AG Drummond praises halt of controversial hydroelectric plant in southeast Oklahoma
Last week, officials from the FERC found the updated Proposed Study Plan for the project insufficient to proceed and sent a letter the plant's operator. The plant, a $3.1 billion project, is being pushed by the Southeast Oklahoma Power Corp., a company incorporated in Nevada and based in Dallas.
The project would require construction of three reservoirs — an upper lake created by impounding Long Creek, a lower lake created by an earthen dam, and a 40-acre reservoir.
According to documents filed with federal regulators, the hydropower plant would generate electricity through a 100-mile-long power line extending through Pushmataha and western McCurtain counties in Oklahoma and through Lamar and Red River counties in Texas. The facility would be located on private land about five miles south of Talihina.
Power generated from the plant would most likely go to Texas.
Officials with the company could not be reached for comment. Documents filed with the FERC said the project was necessary.
"This project would provide a stable source of cost-effective renewable energy, carbon-free peaking capacity, dispatchable load to balance renewable energy sources and ancillary services for grid operators, while also conserving the water resources of the Kiamichi River," an introduction in the company's filing noted.
The FERC's latest action means the company must file a second updated Proposed Study Plan with the FERC that includes the required explanations by March 22.
'This is welcome news for Oklahomans who treasure the Kiamichi River and how this proposal would adversely impact property owners, wildlife and the river itself,' said Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, one of several state and tribal officials who are opposed to the project.
For more than a year, Drummond, several state lawmakers and leaders of the Choctaw Nation, have opposed the project. In an August 2024 letter to the FERC, Drummond urged rejection of the application, noting that Southeast Oklahoma Power Corp. provided only limited information to the commission and had not requested the proper state licenses or permits for the project.
Drummond argued that the project appeared to be inconsistent with numerous mechanisms in the state's Water Settlement Agreement with the Choctaw Nation and the Chickasaw Nation that are intended to preserve the flow of the Kiamichi River and protect the region.
'As the chief law officer of the State of Oklahoma, I will not tolerate violation of Oklahoma law or flagrant disregard for the sovereignty or federal law, protected rights of a tribal nation and similarly situated property owners,' the attorney general wrote. 'Most of the proud Oklahomans who call the Kiamichi region home have lived there for generations. I intend, as Oklahoma's Attorney General, to ensure that their private property rights are safeguarded to the full extent of the law.'
Drummond isn't the only state official opposed to the project.
Last year, state Rep. J.J. Humphrey, a Republican from Lane, and Rep. Eddy Dempsey, R-Valliant, held an interim hearing about the project. Both lawmakers said they were concerned about the way land would be obtained for the project.
"Southeast Oklahoma Power Corporation is alleged to have threatened over 500 landowners with eminent domain and plans to remove these landowners to complete their project," Humphrey said. "The study reviewed potential effects of this project on the river, wildlife and landowners and revealed why there is such incredible opposition to this project."
In July 2024, the Choctaw Nation's tribal council passed a resolution opposing the hydropower project. The tribe sent a formal letter about the issue to the FERC, which outlined the tribe's concerns about potential harm from the project and the importance of tribal participation in the approval process.
'One of our tribe's top priorities is defending our sovereignty, which includes protecting our culture and community. These efforts include being good stewards of our land and natural resources,' Choctaw Chief Gary Batton said. 'Fortunately, FERC has recognized it must not issue preliminary permits for projects on tribal land if a project is opposed by a tribe, and we call on the agency to adhere to that policy.'
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: AG Drummond halt of controversial hydroelectric plant on Kiamichi River
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