Oroville >> A long-awaited milestone in the years-long process to relicense Oroville Dam was reached last month, with the approval of the biological opinion by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
That was believed to be the last loose end, and it was thought that might allow the license to be approved this spring by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which could clear the way for a renewed burst of funding to the area in a few months.
Oroville and the Feather River Recreation and Park District were poised to receive $3.4 million, and an additional tens of millions of dollars over 30-50 years.
But as has been the case with the relicensing effort, when one hurdle is cleared, a new one crops up.
That happened Thursday when FERC commissioner Norman Bay announced his resignation, after President Donald Trump replaced him as chair of the panel by elevating commissioner Cheryl LaFleur, as reported by Politico.
The five-member board already had two unfilled vacancies, and Bay’s resignation leaves the commission without a quorum, unable to approve anything or even meet until a replacement is appointed and confirmed by the Senate.
If filling the FERC vacancies was a priority, it would still take two to three months to do so. But the Senate also is in the process of confirming Trump’s cabinet appointees and a raft of other officials. When Trump and the Senate will get to the FERC spots is unknown.
So once again as has been the case for 10 years, relicensing and the money it could mean to the area remain in limbo.
What is relicensing?
When Oroville Dam was built in the 1960s, it changed the landscape, the environment and the way people used the land. The FERC license laid out a balance between the water supply, hydroelectric generation and the impact to area residents.
Basically the license says money collected from people who use money from the State Water Project will be used on projects within the dam complex and in adjacent areas impacted by the dam.
The original license expired in 2007. Discussions about renewing the license have gone on since then.
Money for projects
There are two streams of money that would come from relicensing. An estimated $300 million would go to programs at the lake, including ongoing expenses such as contracts with State Parks, Fish and Wildlife, Feather River Fish Hatchery and others, said Kevin Dossey, senior civil engineer in recreation and land use for the Department of Water Resources.
New projects under the new license could include new fish weirs, river habitat improvement, lake access projects and fish hatchery improvements, as examples.
Another $50 million is also being discussed for additional recreation projects over the first 10 years of the license agreement, Dossey said.
Local money
A second flow of money would go to projects outside the dam footprint, primarily along the “low flow” stretch of the Feather River through Oroville, from the Diversion Dam upstream to the Afterbay outlet downstream.
That money goes to a Supplemental Benefits Fund. A committee of three people from the city of Oroville and two from Feather River Recreation and Park District decide how that money is spent. Advisory members are from the Department of Water Resources, State Water Contractors, Oroville Area Chamber of Commerce and American Rivers.
Even though the relicensing agreement has not been complete, the committee has received and spent about $8 million dollars for various projects including Riverbend Park, said Dossey.
When relicensing is complete, the Supplemental Benefits Fund committee will receive more money each year for the length of the contract.
If it’s a 50-year agreement, the Supplemental Benefits Fund would receive $1 million a year for 50 years. A 40-year agreement would include a payment of $800,000 a year. Payment for a 30-year agreement would be at the discretion of DWR, Dossey said.
Will it really happen?
After all this time waiting for the relicensing, it was thought there might actually be some ink on paperwork soon. Kevin Zeitler, a non-voting member of the Supplemental Benefits Fund heard things really were moving forward this time.
Laura Page at Congressman Doug LaMalfa’s office in Oroville, attended many FERC meetings over the past decade. The biological opinion was first requested in 2007. The 400-plus page document was delivered Dec. 5. She also believes that was the last hurdle.
That was before FERC commissioner Bay quit.
County out for now
Of note is that Butte County did not sign a settlement agreement. Leaders on the county level, including Supervisor Bill Connelly, strongly believe the county has been historically shortchanged by the Lake Oroville complex.
Since the dam was built, the county has lost out on property tax money from the land, Connelly said. The county spends money for law enforcement and other expenses because the lake is here, he said.
“The settlement for the city of Oroville is a big deal, but it doesn’t make up for all the broken promises to the county.”
The sidebar accompanying this story has more about the county’s position.
See more details about Lake Oroville at http://tinyurl.com/hkwb7o8.
Contact reporter Heather Hacking at 896-7758.
