I’m going to fight against it – to protect our Eel and Russian River water supplies from being federalized and taken over as part of this scheme.
Huffman will fight against the federal takeover of the Potter Valley Project and the export of Eel and Russian River water to Southern California or the Central Valley.
Occurrences
I'm demanding answers from Secretary Rollins, Secretary Burghum, the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District, and anyone else involved in this southern California water-export scheme.
the proposal raises serious environmental, legal, economic, and water supply concerns for vulnerable communities along the Eel and Russian Rivers and renews decades of failed schemes to divert North Coast water to distant interests in Southern California and the Central Valley.
Evidence
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Huffman announced he had opened an investigation and sent letters to USDA and DOI demanding records on efforts to facilitate a Southern California water district's takeover of the Potter Valley Project, including Scott Dam and Cape Horn Dam.
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The State Water Board released a scoping report for the Potter Valley Hydroelectric Project Surrender and Decommissioning Project, showing the project remains in active surrender/decommissioning review rather than resolved takeover.
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The same release says Huffman warned the proposal would raise serious environmental, legal, economic, and water-supply concerns and that federal agencies were working to facilitate a takeover of the Potter Valley Project by a district with no connection to the Eel River basin.
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Comments have been extended and are due on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, September 18, 2026.
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DATE: Tuesday, September 15, 2026 TIME: 6:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m. Pacific Time (PT)
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On agenda: 9/22/2026 Final action: Title: 10:00 A.M. - Consideration of Joining Save Lake Pillsbury Coalition Letter to National Energy Dominance Council
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The Two Basin Solution partners continue to move forward toward a continued diversion and a transfer of the water right in cooperation with PG&E. In July 2026, Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District filed a Motion to Intervene Late. FERC denied the request.
Assessments
Huffman has taken concrete, on-record steps opposing the federal takeover proposal, including opening an investigation and sending demand letters to USDA and DOI about efforts to facilitate the transfer of Potter Valley Project infrastructure and the associated water export plan. That is meaningful candidate credit for the promise to fight it. However, the record does not show the takeover or export scheme was actually stopped; the underlying Potter Valley process remains unresolved, so this is not full delivery.
The promise was framed as an action commitment to fight against a federal takeover and water export, not as a guaranteed final policy outcome. Huffman took concrete federal-office actions in the same term by opening an investigation and sending oversight letters to USDA and DOI demanding records about alleged federal facilitation of a Southern California water district takeover of the Potter Valley Project. The underlying Potter Valley decommissioning/takeover controversy remains unresolved, but that does not defeat fulfillment of a promise to actively oppose it.