The push to remove two dams on Northern California’s Eel River, making it the longest free-flowing river in the state, took a step forward Thursday with a major agreement among clashing communities. The agreement, which unites local, state and tribal leaders behind the retirement of PG&E’s Potter Valley hydroelectric project and its two dams, promises “restorative justice” compensation for the region’s indigenous people and continued water exports to the Russian River basin, where the PG&E facility has long sent supplies. … Most fundamentally, it would raise river levels and give struggling salmon and other fish access to spawning habitat blocked by the dams for more than a century.

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• The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, Calif.): Eel River pact redresses past wrongs, provides model for compromise among diverse interests, officials say
• California Department of Fish and Wildlife: News release: Natural Resources Agency thanks tribal leaders, Northern California counties and conservation groups for their leadership as historic agreement announced to secure water reliability in the Russian River, benefit salmon on the Eel River
• California Trout: News release: Regional partners sign historic MOU on Eel River recovery