PG&E; dams on Feather River, smog in Bayview

PG&E's disregard for human health is well known to the residents of Bayview and Hunter's Point in SF. The natural gas combustion of their Bayview plant adds toxins to the water and air of the interior SF Bay. Lack of air circulation worsens the air pollution as the haze hangs over the low income housing projects and enters the lungs of Bayview residents..

Latest action by Hunter's Point residents and allies to shut down PG&E's polluting plant;

http://www.greenaction.org/hunterspoint/pr032305.shtml

Further into the interior of California's Sacramento Valley, PG&E is responsible for the decreased fisheries quality of the Feather River. This results from their numerous outdated dams that prevent migration of anadromous fish like salmon and increase the water temperature by slowing the velocity of the river in several locations. Instead of acting to remove these outdated dams, PG&E attempted to influence government officials to provide taxpayer dollars for their unwanted "thermal curtain" project of Lake Almanor..

http://www.savelakealmanor.org/

Certain opinions found on the Save Lake Almanor website indicate an attempt to decrease the cold water requirements instead of demanding complete restoration of the Feather River (considered unrealistic perhaps?) by removing downstream dams. These individuals are opposed to the thermal curtain on Lake Almanor, yet are unwilling to follow through and demand restoration further downstream. The cold water requirements exist to protect the salmon, and it is not unrealistic to expect PG&E to comply without decreasing the cold water requirements..

After a great number of salmon died along the banks of Butte Creek from gill rot caused by higher water temps and lower velocity;

"In his letter, he requested FERC to initiate formal section 7 (a)(2) consultation on these effects. Formal consultation is necessary any time a federal action “may affect” species listed under the Endangered Species Act. Up to this point, consultation has been done on an informal basis.

“We believe that PG&E must take immediate steps if it is to avoid or minimize any future episodes of high pre-spawning mortality levels of Central Valley spring-run chinook salmon in Butte Creek,” he stated."

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"In addition, the Friends have asked FERC to immediately increase the flow to 80 cfs and maintain the entire flow of Butte Creek and the West Branch Feather River water (total 125 cfs) in the bypass reach all summer.

“This would mean shutting down the Centerville Powerhouse all summer,” said Hawthorn. “This would provide the best refugia from the summer heat in the highest reaches, which is the only logical, biological thing to do.”

Harthorn noted that the electricity lost by shutting down Centerville Powerhouse in the summer would be “a drop in the bucket,” 2.3 megawatts, while saving the largest spring chinook run in California. This compares to the 18 megawatts provided by Desabla Powerhouse and the 35 megawatts provided by the Battle Creek hydroelectric facilities.

“If PG&E increased the flow to 125 cfs, they would not only provide better conditions for spring -run chinooks, but support much healthier steelhead runs and probably support a winter run of chinooks,” he added. “When you increase the flows, you increase the available habitat.”

PG&E did not return my phone call, but Lisa Randle, PG&E spokesperson, in an article in the Chico Enterprise Record on October 2, was quoted as saying, “More data is needed to make decisions. All the agencies and PG&E will be working toward that.”"

article continued @;

http://www.dissidentvoice.org/Articles8/Bacher_Butte-Disaster.htm

What has PG&E done to improve the conditions along the Feather River?

Nothing substantial. Unless participation with Halliburton's energy crisis price gouging scam counts as substantial..

http://www.alternet.org/envirohealth/18113/

PG&E; The "E" Ain't For Ethics"

"Pacific Gas & Electric is the Halliburton of utilities. It owns more than $26 billion in assets. It controls a vast swath of Northern California's rivers and forest lands. It owns the most expensive nuclear plant in the nation -- the 2,200 MW Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant -- and serves 13 million customers in Northern and Central California. It rivals any other power utility in the nation in financial wherewithal.

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The utility voluntarily entered bankruptcy court in April 2001 to freeze billions of dollars in debt racked up during California's chaotic energy crisis, which sent wholesale power prices soaring.

An unprecedented utility bankruptcy called for an unprecedented move. Bob Glynn, president and CEO of the utility parent, PG&E Corp., made a grand public stand after the utility proposed its first bankruptcy reorganization plan to exit from Chapter 11. Glynn was adamant that the utility had to spin off its huge nuclear plant and vast hydroelectric facilities to an unregulated subsidiary -- and that it had to do the same with its transmission system. The only state-regulated part of the utility left after bankruptcy reorganization would be its distribution system. He told the financial community that this plan was the only way PG&E could emerge from bankruptcy as a viable utility."

other energy scam info;

http://www.the-catbird-seat.net/Power.htm

http://www.corpse.org/issue_14/revelations/lento.html


Why does PG&E insist on dependency on outdated technologies, from natural gas combustion in Hunter's Point to outdated hydroelectric facilities on the Feather River?

What people can do to improve habitat for salmon;

"Some 100 California dams are coming up for federal relicensing in the next 15 years. Federal laws, passed since the last wave of dam relicensing some 50 years ago, now require dam operators like PG&E to take into account the impact of the dams’ operations on the entire watershed.

Conservation groups have already been able to leverage this new requirement to significantly improve stream flows on the Mokelumne River at levels approximating those of a natural, undammed stream and to take out 3 of 12 PG&E dams in the watershed. Similar efforts are currently underway on the American, Stanislaus, and Feather rivers."

http://www.syrcl.org/sierra-citizen/sc-view_article.asp?id=154

http://www.mindfully.org/Water/Farmers-Resist-Yuba-Salmon.htm

Friends of the River; Potential Dam Removal Sites;

http://www.friendsoftheriver.org/Publications/RiversReborn/camap/camap.html

info collected by Marcus Mueller