hflyshop
01-09-2008, 05:31 PM
Somebody from the Farmington should attend this - since it pertains to the dam at Collinsville.
Harold
Housatonic River Outfitters, Inc.
Hydropower in Connecticut and the Northeast
January 11, 2008
8:30 AM – 3:45 PM
Northeast Utilities, Berlin, Connecticut
AGENDA
Conference Leaders
Fred Ayer, Executive Director, Low-Impact Hydropower Institute
Robert Gates, Station Manager, FirstLight Power
Eric Hammerling, Executive Director, Farmington River Watershed Association;
President, Rivers Alliance
Earl Phillips, Esq., Robinson & Cole
Mark P. Smith, Director, Eastern U.S. Freshwater Program, The Nature Conservancy
8:30 Registration & Light Breakfast
9:00 Welcome & Opening Panel: Four Perspectives on Hydropower Moderator: Eric Hammerling
Welcome: Christie Bradway, Manager of Compliance & Policy, Northeast Utilities
Panelists: Fred Ayer, Robert Gates, Earl Phillips, Mark P. Smith
(20 minutes)
9:20 Panel: Is Hydropower Really Green? Moderator: Fred Ayer
Panelists: Cleve Kapala, TransCanada; Jeff Reardon, Trout Unlimited; John Seebach, American Rivers; Thomas A. Tarpey, Essex Power Services, Inc.
The Hydro Rushes of the 1970s and today. What are the net gains and losses likely to be?
(40 minutes plus Q & A)
10:20 Panel: The Technology of Clean Hydropower Moderator: Robert Gates
Panelists: Steve Amaral, Alden Labs; Konstantine Drakonakis, Connecticut Innovations, Inc. - Connecticut Clean Energy Fund; Paul Williams, Kleinschmidt Associates
What are the best means of maximizing productivity of hydro with ecological protections? Is there new technology that can do this better than the old? How hydro can contribute to clean energy?
(40 minutes plus Q & A)
11:20 Break (20 minutes)
11:40 Case Study: The Farmington River Moderator: Eric Hammerling
Panelists: Tim Anthony, The Metropolitan District Commission; Duncan Broatch, Summit Hydropower; Laura Wildman, American Rivers
The Farmington River is significantly affected by hydropower operations. The Metropolitan District Commission (Hartford region’s most important utility), the Stanley Works, and the CT Department of Environmental Protection have a long-standing Riparian Agreement on hydropower releases, the most important single factor affecting flows. In addition, Summit Hydro, LLC holds a FERC license to re-start hydropower operations at two dams in Collinsville (nestled between the Upper and Lower River). This is a key location on Connecticut’s most fished river and arguably most scenic river. A 14-mile stretch of the Upper Farmington, just below the MDC dam, was designated as Wild & Scenic in 1994, and a Wild & Scenic Study is underway on the Lower Farmington River. Thus, the Summit project could be a shining example of new, efficient, green hydro, or it could be flawed, or it could fail. How do we strike the best balance for fish, flows, recreation, and power production in this sensitive location? (40 minutes plus Q & A)
12:30 Lunch (45 Minutes)
1:15 Panel: Hydro Regulation Moderator: Earl Phillips
Panelists: Brian Emerick, Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection; Bruce GiGennaro, The Essex Partnership; Roger Reynolds, Connecticut Fund for the Environment
Many resource and regulatory considerations affect the development of new hydro and the extension of existing hydro. The panel will address these issues, provide a case study description, and examine ways in which interested parties may participate in the process.
(40 minutes plus Q & A)
2:20 Break (10 minutes)
2:25 Panel: Emerging Policy, Changing Landscapes Moderator: Mark P. Smith
Panelists: John Rogers, Union of Concerned Scientists; Anne George, Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control; David Deen, Vermont State Representative and Connecticut Riverkeeper; Fred Ayer, Low-Impact Hydropower Institute;
New policies at the national and state levels to address climate change and encourage the development of renewable energy are reviving interest in hydropower. What will these new financial and other incentives mean for our rivers and will they lead to increased hydropower generation?
(40 minutes plus Q & A)
3:25 Summary & Action Steps Moderator: Margaret Miner
Conference Steering Committee Members
Fred Ayer, Low Impact Hydropower Institute
Russ Cohen, Massachusetts Riverways
Konstantine Drakonakis, Connecticut Innovations, Inc. - Connecticut Clean Energy Fund
Robert Gates, FirstLight Power
Eric Hammerling, Farmington River Watershed Association/Rivers Alliance
Dwight Merriam, Robinson & Cole/Rivers Alliance
Margaret Miner, Rivers Alliance
Earl Phillips, Robinson & Cole
Mark P. Smith, The Nature Conservancy
Harold
Housatonic River Outfitters, Inc.
