RIVER PROTECTION UPDATE: Our Coalition Work is Front Page News in the Los Angeles Times!

Hi Friends of Freer-Flowing Rivers,

We are thrilled to be in a coalition of groups, led by Patagonia, that was highlighted in front page news in the Los Angeles Times on April 16th, and YOU can take action to support this work. Further, this news story validates work about which we have been a leading international voice for the last 10 years.

One of the root causes of the push to build more hydropower projects around the planet is the mistaken belief that hydropower is “clean energy” and produces “zero carbon” emissions. Although the science studying hydropower has refuted this myth for over 30 years, public policy is taking a long time to catch up.

Dams and reservoirs, including those built for hydropower, can cause large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions, especially methane. When we launched our new “Save The World’s Rivers” organization, we posted a long page on our website titled, “The Myth of Clean Hydropower: Dams and Reservoirs Emit Greenhouse Gases and Make Climate Change Worse.”

The front page Los Angeles Times story is titled, “Under Water, A Hidden Methane Source,” and the photo is of Shasta Lake, which is California’s largest reservoir created by Shasta Dam that includes a hydropower plant. The story exhaustively describes how dams and reservoirs cause methane and other greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and the story interviews several scientists and leading climate organizations that corroborate the findings.

In addition, the story discusses a legal petition that our coalition submitted to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) asking the state agency to treat dams and reservoirs just like other industrial polluters of greenhouse gas emissions. Our petition requests that CARB open a rulemaking process to add dams and reservoirs to the agency’s Mandatory Reporting Requirement for greenhouse gas emissions.

Further, our coalition, which includes the non-profit, Tell The Dam Truth, created a Call2Action where you can sign a statement of support for our CARB petition, posted here on Tell The Dam Truth’s website — please click through and sign.

Our coalition includes Patagonia, Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of the River, Rios to Rivers, Riffles to Ridges Indigenous Conservation Group, Tell The Dam Truth, California Trout, and our Save The Word’s Rivers. The press release that helped generate the news story is posted here. More information about how dam and reservoir GHGs can be modeled and estimated is posted here on Tell The Dam Truth’s website.

Methane emissions caused by dams and reservoirs occur across the planet, including in Colorado where we engage in much of our work. We are actively considering filing similar legal petitions in states that require GHG emissions reporting, and Colorado is one of those states.

Please know that we are in the river, in the political rapids, working with great colleagues and coalitions to protect and restore rivers across the U.S. and beyond. We appreciate your support of our work.

All best, and keep paddling!

Gary Wockner
Director, Save The Poudre/Save The Colorado/Save The World’s Rivers