The State Water Resources Control Board cancelled its July 22 hearing on the Klamath River hydropower re-licensing application filed by PacifiCorp. The company pulled its section 401 Clean Water Act permit last week--approval of which is needed for the dam re-licensing to proceed. Company spokesperson Art Sasse said that withdrawing the license from the state permit queue was “a common occurrence” in re-licensing proceedings. The application was pulled to facilitate ongoing settlement negotiations that have been in the works for four years, he added. PacifiCorp and stakeholders are “closer than we’ve ever been to a historic resolution” that aims to protect fish, farmers, utility ratepayers, Indian tribes, and surrounding communities, according to Sasse. The terms of the settlement include possible removal of four of the hydro dams to remove barriers to decimated salmon. Resolution of the environmental and cultural impacts surrounding hydropower re-licensing usually takes several years and involves federal and state agencies and numerous stakeholders. The section 401 Clean Water Act application will soon be resubmitted to the California water board, Sasse said.
