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CSPA Legal Victory: Supreme Court Denies Appeal of State Regulation of Tuolumne River
The United States Supreme Court will not hear an appeal regarding California’s authority to add mandatory conditions in the new licenses for two hydroelectric projects on the Tuolumne River. The appeal was filed by Turlock Irrigation District and Modesto Irrigation District (Districts), owners of the Don Pedro and La Grange projects. The Districts sought to…
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Court Victory for California Water Quality and Rivers – and CSPA
On August 4, 2022, a panel of judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit overruled the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), re-establishing California’s right to protect water quality in the Yuba, Bear, and Merced River watersheds for the next 40 years. Barring successful appeal, the ruling ends a three-year chapter in…
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CSPA Develops and Supports Changes to Hydropower Licensing
CSPA has played a strong role over the last 12 months in developing and negotiating a package of proposed reforms to the Federal Power Act. The package will, if implemented, change a multitude of on-the-ground aspects of how the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) licenses hydroelectric projects. The package, with a short summary, was transmitted…
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Letter Sent to Governor – Preserve the Application of the Clean Water Act to California’s Hydroelectric Projects
By Cindy Charles CSPA, as a leading member of a coalition of environmental and fishing organizations, sent a joint letter to Governor Newsom on May 11, 2020 urging his Administration to prioritize action on an urgent threat to California’s rivers, streams, and aquatic life. The increasing avalanche of efforts by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission…
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CSPA and Friends of the River Defend Clean Water Act and CEQA
CSPA and Friends of the River (FOR) have filed an amicus brief arguing that the procedures of state law are not preempted by federal law in California’s application of the federal Clean Water Act. The brief argues in favor of the state’s procedures for issuing a water quality certification for FERC hydropower licensing, including the…
