AFPI Launches Investigation into PG&E’s Potter Valley Hydroelectric Project Decommissioning

WASHINGTON, D.C.— The America First Policy Institute (AFPI) today announced that it has launched an investigation into Pacific Gas & Electric Company’s (PG&E) decision to decommission the Potter Valley Hydroelectric Project, a move that could have significant consequences for the water supply, agricultural economy, energy reliability, and wildfire preparedness in one of America’s most productive agricultural regions.

The Potter Valley Project has long supplied water to communities and hundreds of family farms across Mendocino, Sonoma, and Lake counties while generating hydroelectric power. Although PG&E previously highlighted the project’s importance to the region, the company later sought approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to surrender its license and decommission the facility. AFPI’s investigation will examine the motivations behind that decision and its potential impact on California farmers, workers, and rural communities.

As part of the investigation, AFPI has submitted a combined 14 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and California Public Records Act requests and filed comments with FERC outlining concerns over the project’s decommissioning.

“The family farms and communities who have depended on the PotterValley Project for over 100 years deserve transparency and accountability,” said Leigh Ann O’Neill, AFPI’s chief legal affairs officer. “Our Lawfare Council will follow the facts wherever they lead to ensure the interests of California’s farmers, rural communities, and hardworking Americans are not overlooked in decisions with far-reaching consequences.”