Planned hydropower project on Sonoma Coast blindsides locals
SONOMA - With the State steering away from fossil fuels, the push to go all-electric is creating a huge demand for carbon-free power. But in Sonoma County, even staunch environmentalists are shocked by a proposal to turn one area of the unspoiled Sonoma Coast into, in effect, a gigantic battery.
On Monday morning, it was standing room only as Supervisors considered a new coastal protection plan for Sonoma County. But what they discovered just a week prior had almost everybody in a state of shock.
"We're sitting here rebooting the policy on the local coastal plan, and then there's this big, behemoth project that comes out of nowhere," said Supervisor James Gore.
Discovered, almost by accident, was a posting on a register of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for a plan to build a "pumped storage" energy facility on land just a mile and a half from Fort Ross State Park. The proposal, from an Alabama company called Hydro Green Energy, or HGE, would pump more than 5,000 acre feet of sea water, up to a new 23-acre reservoir during off-peak energy hours. Then, when demand for power is high, the water would be released back to the sea through huge pipes, turning turbines to generate electricity. It would be one of, if not the only, such facility in the world to use ocean water for that process.
"We've seen these projects on reservoirs with fresh water, with storage water. But to see it come in salt water in a sensitive eco-system that we're already having to protect is shocking...I haven't seen it before," said Gore.
"God forbid, what if the thing were to break, flooding our aquifers and fragile ecosystems with salt water?" said Supervisor Lynda Hopkins. "Also, it's tremendously just out of scale. We are talking about a rugged, open coastline that has very little development on it. And so, to have a giant industrial complex, it's just so out of character and so shocking to the community."
Richard Charter is the Bodega Bay conservationist who discovered the plan and raised the alarm with local officials.
"My first reaction was to send the email to about 150 other people, who all said, 'is it still April Fool's Day?" said Charter. "Either the permit applicant for this industrial project didn't know how well protected this stretch of coast and this piece of ocean is...or they don't care, and they think they can remove those protections. That's the only thing we can see."
The public now has 60 days to submit comments, but the company's Founder, Wayne Krouse, declined a request for an interview, saying "circle back in a few months and I'll reconsider it." And despite the fact that local opposition is described as "nearly universal," it doesn't mean the project is dead. Governor Newsom recently relaxed State regulations to encourage renewable energy projects.
"I mean, my first thought was, 'what are these people thinking?' This is just completely crazy," said Hopkins. "And yet, because of the preemption of local authority, it is possible that something like this moves forward."
The coastal protection plan adopted by the Board on Monday included a requirement that the Fort Ross Pumped Storage Project be put to a public vote before it can be approved. Right now, HGE is requesting a permit to study the feasibility of the project. But because they didn't inform state or local officials or the public, everyone is now paying very close attention.
The public has until September 4th to comment on the permit application. For information on how to do that, click on https://ferconline.ferc.gov/QuickComment.aspx.
Written comments may be submitted via U.S. Postal Service, addressed to: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, D.C. 20426. The first page of any filing should include docket number P - 15287-000.
Submissions sent via any other carrier must be addressed to: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
