Salmon-Safe Hydroelectricity
Southeast Alaska is blessed with lots of rain and steep topography, making possible hydroelectricity projects that have low impacts on salmon habitat and the environment. There is no region more invested in salmon, as fishing is the largest private sector employer and contributes nearly $1 billion a year into our region's economy. SEACC is committed to watchdogging renewable energy development in the region, while encouraging the developement of responsible projects to address critical needs in our communities.
Southeast Alaska Hydro Projects
The majority of hydroelectric projects in the Southeast Alaska are what are known as lake tap hydro projects. These projects involve tapping (drilling a hole) a high alpine lake and piping the water down a mountain or hillside to a power house. Power houses are situated to be able to return water to the lake's stream as near as possible to the top of the stream's anadromous reach (the areas where salmon can access). This type of hydro project still has impacts on salmon, by changing the temperature, sediment load, and timing of the stream flow, as well as on other species that use these streams and lakes. Overall, however, lake tap hydro projects have fairly low impacts on the environment, especially compared to the types of hydro projects generally found in the rest of the United States. In addition, these projects allow our communities to move away from diesel generated electricity, reducing our dependence on a dirty, expensive and price-volatile fuel source.
SEACC does not support all hydro projects on the Tongass, however. An example of a project we oppose is the Cascade Creek Hydro Project, a 70 megawatt project designed for a speculative export market and not wanted or needed by Southeast communities. The project was proposed in an area that is highly-used by Petersburg residents as well as tour operators in the central Tongass, and the company behind the project failed to properly complete necessary enironmental and economic studies. SEACC, along with concerned residents of Petersburg, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the US Forest Service and Petersburg Electric Light and Power, submitted comments to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) critical of the project.
FERC Trainings
For the past two years, SEACC has partnered with the US Forest Service to put on annual trainings on the regulatory process that oversees hydro project development in the Tongass. The trainings have been very well attended by key agency, utility, environmental, and fishing industry professionals. Because the growth of renewable energy has been so fast in our region, there is a need to educate ourselves and our collegues on the regulatory process to ensure that the public interest is protected and responsible, smart projects are built to meet critical community needs. If you would like to participate in future FERC/Salmon-Safe Hydro trainings please contact angel@seacc.org.
