LANCASTER, Pa. — Note: The video is from December 2023.
The Lancaster County Conservancy, an organization dedicated to saving important natural places for people and wildlife since 1969, on Friday reaffirmed its opposition to the construction of a pumped storage facility in Chanceford Township, York County.
The project "would flood 580 acres of land along the Susquehanna River rich with natural, cultural, and recreational resources," the conservancy said.
On Thursday, the Federal Energy Regulation Commission accepted a preliminary permit application for construction of the facility, according to the conservancy.
"Lancaster Conservancy is disheartened by the news of FERC's acceptance of the preliminary permit application submitted by York Energy Storage for a pumped storage project at Cuffs Run," Fritz Schroeder, CEO of the Lancaster Conservancy, said in a press release. "This proposed project is the antithesis of our efforts to protect and restore the natural landscape of the lower Susquehanna River.
"The Conservancy is actively organizing opposition with our partners and is preparing to legally intervene in the proceedings. We plan to share additional details in the coming two weeks, including ways the community can join us in opposing this destructive project."
A proposal for the $2.1 billion project was rejected by federal regulators last September, citing a lack of clearly defined boundaries.
York Energy Storage resubmitted the proposal in December, claiming the new proposal addressed those concerns.
“We updated the lines where our borders are going to be, and so it’s clearer where we’re going to need the land," Bill McMahon, the CEO of York Energy Storage, said at the time.
McMahon said last year he's been trying to get a pumped storage facility built in the area since the 1970s. Studies say the Lake Clarke area of Chanceford Township, York County, is "a perfect lower reservoir for what we're trying to do," he said.
Opponents point out that construction of the project would flood 580 acres of land, leveling 39 homes and 50 properties in the area.
According to the Conservancy, the project would "destroy preserved farms, a section of the regional scenic Mason-Dixon Trail in York County, the viewshed from the popular multimodal Enola Low Grade Trail in Lancaster County, and forested lands that are critical to ensuring the ecological health of the Susquehanna Riverlands landscape and waterways."
According to the Conservancy, the landscape of the lower Susquehanna River gorge "has been recognized by both state and federal governments as worth of protection and investment."
The state of Pennsylvania prioritized the area for protection as a Conservation Landscape in 2010, and the federal government designated the region as a National Heritage Area in 2019, the Conservancy said.
"In the last 10 years, over $100 million has been invested by county, state, and federal governments as well as nonprofit partners and local municipalities along the river. These investments have supported a thriving and growing outdoor recreation and tourism economy, which would be threatened should this project move forward."
In the past, McMahon has said the project's impact on the 39 homes is regrettable, but points out the potential benefits of renewable energy for millions of others.
“We’re in it to make sure that we’re helping renewable energy, which most people are in favor of," said McMahon. “I care about the water, I care about the fish, and I care about the deer. When we’re done, we’ll be [more environmentally] friendlier than it is right now.”
"Easy for him to say when it's digging his backyard," said Jake Horton, a farmer whose 70-acre property would be flooded out if the project went through. "Let's go knock on his door and say, 'Hey, we're going to flood you out, put 30 feet above your house, take everything you own and give you pennies on the dollar for it, in a sense.' Good luck, is all I have to say."
The Conservancy said the potential project is far from green-friendly.
"While sustainable renewable energy options are needed to protect our environment, this project is not green," the Conservancy said. "Facilities like this use electricity to pump water into a reservoir, then release it to generate electricity when needed. The proposed facility at Cuffs Run would involve the destruction of carbon-storing biodiverse forests, and it would use energy from a grid mostly powered by natural gas and coal to power the pumps that would fill the reservoir."
According to the Conservancy, those who oppose the latest project now have until April 1, 2024, to file interventions with FERC.