15 of the Federal Power Act to being inserted as a standalone new section 37 after section 36.