The document discusses the benefits of hydropower as a renewable energy source in the United States. It notes that hydropower currently provides nearly 70% of the country's renewable electricity but that many dams are outdated and in need of rehabilitation to continue providing clean energy. Investing in improvements to existing dams could allow hydropower to generate more power reliably for decades to come while also creating jobs. The document advocates that hydropower should be part of the national discussion on developing renewable energy sources given its clean, reliable and sustainable characteristics.

1. 10/10/15, 2:00 PMVoices: Veteran Nathan Sandvig on the plusses of hydro energy - Portland Business Journal
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From the Portland Business Journal
:http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/blog/sbo/2013/05/hydro-has-a-long-history-
and-a-bright.html
Hydro's long history, and bright future,
bode well for American energy
independence
May 24, 2013, 1:28pm PDT Updated: Jun 20, 2014, 5:57am PDT
Nate Sandvig, MWH Global Inc.
From Canada to California and across the county, hydropower is an economical and reliable
renewable resource that provides low-cost power and facilitates local economic development.
More than 50 years ago, our dams were built with the best engineering and construction standards
in the world. Today, our nation’s dams — and their potential contribution to creating a clean energy
economy — are largely forgotten and in disrepair. Yet, dams have the opportunity to provide more
renewable energy to tens of millions of Americans.
According to the recently published American Society of Civil Engineers Report Card for America’s
Infrastructure, the grade for dams is close to a failing mark, averaging “D’s” thanks to delayed
maintenance and underinvestment. In less than a decade, three-quarters of the total dams in the
United States will be more than a half-century old. With some smart investments in their
improvement, they could be a significant source of power for decades to come.
Many forget that hydropower (not solar or wind) is the country’s top renewable energy source,
accounting for nearly 70 percent of the nation’s renewable electricity generation and 7 percent of
the total generation. But major rehabilitation and refurbishment of existing hydro infrastructure is
needed, so that hydropower can continue to contribute to the clean energy economy as the most
reliable renewable resource.
Of course, there are many ideological environmental and activist groups that oppose hydropower,
but they are misguided. Dam designers and operators engage stakeholders early in the planning
process and their input is incorporated in the project from the beginning.
Also, the hydropower industry itself is doing its part to support investment in new technologies and
project improvements by developing a new generation of turbines that improve fish passage,
generate more power, utilize water more efficiently and improve the oxygen content of the water
released downstream of a facility.

2. 10/10/15, 2:00 PMVoices: Veteran Nathan Sandvig on the plusses of hydro energy - Portland Business Journal
Page 2 of 2http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/blog/sbo/2013/05/hydro-has-a-long-history-and-a-bright.html?s=print
As we continue to innovate and find ways to power our nation with clean energy, our national
discussion about an energy plan must include hydropower, which is a clean, renewable, affordable
and sustainable energy source. The U.S. hydropower industry currently employs 300,000 workers
and is supported by more than 2,500 companies across the country. These companies operate in
nearly every state, are part of the industry’s supply chain and have the potential to create 1.1
million more jobs by 2025, according to the National Hydropower Association.
And unlike wind and solar, much of that growth does not require the creation of new infrastructure.
Powering some of the nation’s non-powered dams offers an opportunity to generate more reliable,
emissions-free energy.
Hydropower, and specifically pumped storage, is also superior for providing storage to help
integrate renewables and is a strategic asset that provides more flexible generation and energy
security. Pumped storage is the only viable utility scale storage solution and consists of pumping or
generating by moving energy in the form of water through a powerhouse between an upper and
lower reservoir.
The U.S. currently has the equivalent of more than 10 Hoover dams of pumped storage capacity
operating across the nation and at least 26 Hoover dams-worth of pumped storage projects in
various stages of permitting. With the build-out of several of these proposed facilities, this
innovative technological marvel complements and is key for balancing existing and future
intermittent resources like wind and solar.
As a Iraq War veteran working in the hydropower industry, I often think about the things that have
and can continue to create true strength and leadership for our country. We must be willing to
plant seeds now for a harvest that future generations will rely on. With hydropower as a historical
example, America’s commitment to innovation is what grew our economy into the most robust on
the planet. If we abandon modernization investments into this reliable renewable energy source,
we also hurt our economy in the long run.