An act relating to requiring the Agency of Transportation to request conditions in relation to the relicensing of the Bellows Falls Hydroelectric Project

This bill requires Vermont's Agency of Transportation to ask the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to include conditions in the Bellows Falls Hydroelectric Project's federal relicensing. Specifically, it mandates that the dam owner or operator must help pay for maintaining or repairing public bridges crossing the water canal supplying the hydroelectric facility. The bill states these bridges are essential for accessing the island in Bellows Falls, including cultural sites (like Native American burial grounds), transit facilities, and planned economic development. The Agency must provide evidence to the Commission showing the canal's sole purpose is the dam's operation and that the bridges are critical for community access and safety.