The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has a lengthy application process for hydropower companies looking to extend their operating licenses another 30 to 50 years. But it does not consider how climate change will affect the dams and rivers.

Joshua Viers, a ecologist and associate director of the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences, tells KQED's Quest science program that FERC's reliance only on historic weather and water records does not make sense anymore. He says California must change the way it manages water to prepare for floods and shortages. Listen to the 5-minute radio story here: http://bit.ly/RUVml0. More on Joshua Viers: http://bit.ly/Y6rCF6