Year-End Giving — Your Donation Matched until 12/31/2023
PG&E proposes to transfer all its hydroelectric assets to a new company – Pacific Generation (PacGen) This is the biggest and first-ever transfer of hydropower assets in California. SYRCL believes that this transfer would benefit PG&E shareholders at the expense of California ratepayers, the Yuba River, dam safety, and the public interest.
On September 5, 2023, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued an Order that reaffirms the California State Water Board’s authority to enforce a “water quality certification” for new hydropower licenses granted to projects such as the Upper Drum-Spaulding, Lower Drum, and Deer Creek hydroelectric projects.
The South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) believes it is crucial to address environmental issues with transparency and a commitment to facts. That is why we question some of the assertions made by hydropower providers as to the environmental benefits of their product.
In particular, we have some issues with the “science” behind their assertions and how that is behind the Hydropower Clean Energy Future Act (H.R. 4045). This legislation aims to increase clean, renewable hydropower resources in the United States, purportedly to combat climate change and improve environmental quality. However, we believe it’s essential to critically examine its language and intentions.
Marking the culmination of a multiyear struggle where Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) had sought to evade regulation of hydropower projects under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act, the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA) shared that on September 5, 2023, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued an Order that reaffirms the California State Water Board’s authority to enforce a “water quality certification” for new hydropower licenses granted to projects such as the Upper Drum-Spaulding, Lower Drum, and Deer Creek hydroelectric ventures.