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Cascade Renewable Transmission pre-application advances; staff to issue targeted data requests and coordinate with tribes and agencies
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Summary
FSEC staff reported continued formal review of the CRT site certification application: pre-application materials and deposits were received in December 2023, staff have held pre-application outreach and public informational hearings, and additional land-use and technical data requests are being developed for the applicant; coordination continues with Army Corps, Ecology, Oregon agencies and tribal governments.
FSEC staff updated the council on review activities for the Cascade Renewable Transmission (CRT) site certification application and related pre-application work on Dec. 17.
Marie Belkina, a siting specialist assigned to the Cascade Renewable Transmission Program, said staff continued formal review after public informational and land use consistency hearings in November. Staff are evaluating whether the application contains sufficient information to support the next phase of review and are identifying subject areas for additional data requests. Belkina said coordination is ongoing with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (expected NEPA lead), the Washington Department of Ecology, the Oregon Department of Energy and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality on sequencing and alignment of federal and state review processes, including Clean Water Act water quality certification discussions.
FSAC staff (Miss Hofkumar/Hofmeyer in the record) provided a pre-application timeline for the CRT submittal: an initial consultation in Sept. 2023, a pre-application submission in Dec. 2023 with a $10,000 deposit and pre-application notices mailed to landowners within 300 feet of the proposed corridor and to affected jurisdictions and tribes. Staff confirmed public informational hearings were held under pre-application requirements and that materials from those meetings and route negotiations are being posted on FSEC's website for public access. The staff summary stressed statutory deadlines in RCW 80.50.090 requiring an informational public hearing within 60 days of receipt of an application and noted that completeness for adjudicative deadlines is a separate process under RCW 80.50.100.
Council members asked whether staff would request information from local jurisdictions about land-use consistency; staff confirmed outreach to local planning departments (North Bonneville was cited as an active participant) and the possibility of interagency agreements to facilitate local input. Staff also said they will develop land-use-specific data requests with AG office support and provide applicant responses to council and the public in early 2026, likely late January or February.
Provenance and next steps Staff expect to post pre-application materials and meeting documents to FSECpublic pages and to issue targeted data requests; the council may give parties the opportunity to respond to applicant replies before an administrative law judge drafts the land-use consistency determination. The council will consider those materials in a future meeting once the record is prepared.
