"Got who, exactly?" journalism
Having attended the Federal Energy Resources Commission's meetings for the last year about Merced Irrigation District's relicensing application for its hydro-electric plant on Exchequer Dam, we never noticed a Merced Sun-Star reporter in attendance. Therefore, we question the totally unsourced story and correction below. The title of the story is unfortunate because no "environmentalists" are mentioned in the story, only several federal and state resource agencies charged with regulating federal and state laws. In other words, as presented in the article, it is a completely inter-governmental argument. If the newspaper had bothered to cover any of the FERC meetings with MID, it would have witnessed a number of spirited discussions between MID, its consultants and lawyers, and several local and regional environmental groups, Native Americans, and several other governmental agencies and the newspaper might have learned enough to avoid the mistake of taking MID, its consultants or lawyers, at their word and reporting their word as fact. The lack of any mention of the sources for the information presented as fact below leaves us completely mystified about what happened in this highly charged political decision-making process regarding FERC relicensing of the dam. The confusion is deepened by the newspaper correcting the article at the top and then reprinting the same article it purports to correct. The public doesn't even know whose press release is being regurgitated here under the pretense of reporting.
Badlands Journal editorial board
12-24-09
Merced Sun-Star
Correction
Merced Irrigation District must redo some of its environmental impact studies
Federal commission’s decision a minor win for environmentalists...DANIELLE E. GAINES. Jonah Owen Lamb contributed to this story.
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/492/v-print/story/1243840.html
Correction: The Dec. 23 article about MID's relicensing of the Exchequer Dam stated that MID would have to complete for a second time four environmental studies that are part of that process. Instead, MID will not have to complete the four studies at all. The Sun-Star regrets the error.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has decided Merced Irrigation District must reverse course and redo some parts of its environmental impact studies along the Merced River before receiving a new license for its hydroelectric operations there.
The decision was handed down Tuesday by Jeff C. Wright, director of the Office of Energy Projects.
Wright's decision could be characterized as a blow to the irrigation district, which hoped to limit environmental review to just the district's immediate footprint, and a minor victory for environmentalists who pushed for a broader examination of the effects downstream from the dam.
In the final stop in a drawn-out dispute process, Wright decided the irrigation district must change two of the environmental studies by expanding their geographic scope to Shaffer Bridge, nearly 30 miles downstream. Wright also ruled the district must create two new studies with PG&E. The first new study would look at each company's share of sediment downstream, and the second would study water flows downstream of the Exchequer Dam -- MID's hydroelectric plant -- and Merced Falls -- PG&E's power plant.
A copy of the decision was sent to Geoff Rabone, deputy general manager of MID. The irrigation district must file, for the energy commission's approval, a plan for completing the two new studies within 44 days.
To relicense the dam, MID has to complete several environmental impact studies. Of those submitted to the federal government, 16 were disputed by both the Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service. The State Water Board took issue with five reports, and supported the fisheries service's dispute of eight studies.
12-23-09
Merced Sun-Star
Merced Irrigation District must redo some of its environmental impact studies
Federal commission’s decision a minor win for environmentalists...DANIELLE E. GAINES. Reporter Jonah Owen Lamb contributed to this story.
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/167/v-print/story/1243840.html
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has decided Merced Irrigation District must reverse course and redo some parts of its environmental impact studies along the Merced River before receiving a new license for its hydroelectric operations there.
The decision was handed down Tuesday by Jeff C. Wright, director of the Office of Energy Projects.
Wright's decision could be characterized as a blow to the irrigation district, which hoped to limit environmental review to just the district's immediate footprint, and a minor victory for environmentalists who pushed for a broader examination of the effects downstream from the dam.
In the final stop in a drawn-out dispute process, Wright decided the irrigation district must change two of the environmental studies by expanding their geographic scope to Shaffer Bridge, nearly 30 miles downstream. Wright also ruled the district must complete four of the studies a second time; and create two new studies with PG&E. The first new study would look at each company's share of sediment downstream, and the second would study water flows downstream of the Exchequer Dam -- MID's hydroelectric plant -- and Merced Falls -- PG&E's power plant.
A copy of the decision was sent to Geoff Rabone, deputy general manager of MID. The irrigation district must file, for the energy commission's approval, a plan for completing the two new studies within 44 days.
To relicense the dam, MID has to complete several environmental impact studies. Of those submitted to the federal government, 16 were disputed by both the Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service. The State Water Board took issue with five reports, and supported the fisheries service's dispute of eight studies.