WASHINGTON, D.C. — The House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday unanimously advanced H.R. 2880, the Promoting Closed Loop Pumped Storage Hydropower Act, introduced by Ninth District Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Salem). Griffith’s legislation seeks to streamline the licensing process employed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to approve closed loop pumped storage projects and to require the agency to stage a workshop focusing on potential opportunities to develop such projects at abandoned mine sites. “Closed loop pumped storage hydropower is a boon for energy security and job creation.