Cortez Masto, Lee Successfully Release $52 Million for Hoover Dam

Washington, D.C. - Today, as mandated by U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Representative Susie Lee's (D-Nev.-03) Help Hoover Dam Act, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) released $52 million in funding for the Hoover Dam. These long-stranded funds can now be used for Hoover Dam operations, maintenance, and improvement projects, including installing the turbines needed to create hydroelectric power at lower lake depths, which have become necessary due to ongoing drought conditions.

"For decades, millions of federal dollars have been sitting unused while the Hoover Dam is in need of upgrades and repairs," said Senator Cortez Masto. "My new law has solved that bureaucratic dead-end. Now we can put those dollars to work improving the Hoover Dam, protecting the water and energy supply for over a million Americans."

"I'm proud to have worked alongside Senator Cortez Masto to lead and pass common-sense legislation to cut through federal red tape and free tens of millions of dollars in long-stranded funding for Hoover Dam. This is government efficiency - keeping energy prices from going up, protecting our natural resources, and saving taxpayers money. I'm thrilled that, at long last, this funding was released today," said Congresswoman Susie Lee.

The $52 million in funding released by the USBR today had been inaccessible for decades due to federal red tape and government inefficiency. In 2024, Senator Cortez Masto introduced the Help Hoover Dam Act to release those funds, and her bill was signed into law earlier this year. The $52 million that is available for Hoover Dam maintenance and improvement is a direct result of Senator Cortez Masto's work on behalf of Nevadans in Washington. 40 million people depend on the Colorado River for water, and 1.3 million people depend on the Hoover Dam for electricity.

Senator Cortez Masto is a strong supporter of hydroelectricity and has consistently fought to protect and improve Nevada's water infrastructure. She is leading bipartisan legislation to bolster American hydroelectric power production and to extend a water recycling drought mitigation program. Cortez Masto has secured millions in funding for the Silver State to update its water infrastructure.

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