Opinion ID: 2801043
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: Between 1891 and 1893, the Districts constructed the regional La Grange facility, which consisted of a dam at River Mile1 (“RM”) 52.2 of the Tuolumne River, impounding the waters of the river and creating a reservoir for the purpose of irrigating river valley farmland. See Appendix 1 for a map of the region. In 1924, the Districts expanded the facility and its purpose by the construction of the La Grange Powerhouse for the production of hydroelectricity. The Powerhouse was comprised of a smaller unit with two 500 kilowatt generators, and a larger unit with a 3750 kilowatt generator. In 1989, Turlock replaced the Powerhouse’s turbines and generating units. In June 2011, FERC received an inquiry from the National Marine Fisheries Service concerning the status of the theretofore unlicensed La Grange Hydroelectric Project. In response to the inquiry, Commission staff undertook a review of the Project to determine whether it is subject to the Commission’s mandatory licensing jurisdiction under the Federal Power Act (“FPA”). Turlock Irrigation Dist. & Modesto Irrigation Dist., 141 FERC ¶ 62,211 (Dec. 19, 2012). FERC provided notice to the Districts and other interested parties of its pending jurisdictional determination. On December 19, 2012, the Director of the Division of Hydropower Administration and Compliance issued an order determining that the Project did require licensure within 1 River Miles are measured from the mouth of a river (RM 0). 4 the jurisdiction of the Commission under the FPA and ordered the Districts to proceed to come into compliance with the requirements of licensure. Id. In the decision, the Director concluded that the licensure was required under three governing provisions of 16 U.S.C. § 817(1): the Project was (1) located on a navigable water of the United States, (2) occupied public lands of the United States, or (3) if the stream were not navigable, it was in any event one over which Congress had jurisdiction under its authority to regulate commerce. Thereafter, the Districts and the Trust petitioned the Commission for rehearing of the staff-level decision. The Districts argued that the Project was not within the licensure provisions of the FPA. The Trust contended that the Director’s opinion erred in not assigning a fourth reason for imposing the licensing requirement: the Trust argued that the Project required licensure because it formed a complete unit of development with the Don Pedro Project, a neighboring federally licensed hydroelectric project. The Commission ruled against the Districts on all three grounds of their appeal. It further concluded that it need not determine whether the fourth ground asserted by the Trust was applicable, as it would not change the result in any event. The Districts and the Trust now petition this court for review of the Commission’s order. For the reasons set forth below, we deny the petition of the Districts and dismiss the petition of the Trust.