Hydropower in Connecticut and the Northeast
January 11, 2008
8:30 AM – 3:45 PM
Northeast Utilities, Berlin, Connecticut
AGENDA
Conference Leaders
Fred Ayer, Executive Director, Low-Impact Hydropower Institute
Robert Gates, Station Manager, FirstLight Power
Eric Hammerling, Executive Director, Farmington River Watershed Association;
President, Rivers Alliance
Earl Phillips, Esq., Robinson & Cole
Mark P. Smith, Director, Eastern U.S. Freshwater Program, The Nature Conservancy
8:30 Registration & Light Breakfast
9:00 Welcome & Opening Panel: Four Perspectives on Hydropower Moderator: Eric Hammerling
Welcome: Christie Bradway, Manager of Compliance & Policy, Northeast Utilities
Panelists: Fred Ayer, Robert Gates, Earl Phillips, Mark P. Smith
(20 minutes)
9:20 Panel: Is Hydropower Really Green? Moderator: Fred Ayer
Panelists: Cleve Kapala, TransCanada; Jeff Reardon, Trout Unlimited; John Seebach, American Rivers; Thomas A. Tarpey, Essex Power Services, Inc.
The Hydro Rushes of the 1970s and today. What are the net gains and losses likely to be?
(40 minutes plus Q & A)
10:20 Panel: The Technology of Clean Hydropower Moderator: Robert Gates
Panelists: Steve Amaral, Alden Labs; Konstantine Drakonakis, Connecticut Innovations, Inc. - Connecticut Clean Energy Fund; Paul Williams, Kleinschmidt Associates
What are the best means of maximizing productivity of hydro with ecological protections? Is there new technology that can do this better than the old? How hydro can contribute to clean energy?
(40 minutes plus Q & A)
11:20 Break (20 minutes)
11:40 Case Study: The Farmington River Moderator: Eric Hammerling
Panelists: Tim Anthony, The Metropolitan District Commission; Duncan Broatch, Summit Hydropower; Laura Wildman, American Rivers
The Farmington River is significantly affected by hydropower operations. The Metropolitan District Commission (Hartford region’s most important utility), the Stanley Works, and the CT Department of Environmental Protection have a long-standing Riparian Agreement on hydropower releases, the most important single factor affecting flows. In addition, Summit Hydro, LLC holds a FERC license to re-start hydropower operations at two dams in Collinsville (nestled between the Upper and Lower River). This is a key location on Connecticut’s most fished river and arguably most scenic river. A 14-mile stretch of the Upper Farmington, just below the MDC dam, was designated as Wild & Scenic in 1994, and a Wild & Scenic Study is underway on the Lower Farmington River. Thus, the Summit project could be a shining example of new, efficient, green hydro, or it could be flawed, or it could fail. How do we strike the best balance for fish, flows, recreation, and power production in this sensitive location? (40 minutes plus Q & A)
12:30 Lunch (45 Minutes)
1:15 Panel: Hydro Regulation Moderator: Earl Phillips
Panelists: Brian Emerick, Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection; Bruce GiGennaro, The Essex Partnership; Roger Reynolds, Connecticut Fund for the Environment
Many resource and regulatory considerations affect the development of new hydro and the extension of existing hydro. The panel will address these issues, provide a case study description, and examine ways in which interested parties may participate in the process.
(40 minutes plus Q & A)
2:20 Break (10 minutes)
2:25 Panel: Emerging Policy, Changing Landscapes Moderator: Mark P. Smith
Panelists: John Rogers, Union of Concerned Scientists; Anne George, Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control; David Deen, Vermont State Representative and Connecticut Riverkeeper; Fred Ayer, Low-Impact Hydropower Institute;
New policies at the national and state levels to address climate change and encourage the development of renewable energy are reviving interest in hydropower. What will these new financial and other incentives mean for our rivers and will they lead to increased hydropower generation?
(40 minutes plus Q & A)
3:25 Summary & Action Steps Moderator: Margaret Miner
Conference Steering Committee Members
Fred Ayer, Low Impact Hydropower Institute
Russ Cohen, Massachusetts Riverways
Konstantine Drakonakis, Connecticut Innovations, Inc. - Connecticut Clean Energy Fund
Robert Gates, FirstLight Power
Eric Hammerling, Farmington River Watershed Association/Rivers Alliance
Dwight Merriam, Robinson & Cole/Rivers Alliance
Margaret Miner, Rivers Alliance
Earl Phillips, Robinson & Cole
Mark P. Smith, The Nature Conservancy