Hydropower Reform Coalition - New York

LIHI Certifies one and recertifies another hydroproject in the Northeast

Rupak Thapaliya — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:04:08 -0500

Project: Worumbo : P-3428 | Oswego Falls : P-5984 | Oswego River : P-2474

On July 3, the Low Impact Hydropower Institute's board certified the Oswego River Project , on the Oswego River, New York as a "low-impact" hydropower project. Similarly, the Worumbo project on the Androscoggin River, Maine was also recertified.

The Oswego Project consists of five developments (Oswego Falls East, Oswego Falls West, Fulton, Minetto, and Varick developments) and comprises two FERC-licensed hydroelectric projects along the Oswego River in Oswego County, New York. Read more about the project and the certification on LIHI's website.

The 19.4 MW Worumbo hydro project, on the other hand, had already received LIHI's low-impact certification in 2004. Read more on the project at LIHI's project page.

So far 35 hydroelectric projects around the country have been recognized as low-impact by the Low Impact Hydropower Institute, while seven more have submitted their applications.

According to the LIHI website, "LIHI certification means that the hydropower facility has been found to meet or exceed the Institute's Certification Criteria which address eight key areas: river flows, water quality, fish passage and protection, watershed protection, threatened and endangered species protection, cultural resource protection, recreation, and facilities recommended for removal."

Pre-Application Document filed for Oswegatchie River Hydro Project

Rupak Thapaliya — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 10:01:34 -0600

Project: Oswegatchie River : P-2713

Erie Boulevard hydropower, L.P. has submitted its Pre-Application Document for the Oswegatchie River Hydroelectric Project. This 30 MW project expires in December 31, 2012.

American Rivers & NOAA now accepting proposals for river restoration grants

John Seebach — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 14:48:12 -0500

American Rivers seeks proposals for river restoration project grants as part of its partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Community-based Restoration Program. Program funding is provided through NOAA’s Open Rivers Initiative, which seeks to enable environmental and economic renewal in local communities through the removal of stream barriers.

This Partnership funds stream barrier removal projects that help restore riverine ecosystems, enhance public safety and community resilience, and have clear and identifiable benefits to diadromous fish populations. Diadromous fish migrate between freshwater and saltwater during their life cycle. Examples include alewife, American eel, American shad, blueback herring, salmon, steelhead, shortnose sturgeon and striped bass. Projects in the Northeast (ME, NH, VT, MA, CT, RI), Mid-Atlantic (NY, NJ, PA, DE, VA, MD, DC), Northwest (WA, OR, ID), and California are eligible to apply. Projects located within the St. Lawrence/Great Lakes Basin are not eligible for funding in the December 2007 grant round.

Eligible applications will be evaluated based upon four priority criteria:

Ecological merits of the project,
Technical feasibility of the project,
Benefits provided to the local community, and
Financial clarity and strength of the application.

Grants are provided for three distinct project phases: Feasibility Analysis, Engineering Design and Construction. Average grants are $25,000 - $50,000. Successful applicants for one project phase will not be eligible to receive additional funding for that same project phase in future grant rounds. See the Funding Guidelines for additional details.

Applications are currently being accepted for the first cycle of fiscal year 2008 with a deadline of December 3, 2007. Applications for projects must be postmarked by the deadline for consideration in this funding cycle. Potential applicants should contact American Rivers to discuss potential projects prior to submitting an application. Applicants can expect notification about funding decisions in early March 2008.

Obtain the Application for Financial Assistance and Funding Guidelines on the American Rivers web site.

License amendment on Lower Raquette adds generation and environmental benefits

John Seebach — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 13:16:04 -0600

Project: Lower Raquette River : P-2330

A license amendment for Erie Boulevard's Lower Raquette River project will increase the project's generating capacity by 50% (from 12 to 18 MW) while converting four dams from peaking generation into run-of-the-river mode, speeding up the license's fish protection and downstream fish passage measures by three years (from 2010 to 2007), and adding upstream eel passage at four dams.

FERC seeks input on Mongaup River recreation usage

John Seebach — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 09:19:44 -0600

Project: Rio : P-9690 | Swinging Bridge : P-10482

FERC is seeking public comments on recreation usage at Mirant's Rio Project on New York's Mongaup River. In particular, the Commission is seeking comments on Mirant's 2004 Recreation Usage Report, which FERC will use to determine if "changes are needed to the whitewater releases at the project."

Comments are due on January 5, 2007.

The report was originally submitted in July of 2005, but FERC chose to hold off on its evaluation because of problems at the Swinging Bridge project that temporarily halted recreation on the river.

