Following a gate failure at Hebgen Dam in December that dewatered the Madison River for 46 hours, NorthWestern Energy is proposing to improve spawning habitat on tributaries and help monitor
$15M fine levied on former Edenville Dam owner after Midland flood
Updated Apr 15, 2021;
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WASHINGTON, DC Federal regulators have imposed a $15 million fine against the former owner of a mid-Michigan dam that unleashed a 500-year flood last year, saying the company failed to perform important safety work after the disaster.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) announced Thursday, April 15, that it would assess the penalty against Boyce Hydro, a bankrupt company co-owned by Lee Mueller of Nevada that formerly operated the Edenville Dam.
The Gladwin County dam failed last May, causing a downstream failure of the Sanford Dam and subsequent flooding in the village of Sanford, city of Midland and beyond.
$15M fine for Edenville Dam owner proposed by federal regulators
Updated Jan 27, 2021;
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BAY CITY, MI Federal regulators want to levy a $15 million civil fine against the operator of a failed hydroelectric dam that unleashed flooding in mid-Michigan last spring, but creditors and a bankruptcy case trustee are pushing back, arguing such a large penalty would upend proceedings and jeopardize a settlement fund for flood victims.
Mark H. Shapiro, a Southfield attorney who is trustee in the Boyce Hydro bankruptcy case, warned the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) earlier this month that imposing such a penalty against the beleaguered dam operator would “wreak havoc” on its plan to exit bankruptcy and pay off creditors and victims of the May 2020 flood.