Lake County town hall exposes sharp divides over PG&E plan to surrender Scott Dam

Lake County officials, tribal representatives and environmental advocates clashed at a town hall convened by the Lake County Chamber of Commerce over PG&E’s plan to surrender the Potter Valley project license for Scott Dam and Lake Pillsbury.

The meeting, convened by Amanda Martin, chief executive officer of the Lake County Chamber of Commerce, gathered county supervisors, Rep. Mike Thompson (by video), Round Valley Indian Tribes member Nicole Whipple, the Lake Pillsbury Alliance, the Sierra Club and local fire chiefs to hear competing proposals, facts and fears ahead of a final surrender application that PG&E plans to file with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on 2025‑07‑29.

Why it matters: county supervisors and local fire officials said removing Scott Dam would eliminate Lake Pillsbury — a year‑round water storage source they say is critical for wildfire response, local taxes and the lakeside economy. Tribal speakers and conservation groups countered that a free‑flowing Eel River would restore fish habitat and tribal uses and urged a regional restoration plan that does not depend on leaving the dam in place indefinitely.

Supervisor Bruno Sabatier (Lake County) framed the stakes in terms of local services and emergency response. He told the audience that “what is happening in Lake Pillsbury is horrifying” and warned that loss of the lake would reduce a water source used repeatedly during the Mendocino Complex and August Complex fires. Lake Pillsbury Fire Chief Larry Thompson said, “Water is our first and last line of defense in a fire,” and described 24‑hour water‑filling operations during the August Complex that drew…