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Mendocino workshop: PG&E tells FERC it will surrender Potter Valley license; public warned to intervene by Dec. 1 at 2 p.m. PT
Summary
At a Mendocino County workshop, presenters outlined PG&E's surrender filing to FERC and urged stakeholders to file comments or interventions by Dec. 1 at 2 p.m. Pacific to receive formal notice of future filings. The session also described a regional water diversion agreement that would give the Round Valley Indian Tribe a holding water right exercised by IRPA for up to 50 years.
Organizers of a Mendocino County workshop told a packed room that Pacific Gas & Electric Co. has notified the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission it intends to surrender its Potter Valley Project license and proceed with decommissioning that would include removing dams.
Scott, the meeting's lead presenter, said FERC is accepting comments and formal interventions on PG&E's surrender application and warned the deadline to intervene is Dec. 1 at 2 p.m. Pacific. "If you intervene, basically say, 'I want to be part of this' — you will receive notice of everything that happens going forward," Scott said.
Why it matters: intervention grants formal party status in a FERC case and ensures notice of filings and opportunities to respond to proposed conditions, the presenters said. Organizers urged participants who want to influence technical or mitigation requirements to file before the deadline so they can receive all future documents and notices.
The presentation explained a parallel regional agreement intended to secure future deliveries of Eel River water to the Russian River if PG&E transfers or surrenders project assets. Under the water diversion agreement outlined at the workshop, the Round Valley Indian Tribe would hold the underlying water right and the Yule (IRPA) project authority would exercise the delivery right by contract for a limited term. "The water diversion agreement provides that the Round Valley Indian [Tribe] will hold the water right, which will be exercised by IRPA," Scott said.
Panelists stressed the legal difference between holding a water right and holding a contractual delivery: the tribe would hold the water right while IRPA would control deliveries under contract for an initial 30-year term and a possible 20-year extension if environmental and performance conditions are met, giving a maximum of 50 years subject to renewal.
What the filing triggers: FERC's process is separate from state environmental review. The State Water Resources Control Board will handle water quality certification and CEQA scoping related to removal and other impacts, while FERC conducts NEPA review of the license surrender. Organizers said PG&E has proposed multiple management plans (traffic, sediment, fisheries) as part of its surrender application; those plans are expected to be developed as design work advances.
Public next steps: Presenters urged residents to read the surrender filing posted on the workshop sites, file comments with FERC (or file as an intervenor to get party status) before the stated deadline, and prepare to participate in forthcoming CEQA/NEPA processes.
The workshop materials and the panel video will be posted by organizers on the project's public websites after the meeting, the organizers said.
