Comments on PG&E’s Proposed Plan and Schedule

Free The Eel, Endangered Species Act, Dam Removal

December 29, 2022 Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 888 First Street, NE Washington, D.C. 20426 Re: Potter Valley Project (P-77) Decommissioning Plan and Schedule Dear Secretary Bose, On behalf of the undersigned organizations, this letter conveys our concerns regarding the plan and schedule to file a surrender application for the Potter Valley … Read more

Potter Valley Project Updates

Action from FERC and PG&E seems to come in quick bursts – a lot has happened over the past two months. Before diving into that, we want to share the exciting news that this week FOER and our allies filed suit against FERC for violating the Endangered Species Act. When the federal agency issued an … Read more

Sifting Through the Studies: Eel River Dams and Fish Passage

The Eel River once flowed unobstructed from its headwaters in Mendocino County to the Pacific Ocean, supporting the third largest salmon and steelhead runs in California. Over a million fish historically spawned each year within the Eel River watershed (Source: Yoshiyama & Moyle, 2010). All that has changed over the past century, with the effects … Read more

Conservation and Fishing Groups File Lawsuit in Federal Court Over Endangered Species Act Violations at Eel River Dams

Free The Eel, Endangered Species Act, Dam Removal

For Immediate Release: August 16, 2022 Conservation and Fishing Groups File Lawsuit in Federal Court Over Endangered Species Act Violations at Eel River Dams California Trout, Friends of the Eel River, Trout Unlimited, Institute for Fisheries Resources, and Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations take legal action to reduce lethal impacts on endangered fish from … Read more

Comments to FERC Regarding Potter Valley Project (P-77) Decommissioning Plan and Schedule

Summer steelhead by Shaun Thompson

  July 29, 2022 Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 888 First Street, NE Washington, D.C. 20426 Re: Potter Valley Project (P-77) Decommissioning Plan and Schedule Dear Secretary Bose, On behalf of the undersigned organizations we offer these comments on the PG&E draft license surrender schedule for the Potter Valley Project, P-77 (Project). … Read more

Sifting Through the Studies: Scott Dam Removal

When dams are removed, a variety of experts from engineers to hydrologists and biologists develop plans to minimize negative impacts on aquatic life. When PG&E’s license for the Potter Valley Project on the Eel River expired last month, that began the decommissioning process which will ultimately lead to dam removal. Many studies have already been … Read more

KMUD The Environment Show – Exciting Times Fighting for the Eel River

KMUD: The Environment Show May 3, 2022 Every Tuesday at 7 PM Host: Tom Wheeler of EPIC Guests: Alicia Hamann, Executive Director of Friends of the Eel River and Redgie Collins, Legal & Policy Director at CalTrout. In this segment of The Environment Show, Tom gets current with efforts to remove dams in the Eel … Read more

Environmental, Fishing Groups Give 60-Day Notice of Intent to Sue Pacific Gas & Electric

For Immediate Release April 18, 2022 Environmental, Fishing Groups Give Notice of Intent to Sue Pacific Gas and Electric to Minimize Harms to Salmon Until Eel River Dams Are Removed Dams put federally protected salmon and steelhead at risk of extinction Eureka, California – A coalition of environmental and fishing groups has notified Pacific Gas … Read more

PG&E’s License to Operate Potter Valley Project Expires

Aging Eel River dams headed for license surrender and decommissioning Today, PG&E’s license to operate the Potter Valley Project (PVP) expires. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) – the agency tasked with regulating hydropower projects – will now ask PG&E to surrender their license to operate the project and propose a plan to decommission it. … Read more