Hydropower Reform Coalition - Vermont

More Hydropower Projects Seek LIHI Certification

Rupak Thapaliya — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 13:46:20 -0600

Project: Merwin : P-935 | Bear River : P-20 | Cutler Plant : P-2420

The last day of 2009 saw seven hydropower projects filing their application for certification with the Low Impact Hydropower Institute. In 2009 alone, the Institute issued certifications for nine projects throughout the country. So far, there are 46 LIHI certified projects in 24 states.

Of the seven newest projects seeking LIHI certification, five are owned by PacifiCorp. The seven projects are:

PacifiCorp’s Lewis River Projects (P-935, P-2071, and P-2111) in Washington
PacifiCorp’s Bear River Project (P-20) in Idaho
PacifiCorp’s Cutler Project (P-2420) in Utah
PacifiCorp’s Prospect No. 3 Project (P-2337) in Oregon
PacifiCorp’s Ashton Project (P-2381) in Idaho
TransCanada Hydro’s Deerfield River Project (P-2323) in Vermont and Massachusetts, and
Brookfield’s Fife Brook Project (P-2323) in Vermont and Massachusetts

LIHI is seeking public comments by March 3, 2010. More information on each of the projects and instructions on how to submit comments are available at www.lowimpacthydro.org.

LIHI provides certification to projects based on 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.

According to LIHI, Certification is designed to provide consumers with assurance that a facility has avoided or reduced their environmental impacts.

Three More Hydroelectric Projects Qualify as Low Impact

Rupak Thapaliya — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:34:06 -0600

Project: Chace Mill : P-2756

The Low Impact Hydropower Institute (LIHI) has certified three more projects that meet their low-impact certification criteria. The three projects are Winooski in Vermont, Farmers Irrigation District in Oregon; and the Robertson and Ashuelot in New Hampshire.

Through the certification, LIHI recognizes that these projects have avoided or reduced their environmental impacts as required in their certification process.

For more information about the recently certified projects read the LIHI press release.

LIHI issues certification for projects that 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.

LIHI has certified 46 projects to date.

Northeastern utilities seek to import hydroelectricity from Canada

Rupak Thapaliya — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 10:05:45 -0600

In a petition submitted last week, two utilities in New England have requested FERC to approve construction of a transmission tie line connecting New England with the Hydro-Québec system in Canada.

The utilities- Northeast Utilities Service Company and NSTAR Electric Company have already singed a Memorandum of Agreement with Hydro Québec for the construction of the transmission line to be designed to transmit at least 1,200 MW. The proposed transmission line would be used to deliver power generated from Hydro Québec's hydro facilities in Canada.

According to the press release by NSTAR, the companies are yet to negotiate terms of the power purchase agreement. The petition states that Hydro Québec is currently developing 4,000MW of new hydroelectric generation.

The import of hydroelectricity from Canada will take many northeastern states closer to their renewable energy goals established through the renewable portfolio standards (RPS).

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.