Hydropower Reform Coalition

1
Hydropower Reform Coalition

• Hydropower Reform Coalition Western Caucus
  Meeting
• Oakland, CA
• March 10/11, 2008
• Richard J. Bowers

2
Hydropower Reform Coalition

• Advocates for river protection and restoration at
  individual, privately-owned hydropower dams
  regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory
  Commission (FERC)
• More than 140 local, regional and national
  outdoor recreation and conservation organizations
  that have effectively reduced the footprint of
  hydropower dams on rivers.

3
HRC Steering Committee
Alabama Rivers AllianceWater Is Life
4
Presentation Overview

• Perspectives on hydropower and watersheds
• Hydropower as clean and renewable energy source
• Economics of hydropower in a changing environment
• New technologies
• Hydropower in a warmer world

5
Perspectives on Hydropower

• The view from a river advocacy position
• More than one million fishermen, paddlers,
  birding enthusiasts, and environmental interests
  who are concerned with, and inspired by, rivers

6
What is clean energy?

• Clean energy is any energy that causes little or
  no harm to the environment. Wind energy, solar
  energy (in all its forms--photovoltaic,
  geothermal, solar thermal, etc.), hydrogen and
  fuel cells, wave and tidal energy, and biomass
  are all examples of clean energy.
• What weve learned from history is that no known
  energy source is 100 clean

7
Conventional Hydropower asRenewable Energy

• Water is renewable, abundant, reliable,
  affordable, sustainable
• Low carbon-emissions
• Potential of new technologies
• Grid support for wind, solar, other

8
Hydropower Impacts on Rivers Watersheds

• Proven impacts on the function and resiliency of
  natural systems
• Fragmenting free-flowing freshwater systems
• Blocking the flow of nutrients and sediments
• Blocking fish movement
• Destroying stream-side habitat
• Slowing and overheating the river upstream of the
  dam
• Reducing flows downstream
• Destruction of native fish populations
• Altering and reducing flows in formerly wild
  rivers.

9
Economics of Dams

• Most of the sites that are environmentally and
  economically acceptable have been developed
• In a green economy, economic value must include
  the value and function that natural environments
  provide free of charge.
• As a mature technology, hydropower does not
  provide new and innovative solutions, new
  investment and science, or job creation
• Expected changes in the future will affect the
  value of hydropower

10
Small Hydro Projects

• When you remove the few remaining sites for new
  dams that make environmental and economic sense,
  you are left almost exclusively with small scale
  hydro. Small hydro has all of the impacts of a
  large dam on a river or watershed, with little of
  the economic or power production values.
• Small hydro Small gain for huge costs!

11
What we support

• Water conservation
• Keeping water in river
• Keeping water clean and healthy
• Protecting species
• Appropriately sited, operated and mitigated
  hydropower
• Hydropower that is supportive of natural systems
• Increased efficiency at existing dams
• Opportunities to increase hydropower at non-power
  dams

12
Over 500 Small Hydro Projects Proposed in British
Columbia
13
Hydrokinetics

• Innovative hydropower projects that use the
  forces of currents, waves, and tides to generate
  clean, renewable electric energy.
• Estimates are that the new hydrokinetic
  technologies, if fully developed, could double
  the amount of hydropower production in the United
  States, bringing it from just under 10 to close
  to 20 of the national supply.

14
Hydrokinetic Questions

• Unknowns regarding the potential environmental
  effects of implementing new technologies in a new
  operating environment.
• Given that the commission is proposing a process
  in which license applications would be reviewed,
  coordinated, and completed in the space of six
  months, there is a great risk of rushing into
  decisions that could result in significant
  unintended environmental impacts.
• Potential impacts on commercial fishing,
  recreation and marine protection areas.
• Cumulative Impacts

15
FERC Process for Licensing Hydrokinetic Projects
16
Recommendations to Reduce Impacts from a New
Technology

• Identify appropriately sited renewable energy
  facilities
• Recognize and protect sensitive species
• Distinguish and avoid potential impacts to
  recreation and commercial interests
• Address cumulative impacts

• Complete state, regional and national planning
• Guarantee effective and coordinated public and
  agency involvement
• Include a requirement for project decommissioning
  and removal in cases where operation or
  installation results in significant adverse
  impacts

17
Climate Change

• Healthy Rivers are resilient they are more
  likely to cope successfully with climate
  disruption.
• Hydropower and healthy river ecosystems both
  depend on flowing water. It is now beyond
  dispute that climate change disruption will have
  physical effects on water availability which
  result in important changes to the timing,
  quantity and quality of river flows.
• For hydropower production, some of the effects
  and policy responses to climate disruption shift
  the quantity of power produced, others affect the
  value.

18
Hydropower in a Warmer World

• Reduced or increased quantity of power due to
  river flow
• Shifts in seasonal generation
• Flood control spills
• Conflicts with other water users
• Snowpack Reduction
• Increased extreme precipitation events
• Increased evaporation and transpiration
• Reduced Predictability
• Changed water quality

19
Parallel ImpactsHydropower Climate Change

• Both destroy resiliency by disturbing habitats
  and altering the hydrological fluvial regimes
  within a watershed
• Both change the timing volume of flows
• Both increase water temperature
• Both decrease water quality quantity
• Both reduce fish migration
• Both cause species extinction

20
Hydropower Economics Potential in a Warmer World

• Limited availability of environmentally and
  economically acceptable sites
• No investment in new technologies or job creation
• Needed investment to offset history of natural
  systems impact
• offsetting damage to natural systems
• Time needed to site, apply, approve and mitigate
  new dam construction

21
Recommendations for Hydropower in a Warmer World

• Water conservation and efficiency
• Operate and equip existing hydropower to protect
  rivers
• New Hydropower Not new dams
• Encourage non-conventional hydropower with care
• Coordinate multiple projects on a river
• Decommission and remove hydropower dams where the
  benefits are compelling

22
HRC Pacific Northwest Members

• Advocates for the West (ID)
• Alaskan Center for the Environment (AK)
• Alaskan Fly fishers (AK)
• Alder Creek Canoe Kayak (OR)
• American Rivers
• American Whitewater
• Bear River Watershed Council (ID)
• Cascadia Wildlands Project (OR)
• Center for Justice (WA)
• Columbia Riverkeeper (WA)
• Conservation Northwest (WA)
• Federation of Fly Fishers (MT)
• Fish for Cooper Creek Coalition (AK)
• Friends of Living Oregon Waters (OR)
• Gifford Pinchot Task Force (OR)
• Greater Yellowstone Coalition (MT)
• Hells Canyon Preservation Council (OR)
• Idaho Rivers United (ID)

• Idaho Whitewater Association (ID)
• Montana River Action Network (MT)
• North Umpqua Foundation (OR)
• NW Resources Information Center (ID)
• Oregon Trout (OR)
• Oregon Wild (OR)
• Selkirk Conservation Alliance (ID)
• Steelhead Trout Club of Washington (WA)
• The Lands Council (WA)
• The Mountaineers (WA)
• The Steamboaters (OR)
• Trout Unlimited
• Umpqua Valley Audubon Society (OR)
• Umpqua Watersheds (OR)
• Utah Rivers Council (UT)
• Washington Kayak Club (WA)
• Water Watch of Oregon (OR)

23
www.hydroreform.org