At 5:12am on December 14, 2005, the upper reservoir of the Taum Sauk Pumped Storage hydropower project breached.

The failure released one billion gallons of water - a weight of 8 billion pounds, and more than the entire City of St. Louis consumes in two days - over twenty minutes. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is covering the breach in depth.

On July 11th, 2005, the Commission issued a new license for the Box Canyon Project on the Pend Oreille River in northeastern Washington and Idaho. The issuance brought a conclusion to the licensing phase of this project's extended history as a poster child for combative licensing processes. The license adopts mandatory conditions, including fish passage, submitted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Washington Department of Ecology, and the United States Forest Service.

In an April 14, 2005 order, FERC permitted Verdant Power to test its new "damless" hydropower technology without a license on Roosevelt Island in the East River in New York City. At the end of an 18-month test period, Verdant must return to FERC and seek a new license in order to continue operating.

Under the Commission's new Integrated Licensing Process, any study dispute will receive a formal hearing by a three-member panel. The Commission has initiated a drive to find technical experts in all hydropower-relevant fields that will serve on these study dispute panels. There is no deadline for applications.

California' s Department of Water Resources officially filed its application for a new license for the Oroville project. From DWR' s January 26th press release:

Milestone Reached in Relicensing DWR's Oroville Facilities

SACRAMENTO, Calif.-- The Department of Water Resources (DWR) today filed an application for a new federal license to operate its Oroville Facilities -- the heart of the State Water Project.

On January 19, 2005, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) rejected Green Island Power Authority's (GIPA) bid for a preliminary permit to construct a new dam on the Mohawk River in upstate New York. P-12522 (also known as the Cohoes Falls project) would consist of a 20-foot dam above Cohoes Falls and a powerhouse below the falls.

Following a plan designed by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) today issued an order relinquishing its control over Milltown Dam, P-2543.

The order dismisses the pending license application and gives notice that FERC intends to accept project surrender. FERC also ordered actions in accordance with EPA's plan to remove Milltown Dam, such as permanent reservoir drawdown, and clarified that EPA is now in charge of regulating and ultimately removing the dam.

Tennessee's only licensed hydropower project was granted another license today. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a new license for ALCOA's Tapoco project on the Little Tennessee River in North Carolina and Tennessee.

Today, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission held its 4th review of hydropower projects that have applications pending at the commission for 5 years or longer. All hydropower licensing processes allow two years for a license application at the Commission. Several of the 22 reviewed projects have been pending for many more than 5 years, including one project that has been unresolved for decades. 

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a surprise on Wednesday when it granted Gustavus Electric Company a license to construct a hydropower project in Glacier Bay National Park.

The project is authorized by a law sponsored by then-Senator now-Governor Frank Murkowski. The law allows for a land exchange between state and federal lands upon joint review and approval from FERC and the National Park Service.