GCEA urges U.S. Congress to embrace hydro power

Morgan talks to the big-wigs in D.C.

Gunnison County Electric Association (GCEA) board member and Colorado Rural Electric Association president Chris Morgan testified in front of the United States Congress last week, touting the benefits of hydroelectric power generation that is available from “our backyard.” He urged the Congressmen to strike a balance between using area rivers for power and helping to preserve endangered species.

He spoke to the Water and Power Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, May 4, testifying about the benefits of the Aspinall Unit to the Colorado River Storage Project (CRSP) and the importance of federal hydropower. He described it as a reliable renewable resource that helps keep rates affordable.
Morgan testified that the Aspinall Unit (Blue Mesa Dam, Morrow Point Dam and Crystal Dam) benefits Gunnison County and the western U.S. by providing a variety of things, including:
—Hydropower, a generation resource that is very low cost, renewable, dispatchable, and emissions-free and has the flexibility to help meet peak power demands.
—Flood control.
—Water storage for irrigation and municipal water needs.
—Recreation.
—The ability to help protect endangered species and wildlife habitat.
Morgan pointed out that hydroelectric power “represents the cheapest portion of the portfolio of the electricity that GCEA purchases at a wholesale rate.” His figures show that it is cheaper than solar, wind, natural gas and coal-generated electricity.
“There are proposals to restrict power-generating operations at the Aspinall Unit, which would have a direct impact on rates,” Morgan told the congressmen. “As the economy struggles to make its way out of the ‘Great Recession,’ Colorado’s electric cooperative consumers cannot afford increased electricity rates.”
Morgan said the dams are basically the equivalent of a small power plant that uses coal.
“The three dams that comprise the Aspinall Unit have a maximum generation capacity of around 280 megawatts, replacing generation needs produced from a medium-sized coal-fired power plant,” Morgan said. “And of course, the power generated from the Aspinall Unit is a renewable resource and is emissions-free.”
In written testimony, Morgan also examined restrictions impacting the dam’s uses. “Questions over the last ten years have created the following debate: should the Aspinall Unit be operated primarily to meet the flow requirements of two endangered species of fish, the Razorback Sucker and Bonytail Chub OR should Reclamation have the discretion to operate Aspinall to meet its statutory obligations and authorized purposes while at the same time benefitting the additional resource needs of fish, wildlife and recreation? I would argue that Reclamation should operate the three dams on the Gunnison to meet both power generation needs and to protect endangered species.”
Morgan described a complex negotiation with more than 30 parties, culminating in a 2008 agreement that allowed for flow releases that would assist in the recovery of endangered species while at the same time allowing for hydroelectric power generation.
“In late December, 2010, after nearly two years of being ‘on hold,’ the draft EIS was reissued to the cooperating agencies,” he wrote. “It was significantly revised by the Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C. with no consultation among the stakeholders that had worked diligently for several years during the drafting process. Several aspects of the revised EIS appear to elevate Park resources above the originally authorized Project purposes, and could have significant impact on the flexibility and timing of hydropower generation.”
Morgan concluded by urging the feds to respect the compromise agreement made between all the impacted parties. He also pointed out the GCEA is investigating the possibility of providing hydroelectric generation from the Taylor dam. But he said, “The financial risks associated with the navigation of the governmental regulatory process in pursuing this project may be a hurdle we cannot overcome.”
Overall, Morgan urged the Congress to pursue hydroelectric power, especially at existing facilities like the local Aspinall Unit. “If we are moving toward a cleaner and greener energy future, there must be a recognition of the fact that hydropower is the cheapest, and most abundant renewable energy resource. In my view, protecting federal hydropower investments in the West means primarily utilizing Aspinall and other CRSP facilities for one of the purposes for which they were originally intended—the generation of clean, renewable and affordable hydropower,” he concluded.