FSEC readies additional land‑use comment period and continues tribal consultations on Cascade Renewable Transmission

Maria Belkina, the siting specialist assigned to the Cascade Renewable Transmission project, told the council that staff have reviewed the applicant’s responses to data requests and supplemental materials and believe the record now contains sufficient jurisdiction‑specific land‑use information for the next stage of review. FSEC will open an additional public comment period focused on the updated land‑use materials to give local jurisdictions and the public more opportunity to comment prior to any land‑use consistency determination by the council.

Belkina said staff continued outreach to local jurisdictions and that FSEC participated in government‑to‑government consultation with the Yakama Nation, where cultural resources, water quality, electromagnetic fields and aquatic resources were discussed. Staff also completed a field review of upland route portions and wetlands with Ecology and the applicant’s wetland specialists and is coordinating with Ecology on technical comments and follow‑up recommendations.

Staff reported additional tribal consultation is planned with the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and continued coordination with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Oregon Department of Energy on environmental review and opportunities to minimize duplication in federal and state reviews. Chair Beckett noted the upcoming material will supply a more robust land‑use record for council review.