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Monday July 1, 2024

SYRCL

On July 10th, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will hold a public hearing regarding the relicensing of the Narrows 1 Project located on the lower Yuba River in Nevada County.  

Below is background on relicensing of the Narrows 1 Project and more information about the upcoming public hearing and opportunity to comment.  

What is “Relicensing”? 

The Federal Energy Commission (FERC) is charged with the licensing of non-federal hydroelectric dams. These legally binding licenses require dam operators to meet certain conditions on the river and may include additional conditions such as recreational access, minimum river flows, and monitoring of fish.     

Many of the dams in the Yuba watershed were built before modern environmental laws, and the license conditions at that time did not consider native fisheries, recreational uses, or the negative impacts associated with dam operations. As these licenses were issued for 40-50 year lifespans, many of the hydro projects in the Yuba watershed are still operating under licenses and conditions that were developed when hydroelectric operations began.   

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