Trump signed a $6.1 billion spending bill Tuesday that gives hydropower a big, long-awaited victory by establishing two government task forces that speed up the construction of electricity-producing dams.

The bipartisan water infrastructure bill, which funds the maintenance of waterways, harbors, and canals, also creates two task forces meant to expedite licensing procedures to turn normal dams into renewable energy power plants, while also boosting the number of hydropower pump storage plants that could help move more solar and wind onto the grid.

Hydropower is one the nation's leading sources of clean, renewable energy generation that states and utilities have been looking to develop as a cheaper alternative to other large power plants. It is also one form of renewable energy that Trump supports. But adding new hydroelectric dams to the grid can take years to get through the licensing process, which is what the task forces seek to speed up.

Trump has also ordered agencies to expedite timelines for licensing and permit approvals for all manner of projects that the task forces also address.

The first task force would promote hydropower development by helping to convert conventional dams into hydroelectric power plants. The bill directs the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to get the ball rolling in the first 180 days after passage.

After that, FERC will form an interagency task force with federal and state agencies and Native American tribes "to coordinate the regulatory processes" associated with authorizing and constructing the new hydropower renewable energy plants.

The second task force, also created by FERC, will expedite the creation of closed-loop pumped storage energy projects, which would be used to add electricity to the grid when wind or solar plants are reducing their output. The facilities are meant to balance the flow of electricity to allow more renewables to be added to the grid.

An interagency task force will then be convened to coordinate the regulatory processes needed to be approved to build the new facilities. Decisions on the construction of the facilities must take no longer than 2 years to complete.

Meanwhile, the Energy Department is directed to sell off 5 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in 2028 to fund the programs in the bill.