FERC issues preliminary permit for Mineville project

John Seebach — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 17:16:26 -0600

FERC issued a preliminary permit for a proposed 189MW pumped storage project in Essex County, New York. From FERC's order Issuing Preliminary Permit (for docket P-12635):

The proposed [189-megawatt (MW] Mineville Pumped Storage Project would be located in the existing Old Bed, New Bed, and Harmony Mines within the town of Moriah in Essex County, New York. The mines are owned by X-Earth Corporation of Elizabethtown, New York, and by Rhodia Corporation of Cranbury, New Jersey.

The proposed [project] would consist of: (1) an upper reservoir using the existing + 200 level of the underground Harmony Mine having a surface area of 99 acres, with a storage capacity of 1,900 acre-feet and a normal water surface elevation of 200 feet NGVD, (2) a lower reservoir using the existing underground -1185 level of the Harmony Mine having a surface area of 75 acres, with a storage capacity of 2,500 acre-feet and a normal water surface elevation of -1,135 feet NGVD, (3) seven identical 1000-foot-long, 96-inch-diameter vertical bored penstocks with grouted steel casing, (4) a proposed powerhouse containing seven generating units having a total installed capacity of 189 MW; (5) a proposed 1-mile-long, 115-kV transmission line; and (6) appurtenant facilities. The project would have an annual generation of 650 GWh.

FERC Allows Unlicensed Testing of New Technology

John Seebach — Thu, 14 Apr 2005 07:00:00 -0500

In an April 14, 2005 order, FERC permitted Verdant Power to test its new "damless" hydropower technology without a license on Roosevelt Island in the East River in New York City. At the end of an 18-month test period, Verdant must return to FERC and seek a new license in order to continue operating.

FERC contends that nothing in its ruling establishes new precedent. It makes three key findings that differentiate this project from any other project:

The technology is truly experimental.
The technology needs a short-term testing period to determine viability.
The project will not contribute power to the grid.

The final finding was a change to Verdant's proposal, which included supplying power to nearby commercial customers. The Order affirmed that such a project still requires a preliminary permit and that in order to contribute power to the grid, the project must ultimately obtain a license.

In the meantime, at the request of resource agencies, FERC stated that nothing in its order absolves the project from obtaining necessary state and federal permits.

The Coalition is watching to see whether FERC's order is effectively encouraging new technologies while protecting rivers and maintaining its responsibilities under the Federal Power Act. Stay tuned.

Permit for Mohawk River (NY) Dam Rejected

John Seebach — Fri, 21 Jan 2005 06:00:00 -0600

Project: School Street : P-2539

On January 19, 2005, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) rejected Green Island Power Authority's (GIPA) bid for a preliminary permit to construct a new dam on the Mohawk River in upstate New York. P-12522 (also known as the Cohoes Falls project) would consist of a 20-foot dam above Cohoes Falls and a powerhouse below the falls.

Why did FERC reject this small first step in licensing a new project? Because the Cohoes Falls project would have been located only half a mile downstream from another hydropower dam called School Street (FERC Project No. P-2539). School Street is built with the same power generation design, only smaller - the dam is only 16 feet high. GIPA's Cohoes Falls project would have created a reservoir that inundated the School Street dam, rendering it inoperable.

Under the Federal Power Act, FERC cannot issue contradictory licenses. In other words, if FERC authorizes one project under a given set of terms, it cannot authorize a second project that would conflict with the terms of the first project. This case, however, was somewhat unique because of timing and politics.

School Street was one of several licenses in New York that expired in 1993. The New York water quality agency refused to permit them all at once, instead setting up a schedule for dealing with each license in turn through settlement negotiations. School Street was the last project on this list. Because project negotiations began nearly a decade after the original license had expired, and because FERC cannot issue a license without state water quality certification, School Street has been operating on annual licenses since 1993. The settlement team expects to reach a settlement soon.

GIPA, a quasi-governmental agency, argued that since the School Street relicensing process has taken intolerably long, and since GIPA's proposal has far more public benefit, FERC should waive its constricting regulations, terminate the School Street license, and authorize GIPA to start the licensing process.

GIPA's proposal also had the support of some big names. Senators Clinton and Schumer wrote letters supporting the proposal; Congressman McNulty appeared before the FERC Commissioners to voice his support for the Cohoes Falls project.

Ultimately, FERC refused the permit. In its order, FERC determined that the Federal Power Act - a law which FERC does not have the authority to waive - both prohibits a new license application from being filed at the project (more than 13 years after the deadline for such applications had passed) and prevents the Commission from issuing a license that would constitute revocation or alteration of the School Street Project's existing license. The order also cites FERC's existing regulations and precedents.

Read the FERC Order.