This comment examines whether FERC's policy statement on dam decommissiong at relicensing violates the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution by "taking" private property for a public good without just compensation.

In advance of FERC’s December 2001 workshop, the Hydropower Reform Coalition compiled this report to take a closer look at the 51 oldest pending hydropower dam license applications and analyze the causes and impacts of delay, followed by a series of solutions that will enable us to pass on a legacy of healthy rivers and provide a reliable energy supply to future generations.