FERC Hearing on Drum-Spaulding and Yuba-Bear Relicensing

I attended the hearing today in Auburn at the Holiday Inn, you know, the hotel next to Inn and Out Burger.  Thyere were about fifty people in attendance and it appeared to me that I was the only "civilian" there.  The rest all self introduced as government employees (at all levels) or rent seekers with a vested interest in the proceedings.  Locally, the rent seekers were SYRCL and a couple of "fish" organizations.  Those "fish" types sounded real similar to all the rest of the grant seeking wasters of the tax dollars.

Here is the intro page of the 1568 page EIS (48 gazillion bytes on CD/DVD).  And they want us to respect the issue of cutting down trees!

FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20426
OFFICE OF ENERGY PROJECTS

To the Agency or Individual Addressed:
Reference: Draft Environmental Impact Statement
Attached is the draft environmental impact statement (draft EIS) for the Drum-Spaulding
Hydroelectric Project (Project No. 2310-193) and the Yuba-Bear Hydroelectric Project (Project No. 2266-
102), located on the Middle Yuba, South Yuba, and Bear Rivers and the North Fork of the North Fork
American River in Sierra, Nevada, and Placer Counties, California.
This draft EIS documents the view of governmental agencies, nongovernmental organizations,
affected Indian tribes, the public, the license applicant, and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
(Commission) staff. It contains staff evaluations on the applicants’ proposals and alternatives for
relicensing the Drum-Spaulding and Yuba-Bear Projects.
Before the Commission makes a licensing decision, it will take into account all concerns relevant
to the public interest. The draft EIS will be part of the record from which the Commission will make its
decision. The draft EIS was sent to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and made available to the
public on or about May 24, 2013.
Copies of the draft EIS are available for review in the Commission’s Public Reference Branch,
Room 2A, located at 888 First Street, N.E., Washington DC 20426. The draft EIS also may be viewed on
the Internet at www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp. Please call (202) 502-8222 for assistance.
Any comments should be filed by July 23, 2013, and should reference Project No. 2310-193
and/or 2266-102. Comments may be filed electronically via the Internet. See 18 Code of Federal
Regulations 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the commission’s web site:
http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp. Commenters can submit brief comments up to 6,000
characters without prior registration, using the eComment system at http://www.ferc.gov/docsfiling/
ecomment.asp. You must include your name and contact information at the end of your comments.
For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support. Although the Commission strongly encourages
electronic filing, documents may also be paper-filed. To paper-file, mail an original and five copies to:
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, N.E.,
Washington, DC 20426."


I sat and listensed to the usual suspects do their predictable rhetoric of "it is an inadquate EIS" and I had deja vu all over again.  I have heard this standard eco crap for thirty years and I truly blame them for the sad state of America and its economy today.  They have the laws in their favor and one of these lovelies and their rent seeking brethren can stop a project cold with almost a postage stamp.  They usually delay things and in America, time is money and in this case these relicensings are no different.  What I listened to was SOP for delay and obfuscation of the facts.  I listened as these rent seekers, 501 c-3's mainly, jocked for what I bet will be extorted grant dollars at a later date.

America needs power, and hydro is clean and cheap.  The water is used from recreation to fish to farms and in our state, afterall, this was the FEDREAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION and their job is energy, at least I thought it was.  Hell, we had all kinds of alphabet soup agencies represented and if I recall, all are paid by the hapless taxpayers.  That doesn't see, to m,atter to the State Water Board, Marine Fisheries, Forest Service and on and on.  And none of them had anything good to say about the 1568 anal exam we call an EIS.

I think the Federal Marine Fisheries dude is the same nut who wants to tear down the dams on the Knlamath.  Here he was, sitting right next to the FERC people (by invitation to speak ayt the head table) and all he could muster was insults to the EIS and the FERC.  I thought we were paying thios schmuck?  Anyway, I could see the eyes roll back in the head of the FERC fellow as this testiment to Federal failure was speaking.  My eyes were rolling back too.  After the Marine Fisheres nut was done I wanted to go up to him and smack him.  How direspectful.  I was trying to figure out his scam since the ocean is a long ways away but I determined that if the Army Corps of Engineers can exercise juridiction of a drainage swale on my private property here in Nevada County, then it is probably no strectch for this fed employee to claim rights on our Yuba-Bear dams and hydro plants.  Oh, and this looney fed was trying to convince these FERC people that the salmon were coming home to Camptonville I guess.  He was overlooking the Englebright Dam in his tirade but I figured he figured the FERC already knew that.

I got to listen to the SYRCL guy Reed, or Reedly, drome on about his points.  I was all I could do to make any sense out of what he said and it really appeared to me to be a rond-a-bout way to get some of that grant monery so they could keep taking the teperature of the Yuba.  Of course in all my years of life the only time I recall algae blloms on the Yuba were after these brianiacs took it over.  I wanted to get up there a say we saw private property owners do a great job on the river all the years before and now it is a mess.  Hell, you have to pay parking money and the frigging bridge is closed at Bridgeport I understand.  Great job eh?

There were also some Auburn Ravine people extolling the 25 salmon that returned to their crick.  (Really?  or were they brought in?)  Tyhen there was a woman from the little town of Washington who told us all what an homnor it was to be a river monitor and take its temp.  I wonder if she does it when all those "bikers" are there peeing and tossing stuff into the place?

I have heard this all before many times.  These rent seekers are looking for leverage to gain more rent and this is a cheap way to get it from just about anyone or thing that is productive.  Extort a developer for trails or pay some money.  Extort N.I.D and PG and E for some trails or pay some money.  Claim fish are coming back or ytou will clean up the mercury.  It is all a scam.  And all the while, delaying Americans in the use of their own energy and other natural resources.  I saw on display in that little meeting room the reason America is headed down the list of important countries.  Multply this meeting times thousands across the country.  All those bireacrats yakking and writing.  Wjo;r Rome burns.