Federal regulators deny Alabama Power dam licenses

Federal regulators are canceling Alabama Power’s license for the Coosa River dams.

The Montgomery Advertiser reported the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission made the decision about a license that had been issued in 2013.

The decision comes after a U.S. Court of Appeals ruled the license did not adequately deal with the negative effects that the dam operations have on Coosa River plants and animals.

The Coosa River system provides more than half of Alabama Power’s hydroelectric power.

The rejection of the 30-year license means the utility will have to come up with new ways to meet the federal Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act rules.

The utility plans to ask regulators what they need to do to get a new license.
(Associated Press, copyright 2018)

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