Press release from Friends of the Eel:

PG&E has submitted an application to surrender its license for the Potter Valley Project, and to remove the two defunct dams in the Eel River headwaters. This is a smart economic move, as the project has not generated electricity for over 4 years, and what it did produce over the last 20 years was less than 1% of PG&E’s entire hydropower portfolio. This failed hydroelectric project is costing ratepayers about a million dollars a year for absolutely no benefit, while continuing to cause significant ecological harm to the Eel watershed.

We are currently at a critical juncture – the public’s first opportunity to speak to federal regulators about this project and encourage them to approve PG&E’s plan for dam removal with no delay. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) need to hear from our community about how this plan is broadly supported and benefits public interest. The comment deadline has just been extended, we now have until Friday, December 19 at 2 p.m. to file comments.

The disinformation campaign coming from the MAGA movement has been well-funded and successful in generating ill-informed opposition to this project. Water users who stand to benefit from a more reliable diversion infrastructure, or water users who may have never received any Eel River water, are voicing loud opposition. We must be louder to ensure the Eel River dams are removed in time to save our struggling native fish. You comment can make a difference!

The Potter Valley Project includes an inter-basin diversion of water from the Eel River to the Russian River. The current plan allows for the Eel Russian Project Authority to use some of the existing infrastructure to develop a new dam-free diversion under different rules that are more protective of Eel River habitat, but will continue to provide water supplies to users in the Russian River.

Dam removal is the single most important action we can take to support recovery of the Eel’s still-wild native fish, and allow steelhead to return to over 280 miles of prime habitat in the upper basin. Dam removal will also remove habitat that is ideal for invasive pikeminnow, which thrive in the warmer waters of the Lake Pillsbury Reservoir.

Please take a few moments today to write a comment in support of Eel River dam removal. Use the links below to find instructions for commenting, suggested talking points, a sample letter, and additional information about the Potter Valley Project.

Instructions for commenting here.

Sample letter to FERC here.

Watch a presentation - Why Eel River Dam Removal is Urgent.