FERC Orders Ampersand Cranberry Lake Hydro, LLC, to Pay a $600,000 Civil Penalty

Summary:

FERC has ordered Ampersand Cranberry Lake Hydro, LLC, to pay a $600,000 civil penalty for violating its hydroelectric license by failing to retain possession of all property for the Cranberry Lake Project located in St. Lawrence County, New York, covered by the license. The conduct underlying this violation is interrelated with known dam safety repairs that Ampersand Cranberry Lake has failed to complete.

Additional Discussion:

The dam has a high hazard potential rating, which means that a failure of the project works would result in a probable loss of human life or economic or environmental losses. FERC requires licensees to maintain possession of property rights for their hydroelectric projects to ensure proper operation and maintenance of the projects and to ensure the licensees can address dam safety issues. Licensees of FERC-jurisdictional hydroelectric projects must comply with all safety requirements of their licenses, as public safety is a top priority at these facilities.