Hydropower is getting fresh consideration from the US Department
of the Interior. But there are no plans to build new
hydroelectric dams to do this. Instead, a recent agency report
has concluded that the department could generate up to one
million megawatt hours of electricity annually by adding
hydropower capacity at 70 of its existing dams and other water
control structures. Building new dams for hydropower is not
generally regarded favorably. While they allow electricity to be
generated without carbon emissions, there is unacceptable
collateral environmental damage to both surrounding upriver
areas which are flooded and to the downriver areas where the
water flow is suddenly constrained. But existing dams for flood
control are already built and are not going to be removed
anytime soon. And there is a hydroelectric potential at these
dams which is presently going unused. The department's list
includes 70 potential sites which are located throughout the
western US. The power generation would be done by priva