In two waves of proposed penalty notices, FERC has affirmed its readiness to enforce its new strict hydropower license compliance policy. Failure to take notice of this trend could have dire consequences for the industry. FERC's new compliance ethic is based on the threat of two penalties which can be imposed on non-compliant licensees, exemptees or permit holders. First is the civil penalties provision inserted into the Federal Power Act by enactment of the Electric Consumers Protection Act of 1986. Second, FERC can terminate licenses, exemptions, permits and fail to relicense projects with a history of non-compliance. According to FERC, the existence of a positive compliance record will be a major consideration in relicensing hydroelectric projects in the future.
NOTE: this article from 1990!