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Mendocino workshop outlines FERC intervention deadline as PG&E seeks to surrender Potter Valley license
Summary
County presenters said PG&E has applied to surrender the Potter Valley project license to FERC and urged the public to file comments or seek intervention by Dec. 1 at 2 p.m. Pacific; panelists described how intervention preserves notice of future regulatory steps and cited concurrent local plans to secure water deliveries to the Russian River.
Unidentified presenter opened the Mendocino workshop by noting that Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) has filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to surrender the Potter Valley project license and begin decommissioning, which could include removing dams.
Panelists warned that public participation in FERCs process requires timely action. "The deadline for that is December 1 at 2PM," the presenter said, and explained that individuals or groups who "intervene" in the FERC docket will receive formal notice of filings and actions going forward and can comment on substantive decisions.
Why it matters: the surrender application starts parallel federal and state review tracks that will determine whether and how dams are removed, how diversion infrastructure is handled and what mitigation is required. Panelists emphasized that FERCs process is distinct from local planning: FERC reviews license surrender under federal law and may place conditions on decommissioning to address environmental restoration objectives.
Panelists encouraged anyone with concerns about traffic, sediment, road impacts or fisheries to submit comments to FERC and the state review agencies during the open period. They said PG&E and state agencies will produce a series of management plans and that public comment is the primary way communities can ask for operational or mitigation details to be addressed in those plans.
Next steps: organizers said materials and instructions for filing FERC comments will be posted on the project websites and reiterated the Dec. 1, 2 p.m. Pacific deadline for intervention.
