Pat Burns, Sonoma County Farm Bureau president, described his frustration over the proposed decommissioning of the Potter Valley Project in a recent blog post. The hydroelectric project includes two reservoirs and two dams that funnel both water and energy to communities and farmland along the Russian River.
In his op-ed, Burns asked environmental groups to consider that factors such as invasive fish could still hurt salmon, regardless of flow improvement following the potential removal of Scott Dam. He also said further maintenance of existing infrastructure could help avoid removal, calling justifications for the project dismantlement “complete crap.”
“Another group screams and the water diversion allotment gets cut making the power plant less efficient and less economical,” wrote Burns. “Like most things we all deal with regularly, this is political.”
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SCFB Executive Director Dayna Ghirardelli acknowledged that local water authorities have agreed to maintain conditional Eel River to Russian River water diversions, but wrote that it "feels more like a token rather than a solution."
Ghirardelli hopes people will continue the conversation as the deadline for Pacific Gas and Electric to submit the final surrender application and decommissioning plan comes up in July.
The SCFB leadership statements come as the Trump administration reviews local appeals to keep PG&E from dismantling the project, the SFGate reported. Sonoma, Mendocino, Marin and Lake county Farm Bureau leaders wrote to federal authorities earlier this month warning the dam removal could hit locals hard during dry summer conditions.
In a letter to the Lake Pillsbury Alliance, the Bureau of Reclamation reportedly said project funding is being evaluated on the basis of an executive order that directs agencies to review all programs that pose an undue burden to domestic energy collection.
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