What do PennEast and the troubles at the Oroville Dam in California have in common? They are both disasters waiting to happen, and both regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
In 2005 FERC sided with the energy companies over safety at the Oroville Dam. The Sierra Club and other groups filed a motion with FERC to encase the emergency spillway in cement. We were concerned that it would not hold in case of a major flood. FERC ruled that “in a rare flood event, it’s acceptable for the emergency spillway to sustain significant damage.” We know they were wrong; 200,000 people were evacuated and many more were put in harm’s way.
The loss of the dam threatens the water supply for 23 million people in northern California. The proposed PennEast pipeline project threatens drinking water for 17 million people in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. In both cases, FERC has looked the other way. The agency is a rubber stamp for the industry it is supposed to regulate. It doesn’t look at safety or environmental concerns for these projects. The same people who brushed off the danger of the Oroville Dam are the ones examining PennEast’s impact to the Delaware River.
Both projects are dangerous to public safety and the environment. We can’t allow FERC to continue risking our water supply by siding with industry over the public. It’s hubris to think that we can overcome nature.
Jeff Tittel
Director, New Jersey Sierra Club
Trenton
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