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FERC Holds PG&E Accountable for 2023 Butte Canal Failure
On November 19, 2024, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a letter to PG&E about a major canal break and two canal blockages in 2023 at PG&E’s DeSabla-Centerville Hydroelectric Project on Butte Creek. The canal break had extremely damaging environmental effects. FERC’s letter called the canal break “preventable” and deemed it a violation of…
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PG&E Withdraws Application for Transfer of Hydropower Assets
On May 10, 2024, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA) reported that the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) had denied an application for the transfer of Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s (PG&E) hydropower assets to a subsidiary, Pacific Generation. The CPUC found that PG&E’s application failed to meet “even the minimal public interest standard.” The CPUC, however, gave…
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Merced ID Continues its Attempts to Avoid Compliance with the Clean Water Act and CEQA
On June 27, 2024, CSPA and allies submitted a letter to Merced Irrigation District (Merced ID). The letter was written in response to Merced ID’s recent Notice of Intent (NOI) to rely on the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) produced by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in 2015 for the relicensing of the Merced River…
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CSPA Intervenes in Litigation on Drum-Spaulding and Yuba-Bear Hydroelectric Projects
On May 7, 2024, CSPA and its allies intervened in the ongoing case of Nevada Irrigation District (NID) versus the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). In the case before the United States Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, NID is challenging the authority of the California State Water Resources Control Board (State Board) to…
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State Board’s Proposed Order Set to Expedite and Strengthen Water Quality Certifications for Hydroelectric Projects
On April 9, 2024, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA) and other fishing and environmental advocacy groups submitted a response to the State Water Resources Control Board (State Board) supporting its recent decision to set aside water quality certifications for five hydroelectric projects. These projects are the Merced Irrigation District’s (Merced ID) Merced River Hydroelectric Project…
