The Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) is surrendering the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) license for the Potter Valley Project (PVP). PG&E identifies this action as a business decision because of the project’s failure to produce revenues that offset its operating costs, even though PG&E customers pay higher rates for delivered energy than just about everywhere else in the United States. In our opinion, PG&E wants to rid itself of the PVP for a different kind of economic consideration, after determining that the Scott Dam represents an economic liability that the company cannot afford. A key factor in this determination is the increased understanding of the seismic hazards represented by the Bartlett Springs Fault Zone (BSFZ), which runs through Lake Pillsbury approximately 5000 feet east of Scott Dam.
–Written by UC Davis alumni Chad Roberts (Ph.D., ecology) and Bob Schneider (B.S., geology)