Updates

Chronology

Sonoma County Progress and Problems
Eel River Reporter, Spring 2006

FOER Takes Legal Battle to Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
Eel River Reporter
Winter 2004

Legal Update: Opening Brief 9th Circuit Court of Appeals
Eel River Reporter, Summer 2005

The NMFS/FERC Biological Opinion for how PG&E is to run the PVP.
November 26, 2002

SAUSALITO, CA March, 1, 2010 -- Today the Friends of the Eel River (FOER) brought legal action before the State Water Resources Control Board (State Board), in an attempt to stop Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), from destroying two northern California rivers essential to the restoration of California’s once-vibrant billion dollar salmon industry.

The FOER legal action challenges the diversion of almost all of the flow of the Eel River to PG&E’s Potter Valley hydroelectric project (PVP), consisting of two dams and a diversion tunnel. During the dry season, almost 98% of the Eel River flows are diverted into the Russian River. “The State Board has an obligation to ensure that PG&E’s use of water is reasonable and does not harm public trust resources in the Eel River,” noted environmental attorney Ellison Folk, with the law firm Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger. PG&E’s Potter Valley Project, however, is damaging the public trust resources by threatening the survival of the remaining populations of the state and federally listed endangered salmon and steelhead, in exchange for a negligible amount of energy it produces. (more)

Our Approach

Despite attention-grabbing world events and the unfavorable political climate, Friends of the Eel River continues to campaign on legal, administrative, and organizing fronts for Eel River restoration. With 2,100+ members, supportive funders and a highly skilled legal team, Friends of the Eel River is bringing the campaign to the people, the politicians, and the courts. (more)