LIVE WEBCAST • FULL CALENDAR
Wednesday, June 6 | 2:30 PM: Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee: Water and Power Subcommittee
Hearing on The impact of climate change on water supply and availability in the United States
366 Dirksen
Witnesses
Panel 1
- Philip W. Mote, JISAO/CSES Climate Impacts Group
- Bradley H. Udall, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences
- Christopher Milly, United States Geological Survey
Panel 2
- Patrick O'Toole, Family Farm Alliance
- Tim Brick, The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
- Jack Williams, Trout Unlimited
- Tim Culbertson, Representing National Hydropower Association
- Terry Fulp, United States Bureau of Reclamation
|
3:35 Jack Williams
- Climate change will have a major negative impact on trout, salmon and their river systems.
- Despite these concerns there are strategies that can be implemented now.
- The longterm health of our watersheds is more important than any quick fix.
Trout and salmon populations are expected to decline by more than 50%.
The negative impacts of climate change are already upon us. Off the coast of Oregon there's been a dead zone since 2002 caused by changes in ocean currents. Mayflies are emerging earlier in aquatic streams. Such changes seem minor but they have cascading impacts.
Despite these concerns there are strategies that can be implemented now. We may not be able to slow the immediate impacts of a changing climate but we will be able to mitigate the stress.
These actions must be strategic. We must plan and coordinate our efforts. We are highly skeptical of any efforts to channelize streams.
3:39 Culbertson Hydropower is underappreciated. The Washington Climate Change Challenge will culminate in recommendations. The Western Climate Change Action Initiative is working to reduce greenhouse gases. Recommendations to the federal government include a federal Renewable Energy Standard that includes hydropower.
3:44 Dr. Fulp Our understanding of climate change and the capabilities of models to give us the information needed is improving. My office is working with Sen. Udall to detail impacts on the Colorado River supply. We do not believe that changes to our water release standards are needed. We need more specific hydrological indicators.
3:49 Cantwell Considering the dramatic changes in temperature potentially coming, don't you think we need a contingency plan?
Kulp We want the science to go along. We're looking with the Dept of Water Resources in California on the potential impacts on water and power. We're also looking at the impacts on the Colorado River.
Cantwell Has the Bureau changed its priorities?
Kulp We haven't changed our central priority but we're anxious to keep moving forward.
Culbertson The Bureau is at the final stages of looking at various hydropower projects. If you look at the shapes of water in surplus years it makes some sense to build incremental storage.
Cantwell I'd feel more comfortable if you were changing your strategy within its budget. If step number one is to get the data, then that's okay. But what's the strategy?
Kulp Certainly we have an active research program and we are funding that. Secondly we are doing other things is the adoption of additional operational guidelines for the Colorado River. If the reservoirs continue to decline we will reduce delivery. We also have a conservation program. These will go into place in December.
4:01 Corker On the Renewable Portfolio Standard we're going to be working on the next few weeks, very soon I think -- I think one of the members is going to propose an amendment -- talk to me about the opportunities.
Culbertson Unfortunately we in the utility industry sometimes put all of our eggs in one basket. Right now it's mostly wind and natural gas projects. We recently filed on a small project, flood control, a preliminary application to provide energy production. We believe there are a number of those projects that can be retrofitted. Canals with small drops. Every little bit of generation is a benefit to the system. Technology is rapidly changing. Microturbines. We believe that our canal system and low-flow streams will be able to generate electricity with microturbines. I believe all hydrogeneration is renewable. There are other projects we could do what I was talking about on a larger scale. Right now the standard going forward in Washington would not include what we're doing as renewable. But we're going to focus our efforts there anyway.
We're also doing biomass.
Corker What is your portfolio mix?
Culbertson Hydro is 96% of our generation, wind is 2%.
4:08 Cantwell This hearing is adjourned.