County Commission Responds to Pumped Storage  Scoping Meeting

On Oct. 22, The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) held a scoping meeting at the Bristlecone Convention Center regarding the proposed Pumped Storage Project’s licensing application. The Scoping process is an official interview process to collect community feedback regarding the Project and any concerns that people may have. The FERC made no formal presentation; however, RPlus Energies was there to answer any questions.

This scoping meeting is essential to the Project as the license application for the Project is essential for it to move forward in any capacity.

The White Pine County Commission had a representative attend both scoping meetings, one in the morning and one in the evening, and on Nov. 14, filed an official response to the FERC regarding the Scoping meeting.

In the letter, the County states that they can’t support the Project or NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) process moving forward any further until the recommendations they outline in the letter are fulfilled.

All in all, there were five key elements that the Commission highlighted as requirements before any more progress of any kind is made.

1. The Project Design is further along than the 25% design reported during the Scoping Meetings. The County recommends at least 75% of the design be completed before NEPA proceeds.
2. The Project Baseline studies are complete (specifically the Hydrogeology Study and ongoing or pending wildlife, visual, and safety studies.)
3. The FERC signs a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with other federal agencies: BLM, EPA, National Parks Service, and US Fish and Wildlife Service that are directly interested in this Project to ensure the NEPA requirements are met.
4. An MOU from the above agencies making it clear how these agencies will participate in the FERC/NEPA process and how State regulations and requirements will be met.
5. Issues with private landowners should be resolved.
   Because of this list, the County requests a second round of Scoping from the FERC once the requests above have been fulfilled.