It’s not something Rep. Lloyd Smucker can recall seeing: all of York County and Lancaster County’s representatives, united.
The cause? Opposing the Cuffs Run hydroelectric project, which was provisionally accepted by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission earlier this month.
Overlooking the Susquehanna River at John Wright Restaurant in Wrightsville on Monday, Smucker, R-Lancaster, and other elected officials made their opposition clear.
“There’s so much more that brings these counties together than divides us, and I think the river itself unites both counties,” Smucker said. “We, as elected officials representing both counties, stand here today united to announce our opposition to the preliminary permit application submitted to FERC for proposed construction of a hydroelectric pump storage facility at Cuffs Run, proposed by York Energy Storage LLC.”
The proposal from York Energy Storage seeks to build a dam roughly 1.9 miles long and 225 feet high along the river, creating a 600-acre upper reservoir through flooding and using nearby Lake Clarke as a lower reservoir. The plan includes securing land rights of nearly 50 properties — possibly through eminent domain.
Last year, FERC rejected the project — whose costs have increased since then, from an original estimate of $2.1 billion to $2.3 billion. That rejection had noted that previous maps submitted by the developer did not clearly delineate project boundary lines, but it left the door open for subsequent submissions.
‘We have our fair share’: President Commissioner Julie Wheeler, in her remarks Monday, said York County contributes more than its fair share of energy. She highlighted the York Haven Hydro, Safe Harbor and Holtwood dams along the Susquehanna, which she said cumulatively produce 136,000 megawatts of power.
“Although dams provide an opportunity to store water, produce energy and prevent flooding, they do unquestionably impact the environment,” Wheeler said. “While these issues are not unique to York County, it’s fair to say we have our fair share of dams, produce our fair share of energy and deal with our fair share of environmental impacts as a result.”
Wheeler also highlighted the economic impact of the river, saying an economic impact report by the York County Economic Alliance showed 5,240 York County residents work in the outdoor economy, generating $135 million in revenue.
State Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill, R-York Township, called the project “horrendous” and blamed people outside York County, including the developers and Maryland.
“It is the failed policies of the state of Maryland that is driving this atrocity, and we have had enough,” Phillips-Hill said during the news conference. “In its rush to be green and carbon free by some arbitrary deadline, Maryland will be shutting down a power plant that generates reliable electricity for the people of Baltimore.”
Phillips-Hill was referring to the forthcoming closure of the coal-powered Brandon Shores Power Plant in Pasadena, Maryland, which Talon Energy agreed to close in 2025 as part of an agreement with the Sierra Club, as reported by the <a class="gnt_ar_b_a" href="https://www.baltimoresun.com/2020/11/11/owner-of-brandon-shores-and-wagner-power-plants-in-pasadena-will-stop-burning-coal-by-end-of-2025/" data-t-l=":bk