| Title | Regional Agreements, Adaptation, and Climate Change: New Approaches to FERC Licensing in the Sierra Nevada, California |
| Publication Type | Report |
| Year of Publication | 2007 |
| Authors | Mount, JF., Moyle P. B., Lund J. R., & Doremus H. |
| Date Published | 08/07 |
| Abstract |
Private hydropower projects above a threshold size require a license from the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission. Many private hydropower projects in California are currently
undergoing or about to begin the relicensing process. Relicensing presents an opportunity to
reduce or mitigate the environmental impacts of hydropower generation. Because renewed
licenses run for thirty to fifty years, relicensing also presents substantial challenges given the
likelihood of significant changes both in the environment and in our understanding of it over
that time. Two types of changes to the FERC licensing process could potentially improve the
overall environmental performance of licensed facilities over time. The first is aggregated or
coordinated licensing, that is, consideration of multiple projects together, with coordination of
license conditions or mitigation requirements for improved efficiency and effectiveness. The
second is flexible or adaptive licensing, that is, including in the license or in negotiated side
agreements conditions that would facilitate modification of operations or mitigation efforts as
needed to respond to change over time. Both face serious practical and legal barriers, but there
are also opportunities that have not yet been explored to improve coordination and
adaptability. Most notably, the Clean Water Act section 401 certification process could allow
the state to push FERC toward more regionally conscious and adaptive licensing |
| URL | http://watershed.ucdavis.edu/pdf/Mount-et-al-FERC-081707.pdf |
