Thanks for supporting Muir's March!

With just days to go before the first Marchers head out, I thought it appropriate to thank our sponsors here:

Patagonia

Hi-Tec

Camelbak

prAna

(Marchers get 25% an entire purchase from prAna; let me know if you need the code.)

Please click, shop and support our sponsors! And if you haven't already, pledge your support to a Marcher. Click here and then click on one of the Marches, then "List of Marchers" at the top. Thank you!

"The Battle Over Hetch Hetchy

Browsing at the library recently I happened upon two books about Hetch Hetchy, both published in 2005. Presumably I was too distracted by giving birth to my first child that year to notice, but now I have some time to check them out.

The first (at least, the one I decided to read first) is The Battle Over Hetch Hetchy by Robert W. Righter. I'm about half way through and so far a good read. A couple interesting tidbits:

- In the 1880s, the USGS determined that the valley was too beautiful to flood.

- Early on, Lake Tahoe was considered as a source for water!

But the most interesting information I've learned falls under the category of history repeating itself, and/or the more something changes, the more it stays the same: San Francisco then, as now, had its mind made up before any rational or logical information came its way, and when that info came, it decided to ignore it. Then, as now, they disputed evidence presented by scientists that sufficient water could be had more cheaply(financially and resource-wise), and when asked to present evidence to the back the city's claims, said they hadn't been able(willing) to gather such evidence. One is reminded of the infamous 2005 hearing when, pressed to explain the PUC's $10 bil restoration figure, the spokeswoman admitted it was a "back of the envelope" number.

No Double Standard for Green Power in San Francisco

Officials in San Francisco have stated they want to meet 100% of their electrical demand with renewable power within a decade (see New York Times article). It is a laudable goal, but to reach it they would have to classify their generation from large hydroelectric plants as “renewable”, something disallowed by State regulations.


Essentially they want special treatment that is different from other California utilities. They want a double standard.

Let’s be clear. San Francisco has made important progress on the energy front. They have invested substantially in solar power and energy conservation. And after a long struggle, they have recently shut down their last in-city fossil fuel plant on Potrero Hill.

But they would like to count the hydropower they generate in the Sierra Nevada at three sites – Moccasin & Kirkwood along the Tuolumne River and Holm on nearby Cherry Creek - as renewable. No other utility in California is allowed to classify hydropower facilities over 30 megawatts in size as renewable, and San Francisco should be no exception.

The debate over how to classify hydropower in California arose several years ago during the discussion of how to apply a “Renewable Portfolio Standard” to require utilities to generate more environmentally friendly power over time. The role of hydropower was debated. Some insisted that hydropower emits no pollutants and is in a sense “renewable”. Others argued that hydropower facilities have devastated fisheries and ruined rivers, so they should not be included. The compromise (albeit imperfect) was to classify any facility over 30 MW as ”non-renewable” and any facility under 30 MW as “renewable”. This compromise has been accepted by all, except apparently by some officials in San Francisco.

Of course, this is not the first time that a double standard would apply to San Francisco. They are after all the only water agency allowed to operate a major reservoir in a National Park. But in addition to continuing to store water in Hetch Hetchy Valley and deny generations of Americans the opportunity to appreciate its splendors, they want special dispensation in how they classify the hydropower generation from the project.

For those who have not followed the effort to restore Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park, it worth knowing that removing the dam or simply draining the reservoir would diminish the amount of water delivered to the Bay Area by only about 4% and the amount of hydropower generated at the 3 plants by 20% - see reports by Environmental Defense Fund, UC Davis, Restore Hetch Hetchy and others. Replacing these resources would be challenging but is eminently doable and well worth the effort to make Hetch Hetchy Valley and Yosemite National Park whole once again.

Let’s tell San Francisco to play by the same rules as everyone else.

Muir's March 2011!

It's not too early to register. In fact, I did so today!

Film Fest success!

More than 100 Bay Area Hetch Hetchy-ites enjoyed the Hetch Hetchy Film Festival -- Northern edition. Wednesday night in downtown Berkeley we were treated to three films. The David Brower film from the 1950s was new to me, and almost brought tears to my eyes. It showed footage of a dry year in which the stumps of the trees chopped down to make way for the reservoir are visible. It's a summer day and a whopping 1,500 people are visiting Yosemite Valley (can that be right?) while the photographer and one hiker are in HH Valley. The wind kicks up alkalai dust. It's not a pleasant place.

The second film was a short one created by two SoCal 3rd graders for a class project. (One proud set of grandparents was in attendance.) It was cute and funny but brought the point home. The third film was the Harrison Ford-narrated film most of us are familiar with, albeit with some new editing and appearances by our fearless leader, ED Mike Marshall.

At the reception before the viewing, Muir-Hanna Vineyards provided wine for the guests. The vineyard is run by Muir's grandson, Bill Hanna.

It's a bit embarrassing that I have not blogged here in over a year. But I thought I would write a quick note after going to the Hetch Hetchy Film Festival in LA last Thursday.

The principle reason for the festival was to debut the re-release of "Discover Hetch Hetchy" with Harrison Ford. The new version is a bit leaner, though includes compelling new footage of our articulate and photogenic Executive Director Mike Marshall. As always, Sally Kaplan and David Vassar did a great job.

But we saw two other great films as well. David Brower's 1955 "Two Yosemites" was moving. The video is low-quality by today's standards but Brower is quite eloquent. No wonder he was and is such a revered environmental leader. Still the film does not imagine restoration but only bemoans the tragic flooding of Hetch Hetchy Valley.

For me the surprise of the evening was Gabriel Vasquez and Dylan Norris' "Restore the Hetch Hetchy". It is fun, fact-filled and will soon be on Youtube.

The best way to see these films is all at once. They will be shown December 1st at the Brower Center in Berkeley. I recommend that all fans of this historic restoration opportunity make the effort to attend. For more information go to Restore Hetch Hetchy's new website.

Congressman Nunes and Hetch Hetchy

We are always pleased when elected officials openly discuss the legacy and potential restoration of Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park. Congressman Devin Nunes has recently brought Hetch Hetchy into the broader statewide water discussion at least three times - on Ray Appleton's radio show (August 13), at a Department of the Interior hearing ( September 30) and most recently from the floor of Congress (October 15). For a video of this recent speech, go to http://www.youtube.com/user/RepDevinNunes#p/u/3/v4myZw0K0XU

While we are sympathetic to Mr. Nunes concerns for the acute water supply needs of the farms along the west side of the San Joaquin Valley, we certainly do not support his call for suspension of the Endangered Species Act. We hope that efforts underway in Sacramento and Washington DC are able to improve both the beleaguered fisheries in the Bay-Delta and Central Valley watershed and the water reliability for California's cities and farms.

The amount of water at stake if Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is drained is very small compared to that within the Delta debate. Modeling studies show that, if Hetch Hetchy Reservoir were drained, more than 95% of the water currently delivered to the Bay Area from the Tuolumne River would still be available using minor new conveyance fixes and other SFPUC reservoirs. Replacing the remaining 5% of the water supply and about one fifth of the system's hydropower, however, would require not only additional investment but also a level of cooperation between parties that has been elusive to date.

We are encouraged that agencies and communities from throughout the State are working on comprehensive legislation to address the problems in the Bay-Delta, and hope that that spirit will extend to the opportunity to restore Hetch Hetchy Valley as well.