The Kilarc Project: Status and Organization
The FERC Process
PG&E is accountable to the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
for as long as PG&E holds the
P-606 Kilarc-Cow Creek Hydropower License.
PG&E has decided to surrender its license.
PG&E proposes to demolish the Kilarc Facility.
No other party may hold a license to generate hydropower utilizing the same water resource or within the same project boundary
until the FERC accepts PG&E's license surrender.
This page will be updated from time to time to describe the process by which we propose
to obtain the approval of an alternative to the demolition of these valuable, historic facilities.
The
News page on this Kilarc.info website is usually the best place
to get a up-to-date information, in reverse chronological order,
about recent actions, with some explanation of their purpose and significance.
Laura's Page on the Save Kilarc Committee's
www.savekilarc.org website
provides similar information for the benefit and from the perspective of the local community.
As stated previously, we are confident that the NEPA environmental impact assessment process undertaken by the FERC
will reveal that something very close to the Davis Hydro canal-based fish spawning and research alternative
is the preferred Plan upon PG&E's license surrender. We believe that
a 501(c)3 non-profit entity (tentatively the Kilarc Community Research Trust, Inc. or KCRT)
would be the most qualified, competent, and responsible entity to implement the alternative, although formation of
such an organization appears to be premature at this time.
Community members have expressed concern with participating as Board members and have posed many questions about
the financial resources that Davis Hydro or other parties would bring to such an organization.
The Resources Agencies are invited to participate and provide input,
but refuse presently to consider anything except demolition of the facilities. Scientific advisors from the
private sector hesitate to make a commitment to a project before it is deemed viable - and THAT will be
determined through the FERC process.
What comes next in the FERC process?
The FERC has identified that it plans to release its
draft Environmental Assessment on Friday, January 29, 2010. Based on the actions and statements of
the FERC and the Resource Agencies during the Scoping process (starting with the May 12, 2009
FERC Notice of Acceptance of
PG&E's License Surrender Application, and including
the FERC Notice of Scoping Meetings
and the FERC Scoping Document
in addition to all the Resource Agency comments), we believe that the FERC will proceed with this plan and
schedule, and there will be no new opportunity to influence the conclusions in the draft EA.
We expect that there will be a 30- to 45-day comment period on the draft EA, and will be prepared to work towards
our goals within the FERC process at that time.
In the meantime, we will continue to press the Resource Agencies to provide their feedback on the alternatives,
to achieve a win-win solution, and participate in other data collection and Endangered fish recovery and
habitat restoration activities in the larger Central Valley.
We'd appreciate your sending your thoughts and feedback to kws@kilarc.info
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