American Whitewater has worked for the past several years to successfully negotiate an agreement calling for 4 recreational releases each summer on the Scrambled Eggs reach of the Weber River, located near Ogden, Utah. This agreement was considered and supported in a recent Environmental Assessment (EA) authored by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, who are accepting public comments on the EA and will then issue a new 30 to 50-year license for the dam. Hopefully that license will include our proposed recreational releases that were supported by the EA. If you have paddled this reach, personal comments in support of recreational releases and the recreational values of the river will help ensure the releases are included in the final dam license.

To Comment, Go to FERC's eComment Page, and follow the directions for submitting a comment. You'll need to know that the Docket number is "p-1744-041" and that you are commenting on the Environmental Assessment for the Weber Hydroelectric Project. Ideal comments will include:

• A statement that you support, appreciate, and are likely to utilize the proposed four annual dam releases.
• Opinions on why the Weber is and/or could be an important recreational paddling resource for you and your region.
• Any personal experience confirming FERC's finding that the dam reduces paddling opportunities.
• Experience-based opinions that there are no significant safety concerns with running the river and portaging the diversion dam.
• A Thank You for supporting paddling releases in the EA.

We should add that the releases may require Forest Service approval, which has been requested but so far has not been granted. American Whitewater will continue to work with the Forest Service on securing approval. Supportive comments on the FERC EA will help these efforts.

The deadline for filing comments is June 27, 2020, but why wait!