Water Grab on the Eel River stopped—For Now…

Written By Keiko Mertz

Trump Administration Sows Chaos on Eel River Dam Removal, Thwarted for Now 

Eel River. Photo by DWR

The Eel River scored an important interim win this summer when the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) struck down a Southern California Water District’s attempt to intervene in the dam removal proceeding for PG&E’s Potter Valley Project. This came on the heels of the Trump Administration trying to put its thumb on the proceeding and seeking a buyer for the defunct and dangerous project. The Potter Valley Hydroelectric Project carries major safety risks and is un-economic. PG&E determined it’s a financial liability and made the decision to proceed with dam removal and river restoration as the best path forward.  

Friends of the River formally opposed the attempt to intervene made by Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District—a district which is hundreds of miles from the Eel River and has no physical way of receiving water from the Eel River. FERC denied Elsinore’s motion and stated that the District had failed to explain its 7-months-late filing. 

But Elsinore has now renewed its effort to enter the proceeding, which would give it legal standing in the process. Eel River advocates have again opposed the new motion, but FERC must decide again whether to allow Elsinore to be a formal participant in the permitting proceeding. The decision will likely come any day now and will ultimately determine whether the Trump Administration has additional leverage to meddle in the proceeding.

Keiko Mertz

Keiko, FOR’s Policy Director, was born and raised just a stone’s throw from the great Sacramento River. Her educational and professional background is in wildlife biology and environmental policy. She now leverages this interdisciplinary knowledge in her work as Policy Director of Friends of the River, where she advocates for the rivers you love.

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