Власти округа Батт требуют от регулятора США компенсации и улучшения рекреационных условий после визита в Вашингтон

Butte County seeks Oroville Dam compensation, recreation benefits after FERC D.C. meetings OROVILLE, Calif. — Butte County officials are pressing federal regulators for greater compensation and improved recreational benefits tied to Oroville Dam, following a trip to Washington, D.C., earlier this month to meet with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The county said the meetings with FERC were productive and provided guidance on how Butte County and its residents can participate in the federal relicensing process for the Oroville Dam project. For Butte County Supervisor and Board Chair Bill Connelly, the trip was part of a long-running effort to push for what he considers a fairer deal for the community. “This is my 15th trip to DC over 21 years to talk to FERC,” Connelly said. FERC oversees the licensing of hydroelectric projects, including Oroville facilities, because they generate electricity. The Oroville Dam’s long-term federal license expired in 2007, and the California Department of Water Resources has continued operating the project under annual license renewals while the relicensing process remains unresolved. Connelly said county representatives met with FERC Commissioner David LaCerte’s office but were not able to discuss Oroville specifically. “In the commissioner's office, they did not talk to us about Lake Oroville in particular, only about similar situations around the United States,” Connelly said. “I believe FERC and DWR know that we're going to take them to court if we do not get a just settlement, so they wanted to keep it very general.” The county also met with FERC’s Office of Public Participation, where officials were able to discuss the Oroville project and received guidance on how residents can submit comments directly to the commission. “They were directing us how to get the public to make their comments known and read,” Connelly said. County officials say their concerns stem from what they describe as a long-standing imbalance between the burdens Butte County bears from hosting Oroville Dam and the benefits generated by the project. The county’s latest statement says local taxpayers have absorbed public-safety and financial impacts associated with the project, including the loss of approximately 41,000 acres from the county’s property tax base. Officials also point to recreational opportunities they say were promised when the dam was developed but never fully delivered. Connelly said the community was promised extensive recreational development, including a nine-hole golf course at the forebay and expanded access to recreation areas. “The promises for Lake Oroville were many,” Connelly said. “They span from restaurants, recreational promises, free recreation was to be provided, none of which has been fully done.” He said the county continues to pay for impacts associated with the project while receiving fewer benefits than originally anticipated. “We're nowhere close to what they promised,” Connelly said. “I guess growing up here, the main thing is we were promised a Lake Tahoe, and what we got is a bathtub that supplies water without much recreation that costs the taxpayers somewhere between 10 and $20 million a year out of pocket for the taxpayers of Butte County.” In April, county officials launched the “Our Water, Their Power” campaign to draw attention to what they described as unfulfilled economic and recreational promises connected to Oroville Dam. The county’s latest effort comes as the relicensing process continues and officials work to update operational and socioeconomic impact reports for the Oroville project. Connelly said the recent trip did not produce a specific agreement, but he believes FERC officials were receptive to the county’s concerns. “I believe this commissioner was more empathetic towards small communities that are impacted by large projects in their backyard,” Connelly said. “I know that we couldn't talk specifically, but people hear you and understand where you're coming from.” The county plans to continue encouraging residents to participate directly in the federal process. “The most important thing is for people to not let apathy take over,” Connelly said. “Don't let this is the new normal take over.” Connelly urged residents to document concerns ranging from campground and boat-ramp closures to restrictions on recreation access. “You, the people, need to be empowered and write FERC on a regular basis, tell them what's going on, tell them you expect it to be fixed, and hold people accountable,” he said. State officials dispute the claims, pointing to decades of investment and compliance with federal requirements. John Yarbrough, deputy director of the State Water Project, said the department has spent nearly $200 million on recreation projects in the Oroville area since 1994 and continues to provide flood protection to Butte County, the city of Oroville and downstream communities. He said recreation development has followed a plan approved in 1994 by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which included campgrounds, boat launches, parking, trails and floating campsites. Yarbrough said a proposed settlement tied to the pending license could bring more than $1 billion in additional investment, including environmental restoration and recreation improvements. He also said Butte County participated in earlier relicensing negotiations but did not sign the agreement. The county’s position remains that any future long-term license should address the impacts on the community and deliver the public benefits officials say were promised when Oroville Dam was built. “It's patently unfair,” Connelly said. “We should not subsidize this facility in our backyard.” --