Federal Government Intervenes in Fight Over Eel River Dam Removal

A long-running debate over two aging dams on the Upper Eel River just took a sharp turn, as the federal government stepped directly into proceedings that could decide their fate.

On Wednesday, the United States Department of Agriculture filed a motion to intervene in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission process reviewing plans to remove the dams known collectively as the Potter Valley Project. The dams, owned by Pacific Gas and Electric, have not generated power for years and were built more than a century ago.

The move follows public comments from Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who has aligned herself with farming interests concerned about losing water diversions from the Eel River to the Russian River—supplies that support agriculture and communities in Mendocino and Sonoma counties.

In recent years, Rep. Jared Huffman helped broker a “two-basin solution” that preserved water deliveries while allowing the dams to be decommissioned. That plan gained support from tribes, environmental groups, Humboldt County, and major water agencies, prompting PG&E to formally submit a dam removal proposal to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in July 2025.

Some Farm Bureau chapters and Lake County officials have opposed the plan, arguing dam removal could harm agriculture, firefighting capacity, recreation, and water reliability. The USDA echoed those concerns in its filing, urging FERC to reject PG&E’s application as currently written.

Environmental advocates pushed back quickly. Scott Greacen of Friends of the Eel said federal law does not allow PG&E to keep operating the nonfunctional dams indefinitely.

Huffman has warned that political intervention could delay solutions and ultimately hurt the very communities it aims to protect.