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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…
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Good News for Fish: Clean Water Act Holds for PG&E Hydropower Projects on Yuba and Bear Rivers
The California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA) is pleased to report that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued an Order on September 5, 2023 that upholds the California State Water Board’s authority to require a “water quality certification” for new hydropower licenses for the Upper Drum-Spaulding, Lower Drum, and Deer Creek hydroelectric projects. The Order ends…
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Another CSPA Legal Victory: US Supreme Court Denies Appeal, Affirming State Regulation of Merced and Yuba Rivers
The United States Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal regarding the California State Water Resources Control Board’s authority to set mandatory conditions in the new operating licenses for four hydroelectric projects. The appeal was filed jointly by the Merced Irrigation District (Merced ID), Yuba County Water Agency (YCWA) and the Nevada Irrigation District…
