FERC Terminates Boyce Hydro Licenses Over Michigan Dam Breaches

(Bloomberg) -- The top U.S. energy regulator terminated Boyce Hydro Power LLC’s licenses for three hydroelectric projects in Michigan for failing to comply with safety orders following a flood that displaced thousands of residents.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission took action related to Boyce Hydro’s Secord, Smallwood and Sanford projects on the Tittabawassee River for failing to meet the obligations of its licenses and following the firm’s bankruptcy proceedings, according to a Thursday statement.

When the Edenville Dam was breached in May last year, water rushed from lakes and over the banks of the Tittabawassee River, leading to an evacuation of more than 10,000 people from the city of Midland and the surrounding area. The commission in 2018 had already revoked Boyce’s license for Edenville for failing to comply with safety directives and other requirements.

“Following the flood, Boyce Hydro repeatedly failed to comply with additional FERC safety directives,” the regulator said in the statement. Damages for victims of the dam breaches will be prioritized over collection of a $15 million penalty previously imposed on the firm, FERC said.

See also: Michigan Dam Owner Accused of Ignoring Warnings Before Collapse

Four Lakes Task Force, a nonprofit organization, is now the owner of the projects and is leading efforts to repair the facilities with FERC and Michigan’s Department of the Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.

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