Mirant, the power company in charge of the Rio Project on the Mongaup River has invited American Whitewater to submit comments on the recreational release program on the Mongaup River by the first week of September. We would like to recieve comments from paddlers as soon as possible so that we can synthesize those comments into our official AW comments, as well as pass on your comments directly to Mirant for their consideration. If you are a club or organization that would like to file independent comments, contact Kevin Colburn to find out who to send them to.
Most recently, AW has contacted both the FERC and Mirant itself in opposition of the access closures that occurred this spring, presumably as a response to 9/11. The complete closure was lifted this summer and currently access is only available on scheduled release days. We feel that this closure unnecessarily prohibits boaters from paddling the river on days on which Mirant is generating power (so the river is runnable) but there is no scheduled recreational release. AW strongly feels that unhindered public access should be restored to the river.
Power companies across the country have used the 9/11 tragedy as an excuse to eliminate access and then flows, in response to a reactionary memo from FERC last fall. AW feels that most of these closures have nothing to do with homeland security, and in the absense of many additional security measures would not meet their intended purpose.
Whatever your ideas are about access and flows on the Mongaup River (both positive and negative), please send them to American Whitewater ASAP!:
kevin@amwhitewater.org
or:
Kevin Colburn
American Whitewater
20 Battery Park Ave, Suite 302
Asheville, NC 28801