Environmentalists Oppose Federally-Endorsed Dam Proposal

By Ed Joyce / Reporter, KPBS Public Broadcasting

Published February 5, 2007 at 12:29 PM PST

This story was published more than 17 years ago.

Federal energy officials have endorsed a controversial proposal to build a dam in the Cleveland National Forest. Environmentalists say the billion-dollar proposed hydroelectric project would destroy t

Federal energy officials have endorsed a controversial proposal to build a dam in the Cleveland National Forest. Environmentalists say the billion-dollar proposed hydroelectric project would destroy the pristine wilderness area. KPBS Reporter Ed Joyce has details.

The Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District and a Nevada company want to build a reservoir, dam and hydroelectric facility in Decker Canyon. The project involves pumping water uphill from Lake Elsinore to a reservoir built in Decker Canyon. The water would be released downhill to generate electricity and provide power during periods of peak energy use. Environmentalists say the project would mar scenic views and would eliminate a popular hiking area. John Buse is with the Center for Biological Diversity. He says the project would destroy hiking areas.

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Buse: This big hydroelectric dam is being placed in the Cleveland National Forest on public lands highly scenic and in some cases roadless areas with miles and miles of power lines stretching through the forest.

Greg Morrison is with the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District. Morrison says the project uses a small part of the wilderness.

Morrison: You have other uses in the Cleveland National Forest like hiking and biking and off-road vehicles that actually can go in the Cleveland National Forest that we think have much higher impact on the forest than a non-polluting hydroelectric plant.

Federal energy officials are expected to decide later this year whether the hydro project moves forward. Ed Joyce, KPBS News.

Ed Joyce

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Ed Joyce was the environment reporter and afternoon news anchor for KPBS-FM. Before joining KPBS, he worked as an editor/columnist with Copley News Service in San Diego. Ed has an extensive background in newspaper, radio, web and TV journalism. After graduating with a B.A. in Communications from the University of Washington in Seattle, Ed began a career in broadcast journalism. His work has included stints in public broadcasting, commercial broadcasting and education -- working as an affiliate professor of communication and reporter at the University of Idaho and Washington State University in Pullman, Wash. During the past 20 years he has worked in radio, TV and print as a news reporter, anchor, writer, editor and producer. Along the way he has won numerous awards for general news reporting, newswriting, feature and issue reporting and breaking news reporting from The Associated Press, The Society of Professional Journalists, San Diego Press Club and other organizations. During the mid-1990s, while working for Oregon Public Broadcasting, he was a frequent contributor to National Public Radio, including a feature report on the memorial service for 14 U.S. Forest Service "hotshots" who died fighting a wildfire in Colorado (the crew was based in a central Oregon town). He’s also filed reports with Marketplace, KQED’s California Report and Climate Watch and with national and regional networks throughout the United States. At KPBS, Ed continues his contributions to National Public Radio and other national and regional news organizations. He has won awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and San Diego Press Club for his environmental reporting at KPBS-FM-TV and for producing and anchoring radio newscasts. In 2007 he was selected a National Press Foundation fellow for Understanding Violent Weather II program. The seminars were held at the National Weather Center in Norman, Okla. In 2008 he spoke at a UC San Diego conference on U.S. National Security as part of the school’s Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation. Ed led a discussion with the 18 foreign government officials and academics about the political debate over climate change. In 2010, Ed was elected to a three-year term on the board of the San Diego Press Club.

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