US President Barack Obama has signed into law two bills aimed at boosting development of the country's hydropower resources. Both bills, H.R. 267 the Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act and H.R. 678 the Bureau of Reclamation Small Conduit Hydropower Development and Rural Jobs Act, were cleared unanimously by Senate before they adjourned for August recess. The House passed both measures earlier this year with overwhelming bipartisan support. The bills are the first significant piece of energy legislation to come out of Congress since the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. In 2012, hydropower provided the majority of the nation's renewable electricity, with 100,000MW of installed capacity from coast to coast. The industry employs approximately 300,000 workers and is fed by a supply chain of over 2500 companies. Estimates done by Navigant Consulting indicate that 60.000MW of hydropower could be added with the right policies in place, while creating 1.4 million cumulative jobs.
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