To: Board of Supervisors
From: Supervisor Brown
Meeting Date: June 20, 2017
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Department Contact: |
Supervisor Carre Brown |
Phone: |
463-4441 |
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Item Type: Consent Agenda |
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Time Allocated for Item: N/A |
Agenda Title:
title
Approval to Designate Supervisor Brown as Mendocino County’s Representative to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Notice of Scoping Meeting and Scoping Document 1 for the Relicensing of the Potter Valley Project (Sponsor: Supervisor Brown)
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Recommended Action/Motion:
recommendation
Designate Supervisor Brown as the County’s representative to the FERC Scoping meeting and authorize Supervisor Brown to submit written and/or oral comments on behalf of the County of Mendocino, if needed. Further, direct a future agenda item for the Board of Supervisors to discuss the Potter Valley Project relicensing procedure under the jurisdiction of FERC and the appointment of representatives to engage with the parties involved in the lengthy process.
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Previous Board/Board Committee Actions:
Historically, the County of Mendocino has engaged and participated in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) relicensing of the Potter Valley Project. The County of Mendocino along with the Counties of Humboldt, Lake and Sonoma created the Eel-Russian River Commission through a Joint Powers Agreement signed in 1978 to actively participate by discussing all elements of the process, to submit scientific information through a joint study and review other studies submitted. Most recently the County of Mendocino and the Mendocino County Water Agency filed as a party of interest for the Pre-Application Document submitted by Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) for relicensing the 9.4-megawatt (MW) Potter Valley Project (FERC No. 77).
Summary of Request:
On June 1, 2017 the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a notice and Scoping Document 1 for the relicensing of the Potter Valley Project. Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, Commission staff intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which will be used by the Commission to determine whether, and under what conditions, to issue a new license for the project. To support and assist the environmental review, FERC is beginning the public scoping process to ensure that all pertinent issues are identified and analyzed and that the EIS is thorough and balanced.
FERC invites participation in the scoping process and is circulating the Scoping Document 1 (SD1) to provide information on the Potter Valley Project. FERC is soliciting comments and suggestions on the preliminary list of issues and alternatives to be addressed in the EIS. FERC is also requesting all parties to identify any studies that would help provide a framework for collecting pertinent information on the resource areas under consideration necessary for the Commission to prepare the EIS for the project.
FERC will hold two scoping meetings for the Potter Valley Project to receive input on the scope of the EIS. A daytime meeting will be held at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 28, 2017, at the Ukiah Valley Conference Center, 200 South School Street, Ukiah, California. An evening meeting will be held at 6:00 p.m. on the same day and at the same location. FERC will also visit the project facilities on Tuesday, June 27, 2017. The daytime meeting will focus on resource agency, Indian tribes, and non-governmental organization concerns, while the evening meeting is primarily for receiving input from the public.
The Mendocino County Inland Water and Power Commission (IWPC) consisting of the County of Mendocino, the City of Ukiah, the Russian River Flood Control and Water Conservation Improvement District, the Redwood Valley County Water District and the Potter Valley Irrigation District will be submitting comments during the Scoping meeting. Supervisor Carre Brown is the representative from the Board of Supervisors on the IWPC. As the vice-chair of the IWPC she will be working with the chair, Janet Pauli, on the submittal of comments for the Scoping meeting.
Supervisor Brown requests the Board of Supervisors to delegate her as the County’s representative during the Scoping meeting and the ability to submit written or oral comments on behalf of the County of Mendocino, if needed. Further Supervisor Brown requests a future agenda item for the Board of Supervisors to discuss the Potter Valley Project relicensing procedure under the jurisdiction of FERC and the appointment of representatives to engage with all of the parties involved in the lengthy process.
Alternative Action/Motion:
Do not approve the request of Supervisor Brown.
Supplemental Information Available Online at:
Fiscal Impact:
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Source of Funding: N/A |
Budgeted in Current F/Y: N/A |
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Current F/Y Cost: N/A |
Annual Recurring Cost: N/A |
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Supervisorial District: All |
Vote Requirement: Majority |
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Agreement/Resolution/Ordinance Approved by County Counsel: N/A
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CEO Liaison: Janelle Rau, Deputy CEO |
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CEO Review: Choose an item. |
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Comments: