SCH Number 2019059010

Project Info

Title

Draft Subsequent Environmental Impact Report for the McCloud-Pit Hydroelectric Project Relicensing

Description

The McCloud-Pit Hydroelectric Project (Project) is owned and operated by the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E). The Project is located on the McCloud River, Iron Canyon Creek, and Pit River, in Shasta and Siskiyou Counties, California. The 368-megawatt Project consists of three power-generating developments that include two storage reservoirs (McCloud and Iron Canyon), two regulating reservoirs (Pit 6 and Pit 7), one afterbay (Pit 7), three powerhouses (James B. Black, Pit 6, and Pit 7), five dams (Pit 6, Pit 7, Pit 7 Afterbay, Iron Canyon, and McCloud), two tunnels, and associated equipment and transmission facilities. The Project is undergoing relicensing before the Federal Regulatory Energy Commission (FERC). The original FERC license for the Project expired on July 31, 2011. Since then, the Project has operated under annual licenses issued by FERC. PG&E applied to the State Water Board for a Project certification on November 9, 2018. The State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) issued a final initial study and negative declaration on November 8, 2019. On November 8, 2019, the Executive Director issued a water quality certification (certification) for the Project. On December 6, 2019, PG&E (separately) and the Winnemem Wintu Tribe and Noth Coast Rivers Alliance (NCRA) (jointly) filed petitions for reconsideration of the certification (Petitions) with the State Water Board. Each petition requests modification of the Project certification, and the Winnemem Wintu Tribe and NCRA’s petition additionally challenges the CEQA analysis prepared for the Project certification. In response to the Petitions, the Executive Director directed staff to reinitiate consultation with the Winnemem Wintu Tribe to inform whether, and if so, what additional CEQA work may be necessary (Order WQ 2020-0041-EXEC). As part of the reinitiated consultation with the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, staff determined that preparation of a subsequent environmental impact report (SEIR) would be appropriate to analyze impacts to tribal cultural resources that were unknown during the original CEQA process. A Notice of Preparation for the SEIR was issued on March 10, 2022.

5 documents in project