Oroville – Representatives for Oroville and downstream communities affected by the spillway crisis said they got the attention they were seeking in Washington this week.
Sen. Jim Nielsen, Assemblyman James Gallagher, and members of the Oroville Dam Coalition are seeking federal assistance on issues relating to the dam they say need to be resolved. They met with commissioners of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and representatives for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Nielsen, R-Red Bluff, said his goal was to inform the highest levels of government about the dam situation and bring attention to what he sees as some of the key issues: the buildup of sediment and branches putting pressure on levees and the ramifications of an inaccessible Beale Air Force Base during a massive evacuation like the one in February when nearly 200,000 people fled their homes.
“We more than accomplished our purpose,” Nielsen said. “The commissioners were very understanding.”
The group also was able to meet with a liaison to the president and Reps. Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale, and John Garamendi, D-Walnut Grove, to discuss the issues.
Gallagher, R-Yuba City, said he got the impression the relicensing of the dam is not eminent and was not expected to happen soon, as commissioners wanted to wait for the release of the independent forensic team’s report, expected later this month, on what caused the spillway to collapse in the first place.
Gallagher said he was also encouraged that one of the new commissioners committed to visiting the dam soon.
“We wanted to convey there are still a lot of things to address here,” he said. “We want to see change in operations, maintenance and culture.”
Another important issue the group was able to lobby for was the widening of Highway 70. Gallagher said that in his opinion, the most pressing things remaining, beyond the reconstruction of the spillway, are to shore up levees and clear sediment in the river. Some of the things the coalition has pushed for include a delay in the relicensing of the dam as well as the formation of a local oversight committee. Representing the coalition were Butte County Supervisor Bill Connelly, Oroville Chamber of Commerce President Sandy Linville and Darin Gale, Yuba City’s economic growth and public affairs director.
Linville said the agency was responsive to the group’s concerns and ideas for the future, including the proposed committee. This was the first time the coalition was able to share its perspective on the spillway crisis in Washington D.C. and Linville said now “the door is open.”
“I felt like our voice was heard and that Oroville matters to these federal agencies,” Linville said. “This is a marathon, not a sprint,” she said. “It takes building the relationship.”
Contact reporter Risa Johnson at 896-7763.
