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Skagit residents press commissioners for clarity before signing Seattle City Light FERC settlement
Summary
At a March 24 public session on the proposed Seattle City Light Skagit Project settlement, county staff and dozens of public commenters urged the board to seek clearer commitments on fish passage and transparency around a proposed estuary habitat fund; City Light reps said the agreement includes flood risk and fish‑passage commitments and invited county participation in implementation.
Skagit County commissioners heard more than an hour of public comment on March 24 about a proposed settlement between Seattle City Light, tribes and other parties that would guide relicensing of the Skagit River hydropower projects.
Will Horney, who presented the public comment process to the board, told commissioners he is concerned the settlement contains “no specific plan for fish passage” and that the estuary habitat fund lacks a clear project list or an explicit, enforceable public‑transparency process. He said the county’s participation in implementation is essential and warned that without firm commitments from Seattle leadership the settlement risks decades of conflict and lost opportunity for salmon recovery.
A long line of farmers, drainage‑district commissioners and farm‑preservation advocates told the board they fear estuary project selection could remove productive farmland from the tax rolls. Speakers cited prior relicensing outcomes in which roughly 11,000 acres were purchased under earlier agreements and urged the board to demand that any habitat‑fund spending align with local recovery plans and include county drainage and diking districts in selection decisions.
City Light’s Chris Townsend, director of natural resources and hydrolicensing, and Seattle counsel Matt Love said the settlement is intended as a voluntary path to a new FERC license and that it will be submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission with a public process during licensing. Townsend said the agreement responds to county priorities by including flood risk management measures and an estuary fund, and he stated the utility’s commitment to design and implement fish passage in good faith.
Key figures discussed in testimony and by staff:
- A $75,000,000 estuary fund for restoration project implementation was described by City Light representatives as the funding vehicle to support estuary restoration. - A multi‑hundred‑million‑dollar commitment for fish passage was cited in public comment and City Light presentations; transcript references vary in magnitude but City Light representatives described a major long‑term financial commitment to fish‑passage design and implementation.
Dike‑district leaders, farm‑preservation groups and some tribal speakers asked the board to withhold signing until Seattle’s mayor and city council offer a clear, elected‑level pledge to oversee City Light implementation and to guarantee transparent, locally guided project selection. City Light said it will not use condemnation authority to implement estuary projects and that the settlement includes voluntary acquisition language.
Commissioners and staff said the county has asked the mayor and council for an explicit elected‑level commitment and that the board planned to consider a decision in a follow‑up meeting scheduled for next week. No formal vote was taken at the March 24 session.
The public comment period and an upcoming county deliberation give the board time to press for clarified language on transparency, participation of local drainage and diking districts, and confirmed funding paths before any signature.
