# Plain Language Summary of the ACRES Act

This bill would prevent the federal government from removing dams if replacing them with renewable energy sources would require more land. Specifically, if a replacement energy resource like solar panels or wind turbines would need at least 5 percent more acreage than the current dam occupies, the Secretary of the Army cannot go ahead with breaching the dam. The bill essentially creates a land-use barrier to dam removal by comparing how much physical space the dam takes up versus how much space would be needed for whatever energy source replaces it.

The practical effect is that dam removal projects would face a new hurdle before they could proceed. Before the government could remove any federally operated dam, it would have to study exactly how many acres the dam currently occupies and then calculate how many acres the replacement energy source would need. If that replacement energy takes up significantly more land—even just 5 percent more—the dam removal would be blocked. This could affect ongoing debates about removing dams in the Pacific Northwest and other regions, where dam removal has been proposed to help restore fish populations and rivers, but where replacement energy sources like solar or wind farms might require substantial land areas.

The bill essentially prioritizes keeping dams in place over converting to renewable energy when land use is a concern. While supporters might argue this protects existing land use patterns, critics could contend it locks in older infrastructure and makes it harder to transition away from hydroelectric dams even when there are environmental or ecological reasons to remove them. The bill would apply only to federally operated dams, not dams run by private companies or states.