OROVILLE – Today, Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale), Senator Jim Nielsen (R-Tehama), and Assemblymember James Gallagher (R-Yuba City) reiterated their request to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) that it delay the issuance of the new license for the Oroville Dam Facilities until certain conditions are met.

Last August, Nielsen, Gallagher, and a coalition of downstream stakeholders sent a letter to FERC urging for a delay of the new license. Congressman LaMalfa made a similar request last July.

Despite concerns from the community and North State lawmakers, the California Department of Water Resources is eager to move forward with the new license implementation. The Department sent a letter to FERC in December urging the new license to be issued expeditiously.

In a comprehensive survey conducted last fall, downstream residents were asked if they believe Department of Water Resources should not be issued a 50-year license to operate the dam until the cause of the spillway collapse has been identified, operations at the dam have been modified to address safety concerns and downstream impacts are addressed. Of the 3,322 residents who completed the survey, 85.1% agreed that the license should not be issued until these conditions were met.

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