Energy council grants expedited review for Carriger Solar despite tribal objections

The Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council on Monday voted to grant expedited processing for Cypress Creek Renewables’ Carriger Solar application, moving the project into a public-comment review and toward a council recommendation to the governor.

The council’s action followed staff findings that the project met two statutory criteria for expedited processing: a prior order finding the site consistent with local land-use requirements, and a mitigated determination of nonsignificance under the State Environmental Policy Act. The vote was taken by voice and the motion was adopted; a single "nay" was recorded and there were no abstentions.

The decision matters because expedited processing replaces a formal adjudicative hearing—where testimony and exhibits are subject to cross-examination—with a less-formal public comment hearing. That shortens the timeline for a council recommendation; council rules call for a recommendation within 60 days of granting expedited processing unless the council and applicant agree to a different schedule.

Council staff described the procedural and technical steps that led to the decision. Joanne Snarski, EFSEC siting specialist, summarized the application history, including a land-use consistency order issued on Sept. 25, 2023, and a mitigated determination of nonsignificance (MDNS) published April 7, 2025, after further mitigation work with the applicant.

Sonia Bumpus, EFSEC director, said staff had worked with…