Water Grab on the Eel River Stopped—For Now…

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 FERC’s 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 scales of FERC’s decision-making in favor of retention of the Project’s Eel River dams and finding a buyer for the financially perilous, currently mostly non-operational, 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.  

You can take a quick action to help support dam removal and river restoration on the Eel River. Follow this link to learn more! (Deadline Sept 18, 2pm)

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.