Comments of The Nature Conservancy on FERC's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking concerning the application of categorical exclusions under the National Environmental Policy Act under RM26-7.
The Nature ConservancyOpposeAdvocacy
Summary: The Nature Conservancy opposes the proposed rule because it would allow hydropower licensees to walk away from dams without a full NEPA review, potentially creating "orphaned dams" and shifting risks to local communities. They argue that the categorical exclusion would deprive the Commission of necessary information regarding public safety, environmental impacts, and stakeholder input.