The U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation Wednesday to allow local control of two hydropower dams. The legislation was authored by Chris Murphy. Canton, in cooperation with Avon and Burlington is one step closer to generating its own power.

Murphy and Dick Barlow, Canton's First Selectman, have been pushing for town operation of the Collinsville dams as city, state and federal governments look for ways to provide cleaner, domestic power sources to consumers. The Collinsville dams, once retrofitted, are expected to produce about two megawatts of power, enough to power more than 1,500 homes.

"Bringing these two dormant dams back in service makes sense for Canton and the surrounding communities, and this project could become a shining example for the rest of the state and country as we look for cleaner ways to power our homes and businesses," said Murphy.

The Collinsville dams were built in the 18th and 19th centuries to power the Collins Company, which closed in the 1960s.

Although the dams are now owned by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), operating licenses are issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The newly approved legislation will provide the town with the right to operate the dams by allowing for the reinstatement of existing inactive FERC licenses.

The legislation would also require the FERC to solicit additional public comment and new environmental data before taking any action, ensuring that the river's health and ecology is fully protected. The state legislature passed legislation allowing the town of Canton to operate the dams.

The bill has a couple more hurdles before the town can take over the licenses - U.S. Senate and President Obama.

The U.S. department of Labor has announced the availability of approximately $20 million for two grants to provide employment services to young adult offenders and high school dropouts ages 18 to 24 in high-poverty, high-crime communities.

Secretary of Labor, Hilda L. Solis stresses that it is important to reach these young people with training and employment services they need to get get good jobs. She sees it as a critical part of helping them build successful careers and lives. Solis states that these programs funded today will help strengthen communities by improving the career prospects of individuals who have been involved with the justice system or who have dropped out of school.

The goals of these grants are to prepare individuals for employment and reduce recidivism among participants. These goals will be accomplished through job placement, subsidized jobs, on-the-job training, mentoring and community service projects.

The Labor Department expects to award two grants of $10 million each covering a six-month planning period and two full years of operation. Each grantee will be required to competitively select local sub-grantees to operate programs in a minimum of five high-poverty, high-crime communities in at least two different states.

The solicitation for grant applications is published in today's edition of the Federal Register. It provides background information and the closing date, describes eligibility and submission requirements, outlines the process that eligible entities must use to apply for funds and details how grantees will be selected. To view the solicitation online, visit http://www.doleta.gov/grants/find_grants.cfm.