Raker Act

The Act, passed by Congress in 1913 during the Wilson administration, specified that because the source of the water and power was on public land, no private profit could be derived from the development.

This area was felt by proponents to be ideal for the creation of a reservoir because of its relative proximity to the city and its ample supply of water from the snows stored in the high mountains of the Sierra Nevada.

A major issue with converting the Hetch Hetchy Valley into a municipally owned reservoir was the fact that it was within the borders of the newly formed Yosemite National Park.

The Secretary of the Interior Ethan Hitchcock opposed the Right of Way Act because he believed that Yosemite National Park should be left untouched and pristine, so he quickly denied their permit.

Garfield had an opposing stance on conservation and believed that Hetch Hetchy Valley was not unique and a lake in its place would be more appealing,[2] plus the money generated from the hydroelectric power could eventually pay for the initial cost of constructing the dam.

In late 1908, the citizens of San Francisco approved the allocation of $600,000 in bonds to be used to purchase land and water rights in the Hetch Hetchy Valley to build a dam for a reservoir and aqueduct lines.

[6] Both Secretaries of the Interior under the Taft administration, Richard A. Ballinger and Walter Fisher, opposed construction of water infrastructure in the Hetch Hetchy Valley.

On September 3, 1913, the House of Representatives passed HR7207, which was a bill submitted by John Raker that authorized the use of the Hetch Hetchy Valley and Lake Eleanor as a water source for San Francisco.

In the present, timing of the dam's operation has shifted to night and early mornings as solar power has limited the need for electricity production during the day and decreased energy prices.

They repeatedly stated that San Francisco sold the power to PG&E, who then resold it back to the public at a profit, in violation of the Raker Act.

[citation needed] Donald Hodel, Secretary of the Interior under the Reagan administration in 1987, directed his staff to investigate finding alternative water sources for San Francisco, drain Hetch Hetchy reservoir, and restore the valley to its natural state.

[12] In 2007, the George W. Bush administration made an attempt to allocate funds to the National Park Service for a study into the removal of the dam and the restoration of the Hetch Hetchy Valley.