mr. chairman , i do rise in opposition to this amendment . 
the committee on resources opposes this amendment because of problems with a definition within the amendment that will prohibit many private landowners from participating in this program . 
while the intent of this amendment is laudable , in reality it is nothing more than an attempt to grant special treatment to one company , with one facility , in one state . 
this also does remind me of an important issue in a different part of the bill that is not part of this amendment , and that is title ii , which contains a crucial provision that will benefit our nation regarding hydropower relicensing . 
hydropower is a reliable , secure , and clean source of power . 
because it generates electricity through an electrochemical reaction instead of simple combustion , hydroelectricity helps reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions linked to global warming . 
hydropower is also america 's leading renewable energy source , accounting for well over 80 percent of our renewable electricity . 
hydropower can be harnessed to generate electricity for homes , industry , and offices , leaving little more than steam as a by-product . 
the hydrorelicensing provision in title ii stimulates hydroelectric energy growth by improving the relicensing process between federal resource agencies and their licensees . 
it does so by striking a balance between environmental concerns and energy production in hydro projects . 
these critical facilities are too often strangled by unsound and unproven mandates that choke hydroelectric production . 
in the next 15 years , hydroelectric facilities that serve over 30 million homes must undergo relicensing . 
the relicensing process must be modified before our nation 's hydropower resources lose the ability to provide clean , emission-free energy to america 's energy consumers . 
the fact that federal resource agencies mandate restrictive conditions on the operations of hydropower projects , without comprehensive analysis of their impacts or an independent review of these conditions , is unacceptable . 
regulation of the hydro industry is plagued by uncertainty , duplication , and contradiction . 
further , the licensing process for hydroelectricity is cumbersome , confusing , and costly , with no one party acting as a final arbiter of the competing interests involved in the project . 
this language will result in greater interaction between the resource agencies and licensees , great flexibility in the development of environmental measures , and create an increased efficiency in the way we produce safe hydroelectric energy . 
i want to thank our chairman , the gentleman from texas ( mr. barton ) xz4000180 , for including this provision in the bill . 
it will greatly benefit our nation , and for that reason i oppose the amendment before us . 
