While opposition in Oklahoma to a proposed hydroelectric power plant on the Kiamichi River in Pushmataha County has been growing, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond is asking federal regulators to reject the plan.
The Southeast Oklahoma Power Corporation (SEOPC) is a Texas company that has its eyes on building the power plant in Oklahoma to send power to Paris, Texas. Earlier this year, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) sent back SEOPC’s pre-application and notice of intent to build and operate the facility. The regulators said the company did not do enough to work with Tribes and Oklahoma state agencies.
Drummond is bringing to FERC’s attention that SEOPC’s project appears to be inconsistent with parts of the State’s Water Settlement Agreement with the Choctaw Nation and the Chickasaw Nation which are intended to protect the flow of the Kiamichi River.
“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,” Drummond wrote in a letter to the FERC.
Drummond also pointed out that SEOPC plans to use powers of condemnation to acquire private property to build the power plant and has not considered implications of the project under the Endangered Species Act, the National Historic Preservation Act, and the Clean Water Act.
