REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Action on a Resolution Considering the Information in the Final Environmental Impact Statement Prepared by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and Adopting and Certifying the CEQA Supplement Prepared for the Bucks Creek Hydroelectric License [Council Pillar: Deliver and Enhance High Quality Efficient Services and Infrastructure]
Report
BACKGROUND
The City of Santa Clara and Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) jointly own and operate the 84.8 megawatt Bucks Creek Hydroelectric project in Plumas County, California, and have been engaged in a multi-year effort to relicense the project (see the Project Review Timeline, Attachment 2).
On March 8, 1990, the City and PG&E entered into the Grizzly Development and Mokelumne Settlement Agreement (GDMSA) which, among other provisions, allowed the City's Electric Department dba Silicon Valley Power, to construct and own the Grizzly Powerhouse, and become a joint licensee to the Bucks Creek Project (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Project No. 619). Section 2.7.2 of the GDMSA obligates the Parties (the City and PG&E) to pursue amendments, renewals, or other FERC approvals as they arise during the period the City is a joint licensee. To this end, the City and PG&E filed a Notice of Intent (NOI) to seek a new license for the existing 84.8 MW capacity of the Bucks Creek Hydroelectric Project, FERC Project No. 619, on November 15, 2013.
The Project is located on Bucks, Grizzly, and Milk Ranch creeks in Plumas County, California. Key Project features include Bucks Lake, Lower Bucks Lake, Grizzly Forebay, Three Lakes, and their respective dams and diversions; the Milk Ranch Conduit and feeder diversions; and Grizzly and Bucks Creek powerhouses. The Project is a tributary to the North Fork Feather River, with the Bucks Creek Powerhouse discharging into the Rock Creek Reach upstream of the Cresta Reservoir.
Relicensing the power plant would allow the City to continue operating...
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