(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Yearly Greenhouse Gas Pollution From Proposed Sites Dam Project Would Equal 80,000 Gas-Powered Cars [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-08-25 SACRAMENTO — As a historic heat wave hits the country and U.S. and global oil production is projected to reach record levels this year, Patagonia and Friends of the River (FOR) have just released an alarming scientific report on the environmental impacts that massive greenhouse emissions generated by the Sites Dam and Reservoir Project will have on California. Patagonia is the Ventura-based outdoor apparel company has supported grassroots groups working to find solutions to the environmental crisis for more than four decades, while Friends of the River is one of California’s most respected conservation organizations, according to a press statement. A new analysis using the comprehensive All-Res Modeling Tool estimated the greenhouse gas emissions that would be caused by building and operating the Sites Dam and Reservoir Project — an environmentally destructive, salmon-killing boondoggle backed by agribusiness, water agencies and the Newsom administration, according to critics. Read the full report HERE. “Over the 100-year expected life cycle of the Sites Project, the project is predicted to emit approximately 362 million metric tons of CO2e or 362,000 metric tons of CO2e/year, the vast majority of which is methane,” according to the analysis. “That’s the equivalent climate emissions of over 80,000 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles per year.” “For all of California’s lofty climate change ambitions, it’s mind-boggling that so many state leaders are trying to rush us full-bore into a boondoggle that will set us back dramatically in reaching our greenhouse gas goals,” said Jann Dorman, Executive Director of Friends of the River. “This report should be an eyeopener for every state leader who wants to be serious about the climate crisis.” Hans Cole, Head of Environmental Grants, Campaigns, and Activism at Patagonia, echoed Dorman’s concerns. “Patagonia wants policymakers to operate with complete information as they make decisions that will determine the health of our planet, and until now, the proposed Sites Reservoir’s climate impacts haven’t been a major part of the conversation,” said Cole. “Our report is a wake-up call that huge dam projects come with costs that run far beyond their large price tags and regional ecological damage.” The report comes at a critical time for California and the nation. While California officials claims the state is the nation “climate leader,” state oil and gas regulators have continued to issue thousands of oil and gas drilling permits every year since Gavin Newsom became Governor in 2019. Sites Reservoir has already secured $875 million in state funding through 2014’s Proposition 1, money that is being directed into a project that competes against the state’s ambitious climate change goals, according to the report. “Sites Reservoir, if built, is only expected to increase California’s overall water availability by less than 1% in good years. Meanwhile, the harm caused by this project’s construction will be permanent and practically irreversible, setting back the state even further on its climate goals,” according to the report. The All-Res Modeling Tool was developed using readily available emissions models that estimate greenhouse gasses from dam and reservoir projects. The tool uses data provided by public sources, including the Revised Draft Environmental Impact Report/Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Sites Reservoir (USBR, 2021) to calculate the total carbon footprint of the Sites Reservoir Project over its entire lifecycle. “Dams and reservoirs produce harmful greenhouse gasses (GHG) through their construction, operation, and maintenance, but most importantly by the decomposition of organic matter under, and flowing into, the reservoir (see 2016 Washington Post article),” the groups reported. “In fact, some hydropower dam and reservoir systems have been estimated to produce as much GHG as a coal-fired powerplant of similar electricity output. A full list of emissions pathways analyzed using the All-Res Model can be found on Tell The Dam Truth’s website.” Despite all of the cynical talk by politicians at climate conferences in California, U.S. and throughout the world during a summer with record warm temperatures, U..S and global oil production continues to soar to record levels. Here are the projections for 2023 and 2024 from the U.S. Energy Information Agency: • U.S. crude oil production. "As a result of higher expected well-level productivity and higher crude oil prices, we expect U.S. crude oil production will average 12.8 million b/d in 2023 and 13.1 million b/d in 2024, both annual records." • Global oil production. "We forecast global liquid fuels production will increase by 1.4 million barrels per day (b/d) in 2023. Non-OPEC production increases by 2.1 million b/d in 2023, which is partly offset by a drop in OPEC liquid fuels production. In 2024, global production increases by 1.7 million b/d, with 1.2 million b/d coming from non-OPEC countries. Non-OPEC production growth in the forecast is led by the United States, Brazil, Canada, Guyana, and Norway." For more information on the All-Res Model, visit https://tellthedamtruth.com/all-reservoir-greenhouse-gas-model/. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/8/25/2189339/-Yearly-Greenhouse-Gas-Pollution-From-Proposed-Sites-Dam-Project-Would-Equal-80-000-Gas-Powered-Cars Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/